לשם שמ’’ם

‫לשם שמיים‬

Spring 2022

Women’s Protests in Afghanistan: When Theocratic Powers Quell Democratic Protests

Page 6

restrictions with peaceful protests, only to be subdued and threatened by the Taliban. One organizer of such protests is Khujasta Elham. Every month, Elham is forced to sign into her office to prove that she is going into work. However, Elham has not worked since the Taliban took over in August, nor has she been paid. She signs into her office once a month Amina Levites-Cohen, ’22 During August of 2021, the Taliban, to cooperate with the Taliban’s attempt to prove that they an Islamic fundamentalist group, have allowed women to remain in government, when in fact, toppled Afghanistan’s government.1 they have fired all women in government agencies. Angered The government, which had been by the seemingly dismal future she and other Afghan women backed by the United Nations, was face, Elham has taken to the streets to participate in peaceful put into place after the September protests. In addition to beatings. Taliban officials have 11 terrorist attacks prompted war sprayed chemicals at protesters. As an organizer of these between the United States and protests, Elham says she has received threatening phone warning her of prison and unstated Afghanistan. At its conception, the calls from the Taliban 8 “consequences.”

Elham’s story signifies the Taliban’s government based itself on a constitution violent attempt to curb dissent and freedom of expression. that required elections and boasted protections for women’s The Taliban has worked methodically to decommission 2 and other minorities’ rights. The Taliban’s swift takeover of any resources designed to aid women and expand women’s major Afghan cities, including Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, rights.

Along with the replacement of the Women’s Ministry coincided with the United States’ military departure from the with The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention country. While initially, the Taliban had promised to regard the rights of women “within [their] frameworks of sharia of Vice, the Taliban has rooted out organizations that provide (Islamic law),” the group has imposed new harsh restrictions women with legal counsel or advocate for women’s rights. that target women.3 For example, under Taliban rule, women Many women’s rights activists have fled Afghanistan for fear are required to wear a burqa outside. Women must also have of persecution. Female police officers were also victims of a mahram, or male chaperone, escort them when they travel. the Taliban’s erasure of women from government agencies. one The Taliban has also cracked down on women’s education, The Taliban reportedly killed two female police officers, 9 of whom was pregnant, at the start of its takeover.

Zarifa enforcing gender-segregated classrooms and banning women and girls from secondary and higher education.4 Ghafari, one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors says that Because of the Taliban’s restrictions on women, the new the “Taliban are trying to erase women’s presence — erase Afghan government represents a loss of democracy and free them from the walls, from the streets, from schools, from work, from government.” As a target of the Taliban, Ghafari expression in Afghanistan.

New limitations on fundamental women’s rights are bore witness to the threats the Taliban used to take over Afghanistan’s government and curb reminiscent of restrictions imposed on free expression. Despite having fled her women by the Taliban in the 1990s. Female employees at the home for Germany in August of 2021, One glaring similarity is the Taliban’s Women’s Ministry were Ghafari advocates for the strength reestablishment of The Ministry for the locked out of the government of women in the face of the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention attempts to target women’s rights.10 building in September of of Vice. This government agency is Freedom House, an organization often (and aptly) cited as the Taliban’s 2021 after weeks of being that aims to rank nations based on how 5 “morality police.” The Ministry is the turned away from work by democratic they are gives the Talibanprimary enforcer of Islamic law and is new government officials. controlled Afghanistan a 27/100 on famous for holding public floggings to its democracy score.

The organization make examples of rule-breakers. To add cites political coercion and the marginalization of women insult to injury, The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue as reasons for this scoring.

For example, the amount of and Prevention of Vice has replaced the Women’s Ministry. registered women voters in Afghanistan dropped from 41 While women’s rights in Afghanistan were by no means up to western standards before the Taliban resurfaced in 2021, percent in 2010 to 34 percent in 2018. Since these statistics the Women’s Ministry was an acknowledgement of the need were reported, Freedom House says that “women’s political for improvement of women’s rights.6 Female employees at participation has been constrained by threats, harassment, the Women’s Ministry were locked out of the government and social restrictions.” Also, the criminal justice system fails building in September of 2021 after weeks of being turned women; women are jailed for straying from their families’ away from work by new government officials. The slew of wishes relating to marriage and while 51 percent of women firings of female government employees at the beginning have experienced domestic violence, only a fraction of the 11 of the Taliban’s takeover indicated the sweeping limitations perpetrators of such crimes are brought before a court.

The data from Freedom House show that the Taliban not that would soon follow.7 Women in Afghanistan have met the Taliban’s harsh new only ignores violations of women’s rights, but is complicit