Women In Afghanistan Describe Taliban’s Brutal Repression, 3 Years After U.S. Withdrawal
New Age Islam News Bureau
31 Aug 2024
· Women In Afghanistan Describe Taliban’s Brutal Repression, 3 Years After U.S. Withdrawal
· UAE And US Issue Joint Call To Support Women And Girls In Afghanistan
· UAE: These Emirati Women Are Striving To Make Dubai A Hub For Investment, Living
· How Taliban's Harsh New Laws Are Setting Women Back Decades
· The Enforced Silence Of Afghanistan’s Women
· South African Farmer, Employees Accused Of Feeding Women To Pigs After Decomposing Bodies Discovered In Sty
· Faster Capital Honours Emirati Women’s Day 2024 with Funding Round for UAE Female Entrepreneurs
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghanistan-taliban-repression/d/133092
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Women In Afghanistan Describe Taliban’s Brutal Repression, 3 Years After U.S. Withdrawal
Aug 30, 2024
This week marks three years since the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO allies from Afghanistan. It also marks three years of intensifying repression of women under the Taliban regime in what the UN has described as a "striking erasure of women from public life." Producer Zeba Warsi spoke to Afghan women inside the country about their lives today. Amna Nawaz reports.
Amna Nawaz:
Today marks three years since the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO allies from Afghanistan. It also marks three years of intensifying repression of women under the Taliban regime, what the U.N. has described as a — quote — "striking erasure of women from public life."
Producer Zeba Warsi spoke to Afghan women inside the country about their lives today.
Once the hub of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base is now the Taliban stage, a show of force with abandoned U.S. and NATO equipment. In 2021, a different scene here, as desperate Afghans clung to airplane wings during a chaotic U.S. withdrawal. This month, the Taliban draped the streets with their flags, marking three years in power.
Missing from these scenes, Afghans women, who say they're being erased from public life in a wave of Taliban restrictions.
Sara, Founder, Secret Girls Schools:
It is like being in a jail, but the prison is your home.
Amna Nawaz:
We're calling this woman Sara to protect her identity. Women in Afghanistan, including girls as young as 10, are now banned from attending schools and colleges. A new law passed last week states women are forbidden from looking at men they're not related to and banned from being heard in public.
Sara spoke to us from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.
Sara:
You're not allowed to go to restaurants or university, nowhere but just your home, because they say the best place for women and young girls is their home.
Amna Nawaz:
But Sara, a teacher, refuses to relent. She founded an organization that runs secret schools like this one.
Sara:
We were teaching them English, instead of Islamic studies. We take actions very conservatively. Our classes' numbers are significantly low. The number of students are low because we have to let those students to join the classes that are very trustable.
Woman:
Hello. Good morning, guys.
Amna Nawaz:
The risk, she says, is always there because the Taliban are always watching.
Sara:
Their officials and their agents came into our classes and they found the English books. They saw us teaching English, instead of Islamic studies. And they arrested our man colleague.
We advise our volunteers to be very careful. But they have that inspiration and that motivation to do something for girls.
Amna Nawaz:
And she decries the Taliban's warped view of her faith.
Sara:
I am a Muslim. You can see the paintings behind me. That's a verse and a verse of Koran. And I believe in Islam. I haven't read in the Koran any banning on women's education.
What the Taliban are not Islam. They're not Muslim. And they're just extremists. They're radicalists.
Amna Nawaz:
Sara is not alone in her defiance. Online, video surfaced of Afghan women defying Taliban law and singing in public. The lyrics to this song, "You made me a prisoner in my home." The United Nations says two-thirds of Afghan women suffer from mental health issues and note an increase in suicide attempt rates among women.
A stolen future has left this woman we're calling Roya with dimmed hopes.
Roya, Teacher, Secret School For Girls:
One of my fears is that all of my education become nothing. I cannot use my knowledge. I cannot continue my educations. I cannot work in the society.
Amna Nawaz:
Once an economic student, she's now a teacher for an online school. Banned from public life, she was forced to take up sewing lessons, a permitted activity by the Taliban. But she's not abandoning her dreams.
Roya:
One of my biggest dreams is that I become an independent girl and I be head of my own company. And, inshallah, I never give up for my trying. I try my best to achieve my dreams.
Amna Nawaz:
Sara says secret schools like this are one way to fan the flames of a generation of young girls' dreams.
Sara:
That's why we have to take the risk. It could be a punishment. It could be a — maybe a death threat. It could be arresting, anything. But we have to take the risk.
