Afghan women demand restoration of rights and freedom

Story by  ATV | Posted by  Aasha Khosa • 2 Years ago
Afghan women staging a protest in Kabul
Afghan women staging a protest in Kabul

 

Kabul

 

The Taliban regime in Kabul is facing a virtual revolt from women for curbing their freedom and asking them to be always accompanied by a male relative while moving out of their homes. Women on Tuesday staged protests in Kabul demanding the restoration of their rights and freedom. According to TOLO News, several dozen women on Tuesday held a protest calling for their rights to ‘education, employment, and social freedom.’

 

They raised the slogans "we are the voice of hungry people" and "we are awake, we hate discrimination" and alleged the Taliban government is keeping them out of society by imposing curbs on their basic freedom – to work, to move around.

 

The women asked how is it possible for them to find a male relative to accompany them in an emergency and how will the relatives provide for their food “Pay our salaries so that we can eat.” Said women protesters. They said times have changed and today’s women can not be silenced,” said Wida, a protestor.

“We gathered to raise voices against restrictions imposed on women; our schools are closed, they took away working opportunities, now they ordered us not to go out of our homes alone, they are talking about the rights described by Islam. Does Islam order that a nation should be hungry, does Islam say to forbid girls from education?" said Shayesta, a protestor.

 The protestors called on the international community to not ignore Afghan women.

 

“We are half of the society, we are human, we have the right to education and to work, I ask the international community to not recognize this government,” said Zahra, a protestor

In recent days the Islamic Emirate Ministry of Virtue and Vice issued a new directive on women's travel, saying the women who are travelling long distances by road should be accompanied by a male relative, and they should wear a hijab, to cover their head and face.

 

The directive also banned playing music in vehicles. Taliban officials were seen breaking the musical instruments and the video of their action went viral on social media.

“Our forces told drivers and people to not play and listen to music, music is not allowed in the Islamic religion,” said Mawlawi Mohammad Sadeq Akef, a spokesman of the Ministry of Virtue and Vice.

 The Islamic Emirate’s officials say women can have rights based on Islamic regulations.

“The Islamic Emirate supreme leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a decree on women which covers all (aspects of) women's lives,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman of Islamic Emirate.

 

The protest of Afghan women did not last a long time and the Islamic Emirate’s forces fired into the air to disperse the protesters.