Afghanistan: Taliban releases ‘decree on women's rights’, triggers backlash

As the international community continues to mount pressure on Afghanistan’s new rulers to uphold the rights of citizens and especially women, the Taliban on Friday released what it called a “decree on women’s rights”. However, it immediately drew backlash from experts who noted that the so-called ‘decree’ was proof that the extremist group was not interested in upholding the basic freedom for millions of Afghan women who have largely been constrained indoors after the Taliban reconquered Afghanistan in August. 

The decree set out the rules which governed marriage and property of women. It stated that women should not be forced into marriage and that widows should have a share in their husband’s property. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid released the decree which stated, “A woman is not a property, but a noble and free human being; no one can give her to anyone in exchange for peace...or to end animosity.”

The Taliban was under fire by the rest of the world to support the rights of women. The international community had even frozen funds for Afghanistan since the group seized control of the country. But still, CNN stated that in the four months of Taliban rule, the extremists have been witnessed imposing additional restrictions on the education of girls. The new rulers banned women from certain workplaces. 

The US media outlet cited the Afghan women it interviewed saying that the Taliban decree would make negligible changes to their day-to-day lives. The women living in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan also said that the rights detailed by the extremists were already enshrined under Islamic law and the group has already pledged that women would have rights “within the bounds of Islamic law”.

However, it still remains unclear what that would mean or how it would be different from the strict interpretation of the law which the Taliban imposed during their previous rule from 1996 to 2001. CNN quoted a 20-year-old university student in the capital Kabul, Muzhda as saying that the Taliban's decree on women's rights "has no connection with our right to go to school, university or participate in government. We don't see any hope for our future if it goes on like this."

Ex-Afghan President to girls: ‘Get out and study’

During an exclusive BBC interview, when the former Afghan President Hamid Karzai was asked how long it would take for the girls and women to return to education and work. He said that he had talked about the same issue with the Taliban and the new rulers have agreed that they should return to the educational institutes.

Addressing the young girls who are stuck at home amid Taliban rule, Karzai said, “Get out and study and be brave.. we will make sure that you study and it will happen.” Notably, Karzai also called the Taliban members “brothers” in a recent interview, revealing that he had productive meetings with the new rulers of the war-ravaged nation. 

(IMAGE: AP)