Source: pbs.org
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/women-in-afghanistan-describe-talibans-brutal-repression-3-years-after-u-s-withdrawal
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UAE And US Issue Joint Call To Support Women And Girls In Afghanistan
Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, welcomes Rina Amiri, US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, to the UAE on Friday. Photo: Wam
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August 31, 2024
The UAE has joined the US in a strong statement reiterating their support of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The nations agreed on the need for collective support and resources to improve the lives of Afghan women and children in the wake of a morality law introduced in the country this week.
The law, introduced on Wednesday by the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice, is based on a decree by its supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and will be enforced by its Ministry of Preventing Vice and Promoting Virtue.
It formalises and expands on the increasingly severe restrictions imposed on women and girls since the hardline group seized power three years ago.
In response, Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, welcomed Rina Amiri, US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, to the UAE to discuss the situation on Friday.
The meeting resulted in the nations reiterating their commitments to supporting the promotion and protection of women’s rights in the country, a statement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Ms Nusseibeh and Ms Amiri stated these issues were “critical to a durable and economically viable Afghanistan”.
Particular emphasis was placed on the need for support for education, health services, livelihood and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Both sides also discussed the importance of providing humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan through development projects and support for reconstruction.
It comes as Afghan women say they fear worse is yet to come from the Taliban.
Many of the morality law's 35 articles mandate more rigorous adherence to rules already in force, such as the requirement for women to cover their bodies and faces.
Source: thenationalnews.com
https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2024/08/30/uae-us-afghanistan-women-girls/
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UAE: These Emirati women are striving to make Dubai a hub for investment, living
by Ashwani Kumar
30 Aug 2024,
Three Emirati women at Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) are making significant contributions to the emirate’s economic growth and development by implementing strategic initiatives.
Fatma Almarri strives to transform Dubai into the world’s best city to visit, live, work, and invest in. As the manager of the investor office at Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC) – the economic development arm of DET, has played an integral role in executing the Golden Visa initiative.
“Working alongside influential leaders and contributing to the implementation of strategic projects have been instrumental in my professional development,” she said.
Fatma sees her mother as her biggest role model and support system.
“Her encouragement has been the key to shaping the person I am today. To all the young Emirati women out there, find your source of inspiration and seek out individuals who motivate and cheer you up. And I promise you, you will be celebrating your success.”
Meanwhile, Maryam Mohammed Abdullah, senior inspector in promotional events at the Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), part of DET, has been instrumental in driving economic stability by ensuring consumer and business protection. She has been on field inspection tours to ensure that commercial establishments meet the necessary standards.
Maryam noted that the experience she gained at DET has helped her make tangible impacts.
“DET’s comprehensive training programmes and workshops have significantly enhanced my skills and facilitated my journey during my bachelor studies. These initiatives have not only supported my growth but also empowered me to contribute to DET’s success.”
Maryam also credits her mother for her resilience and positive outlook.
“I encourage young Emirati women to continue learning and expanding their knowledge and skills to contribute to the prosperity of our country and support its growth and development.”
For Iman Haidar, DET has been her home for two decades now. Today, she serves as a senior manager within the VIP and advisory services team at Dubai Business Registration and Licensing Corporation (DBLC), a subsidiary of DET.
She has played a crucial role in projects like the trade license auto-renewal service, Invest in Dubai, and Services 360, which underscore her leadership abilities. Her professional journey has been shaped by the mentorship and support from top leaders, and her mother’s guidance has been instrumental in her development.
“Working at DET under the guidance of distinguished leaders has empowered me to develop my skills and make significant contributions. The mentorship and support I received have allowed me to excel and deliver my best work,” Iman said.
“I encourage younger Emirati women to focus on their education, be ambitious and work hard to achieve their dreams, and make a positive impact on themselves and their communities.”
Source: khaleejtimes.com
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-these-emirati-women-are-striving-to-make-dubai-a-hub-for-investment-living
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How Taliban's harsh new laws are setting women back decades
August 30, 2024
This time, they hoped, a more sophisticated and pragmatic vision might have replaced the Taliban’s previously extremist approach.
Some also argued that the rest of the world had a moral responsibility to approach Afghanistan’s new rulers with cautious optimism. Engagement should be the key. Anything else risked condemning the country and its population to isolation and economic hardship.
During the negotiations that led to the February 2020 Doha agreement, the Taliban’s position on post-settlement Afghanistan’s politics remained ambiguous. The group continued this vague posture during the subsequent intra-Afghan dialogues with the former Afghan government.
Then, appearing in a press conference three days after Taliban forces took control of Kabul, its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, appeared to give reassurances the new regime would respect women’s rights “within the norms of Islamic law”.
In the ensuing three years, the Taliban’s fundamentalist regime has continued to suffer from weak legitimacy, despite taking pains initially to cultivate a conciliatory image compared to its harsh rule in the 1990s.
