At closed school gates, the Taliban plunge Afghans back into dark ages

Let me tell you: if the Taliban were a sober group, not an ignorance-driven regime, we would argue with them and find a common ground for our society to flourish

By Aisha

You have heard that the Taliban regime closed classrooms for girls and women, and you might be one of the people who are watching this drama unfolding.

But I want to tell you, this is about the lives of Afghanistan families.

You should be sobbing like many Afghan families are in hiding or joining hands with activists like us to have Afghans free just like many of you are free.

We, the Afghan women and girls and the whole Afghan society are under a barbaric regime that very few people on earth have an idea of what it looks like.

Let me tell you: if the Taliban were a sober group, not an ignorance-driven regime, we would argue with them and find a common ground for our society to flourish.

This is a lumpen regime on the crooked wheels of a handful of people who have intentionally closed their ears to any other value apart from seeking power and domination.

Even at the greatest length of the stretch of their imagination, the Taliban will treat with scepticism the universal and crystal-clear concepts such as justice and freedom.

The tormentors fear the righteousness of children and the nobility of women and they treat them with brutality.

Let me tell you how the Taliban started their total enslavement of women, from indoors through restrictions to public appearance and travelling abroad.

After returning to power, the power-thirsty Taliban completely removed women from the public domain swiftly starting with refusing them from wearing coloured clothes.

The ‘Imprisoners’ took away the right to work and education from women and girls, starting by limiting their hours of activity and suppressing their protests with violent methods.

The ‘Graveyards’ of women’s hopes are seeking to completely deprive girls and women of all their human rights, just like in the first period of their power.

This new ban on women’s education comes at a time when the Taliban had already infringed on women’s freedom of movement, restricting our entry into parks, pools and sport halls.

The ‘Death Sentencers’ have obliged hijab wearing for women journalists on TV screens, excluded women from employment and separated girls’ classrooms from boys’ before they banned girls from attending school.

The barbaric regime set time and ‘paddocks’ for women in parks, women medical practitioners were banned from talking in hospitals and women were banned from travelling without a male escort called Mahram.

Universities targeting female students is one of the notorious acts of this group against women and girls over the past year, burying the girl child dream in the corners of their former classrooms.

Now we are completely deprived of our human rights and it’s not only directed at us the Afghan girls and women of today but the whole society through the extinction of the new generation of educated Afghan women.

This is a deciding moment for the world today: to come with us to bring women back to school or sit and watch the ‘drama’ of the Taliban sealing women’s fate once and for all.

Today, the gates of light have been closed on the Afghan girls and women, and these future builders of the society were pushed into the darkness, to look so much like a symbol of condemnation and destruction.

Today, this segment of society, with all the challenges and problems that are increasing and increasing day by day, is left alone in the field of fighting for their rights.

For some of you who are not aware, we the Afghan women and girls have never taken education for granted: we have endured insecurity, and economic hardships and some women lost body parts but never gave up to seek education.

We ask the Taliban not to allow such torture on the children of this country and not paralyze the society and let their daughters and sisters study their lessons.

We expect the international community not to sit silently in this regard and to end this deadly silence, do the necessary to make the Taliban reconsider their decision, otherwise, the shuttered dreams of the Afghan girls and women will haunt whoever does not do what they can do.

We, the Afghan women and girls, stand bravely for our rights, justice and freedom until the last moment of our lives.

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The writer, Aisha, is an Afghan human rights activist. She sent this article to Faith Reporters through the:

Afghanistan Women’s and Children Strengthen Welfare Organisation (AWCSWO)

Address: Faisal Town, ´´ 7 ´´ District, Kabul, Afghanistan

Website: www.awcswo.org

Office Email: info@awcswo.org

Office Phone number: +93705141682

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Am Afghan woman, let me tell you about schools’ closure

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