Taliban's 'say one thing, do another' record on women's rights leaves their fate uncertain

Though the Taliban had asserted that the rights of women will be respected “within the framework of Islamic law,” the fate of the Afghan women remains uncertain. As per the Associated Press, in Afghanistan’s third-largest city, girls joined boys in returning to school but Taliban fighters were handing hijabs and headscarves to them at the door. However, in the capital of Kabul, an unimaginable sight emerged of an Afghan woman interviewing a Taliban official in a TV studio.

A couple of days after taking over the nation following the devastating offensive, the Taliban made an effort to showcase a comparatively moderate stance, in stark contrast to the group’s ‘iron fist’ rule of 1996-2001. In the Taliban’s first press conference since re-conquering the country on August 15, a spokesperson said that women would be free to work but gave a little insight into the rules and regulations. Zabihullah Mujahid, a longtime spokesperson for the Taliban, reiterated that all Afghans must live “within the framework of Islam.” however, rights groups continue to fear that women’s freedoms could be eroded by Taliban.

While there were some encounters between women and Taliban in the public, AP stated that women across the country remained home as they were ‘too terrified’ into the new world under extremist group’s rule. The report also stated that the group’s nonchalant remarks in the news conference contradicted the group’s actions. Media reports have stated that that the Taliban took door-to-door visits looking for journalists, people working for the opposition as well as other targets as most of the people tried to flee the nation. A Western female lecturer in Kabul, who reportedly wishes to remain anonymous amid fears that the capital is in crisis.

“They have been starting to go door to door, checking people’s houses, sometimes forcing in. They are saying they are leaving the population alone, but that’s an indication that this is not true,” she said. The extremist group has blamed the scattered acts of looting and theft on criminals or other people posing as the Taliban, not their members. 

Taliban's cultural commission member on women

Meanwhile, Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, has reportedly said the group was ready to provide women with the environment to work and study, and the presence of women in different (government) structures. Another official, as per AP, pledged to honour women’s rights “according to Islamic law.”

However, a senior female broadcaster in Kabul stated, “I do not believe the Taliban” and added that she would remain in hiding on August 16 at a relative’s house. She reportedly also said that she was too afraid to work following the Taliban had a list of journalists and had knocked on some doors after entering the capital. Further, in Herat, Zahra, a 26-year-old advocate of women’s rights, said that most residents, especially women, remained at home on Tuesday, five days after the Taliban arrived in the city.

IMAGE: AP