However, what had appeared to some to be Taliban 2.0 has increasingly looked like the old, harsh and fundamentalist Taliban as the regime has grown more confident in its hold on power.
Since 2021, Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate, has gradually issued more than 50 decrees that affect most areas of society.
Many hard-won achievements under the former republic, such as freedom of expression and the press, have been suppressed. The regime has forced into disappearance, imprisoned or murdered many former government members, despite announcing a general amnesty.
In their treatment of women, including forbidding education after the age of 12, restrictions have become so harsh that the resulting subjugation has been labelled “gender apartheid” by many journalists, academics and activists.
Many female students have had to flee the country. Most recently a group of women medical students made the news after they were granted scholarships to go to UK to complete their studies.
The regime has also revived public executions and flogging reminiscent of their 1990s practices. An edict issued in March 2024 stated the regime will also resume public stoning.
The regime has now introduced a series of new “vice and virtue” laws, to be enforced by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV).
Until now, government has been mainly by decrees from the Taliban leadership. But these, while giving an indication of the regime’s increasingly extremist and authoritarian nature, have not been accompanied with details of how they should be enforced. This uncertainty could, at times, allow local authorities a degree of leeway, including the ability in some cases to ignore decrees when it suits.
But the recent law change removes these ambiguities, empowers the Taliban’s morality police and is enforceable on everyone residing in Afghanistan.
Women barred from singing
The new laws are particularly harsh on women. They enforce the wearing of the hijab and stipulate this garment must be made of thick enough material to fully cover a woman’s face and body and avoid offering temptation to men.
Women’s voices are also deemed to be a source of temptation, so women are now not allowed to speak outside the family home. If a woman can be heard singing, even from within her own home, this is considered a violation of the law and can be punished. Women are even forbidden from looking directly at a man who is not their husband or blood relative.
Enforcement can be undertaken by anyone in society “who is capable”.
Reports by two “trustworthy” individuals is enough to bring a prosecution. This is a worrying prospect, as it could lead to arbitrary accusations based on personal or political vendettas.
Officially enforcement will be carried out by the ministry’s appointees, the morality police or mohtaseb. “Fairness and kindness” are stipulated as guiding principles for how the new rules should be enforced, although these terms are not defined and the law is replete with subjective terminologies open to interpretation by those enforcing them.
New media laws introduced as part of the package prohibit “un-Islamic content” and empower the morality police to compel media officials to prevent the publication of content deemed contrary to Sharia and images of living beings. This last measure will effectively throw into doubt the future of TV broadcasting in Afghanistan.
The laws also forbid music in public and “un-Islamic” hairstyles. Men must grow beards at least as long as a fist. As a worrying sign for continued humanitarian engagement involving non-Muslim foreign workers, the law prohibits befriending, helping or imitating “nonbelievers”.
Violations will be met with on the spot fines issued by the mohtaseb or imprisonment for one-to-three days and prosecution in the regime’s courts for repeat offenders. The morality police also has the power to compel attendance at the mosque, with prosecution for those who do not obey, regardless of whether they pray at home.
As recently as June, Taliban representatives attended UN-sponsored talks in Doha at which spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called for funds frozen by the west to be released and for the relaxation of sanctions on the regime. He dismissed western concerns over the regime’s treatment of women as “cultural differences”.
But these new laws have effectively removed any remaining differences between the current regime and its 1990s predecessor, a fundamentalist pariah that turned Afghanistan into an isolated outcast.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Source: firstpost.com
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/how-talibans-harsh-new-laws-are-setting-women-back-decades-13810007.html
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The enforced silence of Afghanistan’s women
By Mark Stimpson
30 Aug 24
The silencing of Afghanistan’s women is now complete.
This week, Afghanistan’s Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice came into force.
Women’s voices are now considered as awrah, or intimate parts, and may only be experienced in cases of necessity. Women must refrain from raising their voices and they are forbidden from being overheard reading aloud, chanting or singing outside their homes.
The law also dictates that women’s bodies and faces must be fully covered.
“It is haram for unrelated men to look at the bodies or faces of unrelated women, and it is haram for unrelated women to look at unrelated men,” the law says.
It is the Taliban’s ultimate denial of women’s freedom of expression and is an all too predictable outcome of the withdrawal of Western troops from the country in 2021.
The law, ratified by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, applies to all individuals living in Afghanistan including foreign residents.
Punishment for these “crimes” will be carried out by the Taliban’s Muhtaseebs or morality police who have the authority to detain individuals for up to three days on the flimsiest of evidence.
These “vice and virtue” laws also severely restrict religious practices, outline what individuals can and cannot do in their sex lives and allow the Taliban to regulate both state and private media outlets. Publishing images of living beings is now also forbidden and people are now forbidden from storing photos or videos of others on their phones.
