New Delhi
To the Taliban's latest diktat on women to cover up and ger banished from public spaces, a group of Afghan women and activists continue to put up resistance to these restrictions. Recently they have taken to a novel way of protesting – they write their demands as murals in the night on the walls of Kabul.
According to the TOLO news agency of Afghanistan, the feisty women denounce the restrictions against them. Their demands written as slogans include calling for girls’ right to education, women’s right to work, women’s choice of clothes, and the inclusion of women in social and political life.
The women said they started writing on walls at night after some of their rallies on the streets in the daytime were met with violence from the Islamic Emirate forces. They told the TOLO reporter that they have taken to this mode of protest to avoid facing violence.
“Our protests were met with threats and violence, so we switched to murals to achieve our fundamental rights and will continue these protests,” Tamana Rezaie, a protester, was quoted by the news agency.
“Murals are our new method of protesting for calling for our rights. Because our protests were often met by violence from the Taliban,” said Leda, another protester.
“Women’s rights in choosing their clothing style, work, and education are restricted. We will not stay silent and will raise our voice,” said Aziz Gul, a protester.
Meanwhile, women protesters and activists called on the Islamic Emirate to grant women their rights and warned they will expand their protests in the provinces if their demands are not met.
“Today’s women are not the women of 20 years ago. Our new protest methods will expand in all the provinces, and we will use any possible means to raise our voice,” said Navida Khurasani, a women's rights activist.
“We want our rights. We will not let them be rolled back and will continue our protests until we are given our rights,” Darya Neshat, a women's rights activist said.
Inamullah Samangani, the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, meanwhile said they are working on mechanisms to provide education and work opportunities for women. “The Islamic Emirate has not created any obstacles in the way of women’s rights. We are working on a framework to provide good education and work opportunities for the women,” he said.
In addition to writing on walls, protests in homes and wearing men’s clothing are other new methods being used by Afghan women.
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