-Caveat Lector-
The Taliban and Women: Lifting the Veil of Propaganda
http://www.albalagh.net/current_affairs/taliban_women.shtml
[Edited version of a Taliban report acquired by Jamiat ul Ulema, South
Africa.] Posted: 26 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1422, 18 June 2001
The treatment of women in Afghanistan is a subject that the Western Media
and feminists have concentrated their ideological warfare efforts on. It
is important to look at the policies of the Taliban as regards women and
the facts in the country itself, as reported by independent journalists.
Women's Life Conditions Presently and Before Taliban
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is fully committed to the social,
cultural and economic development of women. The government has been able
to protect the honor, life and property of Afghan women. Contrary to the
situation before Taliban women can now be outside their houses safely
without the fear of being kidnapped, violated or looted. They no longer
fear conditions that were common before. Even Amnesty International (a
biased anti-Taliban organization) reports of 1992-95 admitted that women
in Afghanistan bore the brunt of the atrocities by armed factions.
Irresponsible commanders and gunmen not only violated the honor of women
but mutilated women's bodies and in many cases, cut their breasts etc.
Similarly, common was murder, torture and execution of the people by the
armed factions. Due to the intolerable atrocities, the Taliban Islamic
Movement emerged to deliver the defenseless Afghan people from the cruel
hands of the warlords.
Restoration of Women's Safety, Dignity and Freedom
Being highly concerned about the well-being of its female citizens, the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, soon introduced measures to put a stop to
the miserable living conditions under which the women lived in Kabul.
After the communists took over in Kabul, they began to exploit women for
the purpose of advancing their political and social agendas. In spite of
war condition in the country and with no work in the offices, the
communist regime forced a large number of women to attend government
offices only for their amusement. The Islamic Emirate decided to pay the
salaries of these women at their homes, so that they could stay home and
take care of their families and children. The purpose of this policy is to
help revive the Afghan family and household, as the foundation of the
Afghan society, a foundation that was intentionally destroyed by the
communist regime. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is determined to
provide educational and employment opportunities for the women of
Afghanistan, as soon as the security and financial circumstances under
which the Islamic Emirate operates allow such a step to be taken. In the
meantime, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will try to acquire the
resources and build the facilities that would make the separate education
of women possible.
Observance of Islamic Hijab or the Veil
The enforcement of the code of Islamic Hijab by the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan is fully consistent with the Islamic beliefs of Afghans and
the traditions of the Afghan society. Wearing a veil is common among women
all over Afghanistan. Islam and Afghan tradition attach the greatest
importance to the honor and safety of women in the society. To comply with
the Islamic code of Hijab, as well as to reduce the degree of threat to
the personal safety of women, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is asking
the women to observe the Islamic Hijab, and cover their faces in public.
This is a measure that is undertaken for the simple reason of protecting
the honor, dignity, and personal safety of the women in Afghanistan.
Women's Education in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Based on the holy teachings of Islam, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
considers education as the pillar of a healthy and prosperous individual
and social life. The Islamic Emirate is determined to provide educational
opportunities for all Afghans irrespective of gender, race, tribe,
language, or regional affiliations. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
considers education to be obligatory equally for men and women according
to the tenets of Islam. This is a clear verdict of our religion.
However, currently the country is in shambles, its economic structure
destroyed and education facilities turned to rubble like much else in the
country. Afghanistan requires appropriate foreign assistance to rebuild
every aspect of educational institutions. The present war situation
imposed and fueled by foreign powers diverts from Afghanistan's already
meager national resources that would be better allocated to opening more
schools. Larger and more centrally-run schools in urban areas present the
greatest challenge.
Secondly, the Afghans do not trust the communist-style curriculum. We have
to restore the trust of the common people in government-run education. We
also need to compile a new curriculum that will answer to the needs of our
society. Thirdly, the war has created a huge brain drain in all sectors
including education. In order to successfully tackle restoration of
educational, economic, political and social institutions, the government
wants to attract Afghan professionals and intellectuals living abroad. We
want them to take part in the reconstruction of their country. Without
their full participation in the rehabilitation and development efforts,
the Islamic Emirate will not be able to tackle these issues successfully.
The conditions today for the implementation of a sound, effective, and
Islamic educational program for the women of Afghanistan are nonexistent.
Over ninety percent of school buildings have been ruined by the war.
Qualified teachers have left the country. School books are full of
communist propaganda and indoctrination material. Because of past abuses
of the educational system for the purpose of propagating atheist ideology
and ideas, the great majority of Afghan fathers and mothers have lost
faith in schools and secular education.
Last but not least, in spite of its deep desire to activate the schooling
system in the country, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been facing
great difficulties in securing the financial and physical resources needed
to provide security for the schools, reconstruct school buildings, print
new books, acquire the necessary materials and pay for qualified and
dependable teachers. The limited amount of resources at the disposal of
the Islamic Emirate are being used to finance a war that has been imposed
on Afghanistan by the brazen and open intervention of countries such as
Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan and India. Intervention by these countries, and
the resulting terrorist activities launched against the innocent men and
women of Afghanistan by groups affiliated to these countries, have made
the task of providing security for schools and public buildings,
particularly girl's schools, extremely difficult.
Currently Operating Girls' Schools
Despite the limited economic resources of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan to fund educational institutes, universities in Qandahar,
Kabul and Nangrahar provinces are operating as usual. Several NGOs have
been allowed to fund schools in Afghanistan, besides the schools funded by
the government. Contrary to reports about girls education in the press,
the figures obtained from the education sector in Afghanistan, reveal that
girls education in rural Afghanistan is increasing.
According to a survey conducted by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
(SCA), almost 80 per cent of the girls schools located in rural areas
under the administration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan are
operating in full swing. Ms. Pia Karlsson, education advisor at the
Education Technical Support Unit (ETSU) of SCA, said in a recent interview
published by the Frontier Post, a Peshawar based English daily that only
in Ghazni province, where the Islamic Emirate under the leadership of TIMA
has control for the last two years, approximately 85 per cent of the girls
are still in schools. Ms.Karlsson says, "The picture outside the cities is
totally different." The SCA which has been supporting elementary education
in Afghanistan since 1984, currently supports 422 boys schools, 125 girls
schools and 897 mixed schools (co-education) in the forms of primary
schools and home schools. During the survey, she concentrated on 100 SCA
supported girls schools in the nine provinces: Kabul, Kunar, Laghman,
Ningarhar, Ghzani, Logar, Paktika, Paktya and Wardak. All these provinces
are under the administration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
According to the survey, female attendance was at 94 per cent and of the
7834 girls enrolled, 7341 were found present. More significantly, at least
170 female teachers were found teaching in these schools. Similarly, in
Kunduz province, 122 schools are operating with 390 female teachers
teaching at the schools. The Islamic Emirate is ready to open girls and
boys schools with appropriate foreign assistance.
Female Health Sector
Health facilities for women have increased 200% during Taleban
administration. Prior to the Taleban Islamic Movement's taking control of
Kabul, there were 350 beds in all hospitals in Kabul. Currently, there are
more than 950 beds for women in exclusive women's hospitals. Some
hospitals which have specifically been allocated to women include Rabia
Balkhi Hospital, Malali Hospital, Khair Khana Hospital, Indira Gandhi
Child Health Hospital, Atta Turk Hospital, Kuwait Red Crescent Hospital,
Contagious Disease Hospital and T.B. Hospital. Moreover, there are 32
mother and child health clinics. In addition to this, women receive
treatment at ICRC and the Sandy Gal Orthopaedic Centers. In all these
hospitals and clinics, women work as doctors and nurses to provide health
services to female patients.
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