The human rights community has been quick to denounce the new laws.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights RavinaShamdasani said the new policies were contrary to international human rights law and “completely erase women’s presence in public – silencing their voices, and depriving them of their individual autonomy, effectively attempting to render them into faceless, voiceless shadows”.
“Disempowering and rendering invisible and voiceless half the population of Afghanistan will only worsen the human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country. Rather, this is a time to bring together all the people of Afghanistan, irrespective of their gender, religion or ethnicity, to help resolve the many challenges the country faces.”
These new laws go against everything we stand for at Index on Censorship and show a complete failure of the West’s foreign policies. And it’s the women of Afghanistan who have paid the highest price.
Source: indexoncensorship.org
https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2024/08/the-enforced-silence-of-afghanistans-women/
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South African farmer, employees accused of feeding women to pigs after decomposing bodies discovered in sty
Aug. 30, 2024,
A white South African farmer and two of his workers were in court Friday accused of murdering two black women and feeding their remains to pigs, shocking the country.
Zachariah Olivier, 60, and workers Adriaan De Wet, 19, and William Musoro, 45, are facing murder charges after the decomposing bodies were discovered in a pigsty on a farm in the northern province of Limpopo on August 20.
Police began investigating after a 45-year-old woman was reported missing after visiting the farm on August 17.
She was accompanied by another woman, aged 35.
“Both women sustained gunshot wounds and a 47-year-old foreign national man, who was with them, was also shot and hospitalised,” police said.
Reports said the man was the husband of the younger woman and the trio had strayed on to the farm to salvage expired foodstuffs dumped there.
But the motive for the crime remains unclear.
Dozens protested outside the magistrate’s court at Mankweng, a town about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Johannesburg, to demand that the accused be refused bail.
The bail hearing was postponed to September 10.
The killings caused outrage in South Africa, which suffers from a high crime rate with homicides among the highest in the world.
The women’s wing of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party said it was “horrified and outraged” and called for “decisive action to curb the violence against women.”
The main opposition uMkhontoweSizwe party said it “condemns… the atrocious murder of two black women by racist white farmers”.
Police figures released Friday showed that nearly 6,200 people were murdered in South Africa between April and June this year, a 0.5-percent decrease over the same period a year earlier.
Source: nypost.com
https://nypost.com/2024/08/30/world-news/south-african-farmer-employees-accused-of-feeding-women-to-pigs/
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Faster CapitalHonours Emirati Women’s Day 2024 with Funding Round for UAE Female Entrepreneurs
August 31, 2024
By Anusrita Ghosh
In Honora of Emirati Women’s Day 2024, Funding Round Aims to Support Female-Led Startups
In celebration of Emirati Women’s Day 2024, FasterCapital is excited to unveil a dedicated funding round specifically for women entrepreneurs in the UAE. This initiative reflects FasterCapital’s ongoing dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among Emirati women, as well as supporting female leaders across the region. By offering this funding opportunity, FasterCapital aims to further empower women in the UAE, reinforcing its long-standing commitment to enhancing the role of women in business and innovation within the region.
Investing in Female-Led Startups
The proposed funding round aims to provide essential financial assistance to startups led by women in the UAE, helping them navigate financial difficulties and expand their operations. This initiative is a key component of FasterCapital’s broader efforts to align with the UAE’s vision of promoting gender balance and fostering economic diversification. By offering this support, the initiative seeks to empower female entrepreneurs and contribute to the overall economic growth of the country while ensuring that women have equal opportunities in the business sector.
HeshamZreik, FasterCapital CEO, said, “We are proud to announce this funding round on Emirati Women’s Day, a day that celebrates the great work and achievements of women in our country. In supporting women entrepreneurs, we seek to enable the coming generation of female leaders who will play an active role in advancing the economic and social development of the UAE.”
How to Apply and Benefits of the Program
Applications for this funding opportunity can only be accepted from August 28, 2024, to September 30, 2024. Services provided to selected startups for financial and legal support, mentorship, networking, and access to strategic resources, ultimately accelerating their growth and impact in various ways.
Sonia Judith, the program manager of FasterCapital, stated on the occasion: “The Program shows that we believe in the importance of the Emirati woman and how decisive her role could be to shape the future, so all support and preparation should be given to her to compete in such a competitive business environment.”
Learn More
More details about the eligibility criteria, application process, and program benefits can be accessed from their website or directly from them.
About FasterCapital
FasterCapital is an online global incubator and accelerator that invests in technical development and business development in return for equity. The company also supports and advises startups and SMEs in raising capital at all stages of the process.
Source: businessoutreach.in
https://www.businessoutreach.in/fastercapital-honors-emirati-womens-day/#google_vignette
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/afghanistan-taliban-repression/d/133092