Sughra Atayee
Translated by M. Rezaie
Now it is clear to everyone, that the change of the Taliban has been a false dream-an issue that will never happen. From the beginning of the process of submitting Afghanistan to the Taliban in Doha, many human rights activists and women rights activists repeatedly said that the Taliban see women from an ideological and fundamentalist lens. In such a perspective, there will be no fundamental change in women’s rights. They cried and warned the stakeholders they must not be deceived by the diplomatic smiles of the Taliban representatives in the news conferences. But, there was no one to hear or listen and finally, the tragedy that must have been prevented occurred in Afghanistan.
When the Taliban seized power in Kabul, they started restricting citizen rights, especially women’s rights, and freedom; they banned girls’ schools, segregated the universities based on gender, banned women from travel, deprived them of presence in public places without hejab-what they term it perfect hejab, and they have recently informed the media that women presenters must wear a mask when presenting a program.
It is clear that the Taliban’s policy is opposing women in public spheres and it is not an issue of how the women must appear in the public spaces. It is obvious that they can’t tolerate the presence of women on the streets, offices, universities, media and etc. They are determined to continue restrictions on women until women are imprisoned in the four walls of the kitchens.
Women as the Human Resource
Afghan women used the limited opportunities they had during the last two decades in the best way. They showed their will and capacity in the process of development and progress of Afghanistan. It was also a deceitful and anti-women tactic in Afghanistan, all the will and presence of women in power were limited to some specific women who had corrupt relations with the powerful authorities. As a result, these authorities turned a blind eye to the achievements of independent, virtuous, and hardworking women and did not provide them the resources and opportunities to play a constructive role in the public sphere.
Many Afghan women and girls fought with the restrictions, barriers, and challenges during the last two decades and shouldered with their brothers in the development process of Afghanistan based on determination and merit and according to the frameworks of freedom and the rights their constitutional rights. Girls who achieved the first rank in the entrance exams only succeeded through their hard work and capacity and expressed their will to play an equal role in the development of the country. Those women who won international scholarships, not only honored the country at the international level but increased the human capital of the country to ensure its development and progress. An increase in women’s share in higher education in Afghanistan was not a cheap gift for women, but the result of their hard work and of course the result of an open space of opportunities for women in Afghanistan. Women who worked and provided the livelihood of their families stood on their own feet and were not indebted to no officers and did not spoil their honor. These women showed that if there was the rule of law in a country and the laws ensured equal opportunities for men and women, women could participate in the development of their country as men and they could even shine brighter than men in the international arenas and win international awards. From this perspective, development outlook and not legal outlook, the presence of women in the public spheres increases the human capital and accelerates the development process of a country; because an open environment facilitates the participation of all citizens of the country in the development and progress of it. The presence of women in the public spheres is the human right of women (legal perspective), but such presence doubles the forces, capabilities, and motivations of a nation for building it (developmental outlook).
The power of making and the power of Suppress
Now, the question raised here is why such capacity is neglected by the new rulers of Afghanistan and they want to limit all such capacities and motivations through medieval decrees? We shall look for the right answer from the perspective of the Taliban to the concept of power. In the modern world, political power is a power for managing and its functions are coordination, consolidation, and mobilizing the capacities of the society towards development and evolution. There is no doubt that in such a perspective all human capacities are considered unreplaceable capital and the managers of the society do their best to ensure realizing and using such capacities fully.
But, there is another perspective about power as the main concerns of the rulers of such a system are focused on controlling and suppressing and not building, realizing the capacities, and motivating the citizens. Power does not enjoy a participatory and management nature, but it is a kind of group domination and tribal booties that others want to steal. Based on such a perspective of power, building a country is not the goal, but limiting, suppressing, and making the people obey blindly and controlling the people is the ultimate goal of the government.
If according to the first perspective the capability of the citizens is the desire of the government, and the authorities make all the measures to realize them, but according to the second perspective empowerment of citizens is a threat to the government. When the perspective of the government is to restrict the citizens, then they change to objects which need to be controlled and not to pursue to cherish them and ask them to take part in the reconstruction of their country. The presence of women in the public sphere is not an opportunity but is an issue, challenge and threat. In such a perspective, women change into a dangerous and challenging entity that can challenge the tyranny and absolute power of the government. The nature of all decrees issued by the Taliban Take Care government is common in one thing; making all the measures to control and not manage the women.
Afghan women, the very weak who are not wearing uniforms and holding guns like Kobani girls, are changed to the main challenge for the toe to the teeth armed Taliban through their well-informed presence on the streets and advocating for their rights. The presence of women in such scenes unveils the illegitimacy and medieval power of the Taliban in a much easier and clearer manner. The Taliban were not illegitimate on the battlefields, and if they were illegitimate they would not have retaken the power again. All those who perceived their power and privileges on the wind fled the country and could not provide a narrative to prove the illegitimacy of the Taliban government during the last 9 months. Killing people in Panjshir, Andarab, Takhar, Badakhshan and other trenches of the war may make the Taliban stronger and improve their dominance. But, beating the women who only want their human rights and imprisoning them delegitimize the Taliban’s power at the local and international levels. In fact, what this illiterate and savage manliness can tell the women who are educated, are sociologists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, managers and economists and etc.
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