Afghan women warn about normalizing Taliban

With the withdrawal of US soldiers in August 2021, the Taliban's oppression of women and efforts to destroy Afghan culture continue.

Recently, Taliban has made it mandatory for women to wear the burqa to cover their faces, with a new decree. Regarding the situation, Afghan-American academic Dr. Bahar Jalali and Afghan National Taekwondo Team athlete and women's rights activist Marzieh Hamidi answered Cumhuriyet's questions. Explaining that most Afghans reject the Taliban, “The first reason is because they are terrorists who have killed countless innocent Afghans and tortured others. Second, the Taliban are not Afghan. The overwhelming majority of their ranks were born and raised in Pakistan” said Dr. Jalali.

Dr. Bahar Jalali 

Stating that the compulsory veiling was abolished in 1959 in Afghanistan, “The burqa was worn in rural areas. Moreover, it was optional. The Taliban calls itself the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' but deprives Afghan women of their rights under Islam. I expect countries that claim to defend women's rights to raise their voices on behalf of Afghan women" she said. 

Noting that there are efforts to legitimize the Taliban in the international community, Jalali continued: “Why did Turkey invite the Taliban to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum? It is sad to see such opportunities being given to the Taliban at high-level platforms. It normalizes the regime of terror. Other countries also invited the Taliban to similar meetings. Meetings with the Taliban can also be held privately, without the media. Remember, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where the right to education is banned for girls. The cultural heritage of each country is also a part of the world heritage. The world was infuriated when the Taliban destroyed Buddha statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan in the 1990s. Today, the world doesn't care about what's going on."

"THE WHOLE WORLD HAS TURNED ITS BACK"

Marzieh Hamidi, currently living in Paris and preparing for the 2024 Olympics, told that she left Afghanistan on November 24 and said, "My country is now in the hands of the Taliban. I talk to women living in Afghanistan. They suffer from an unknown future. They lack education and cannot achieve their goals. The biggest shortcoming in the struggle since the invasion of Afghanistan was women who were left empty-handed. The whole world has turned its back on them and ignored their struggles." Calling the international community, Hamidi said, "The whole world must fight the Taliban. They make Afghanistan unsafe today, other countries tomorrow. This war will shake the whole world.” 

Marzieh Hamidi

"BURKA IS NOT OURS"

Adding that the burqa is not a part of Afghan culture, Hamidi said: "The burqa is a brutal veiling belonging to the Taliban culture. It is proof that women are imprisoned in cages and their right to life is taken away. I am angry with the international community, the USA, all the countries that brought this situation to my country and left Afghan women alone!"