TALIBAN TALES: The not-so-good, the bad and the ugly
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Publishing date:Aug 18, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Afghan women take part in a gathering at a hall in Kabul on August 2, 2021 against the claimed human rights violations on women by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Afghan women take part in a gathering at a hall in Kabul on August 2, 2021 against the claimed human rights violations on women by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. PHOTO BY SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP /Getty Images
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Afghanistan is already bearing a grim resemblance to what the country looked like 20-plus years ago, under the Taliban’s takeover.
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Known for their harsh Islamist rule, the Taliban have a history of horrifically oppressing women and girls, meaning all the gains they’ve made over the last two decades in education, the workplace, and their basic human rights will likely vanish.
Afghanistan remained deeply conservative, but gender equality had improved in recent years. Girls were allowed to go to school while women were able to carve out successful careers as lawyers, politicians and other high-profile positions.
Under Taliban rule, women can only work in the health sector, and must wear a full burqa.
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A Taliban spokesman told Sky News the contrary, suggesting the group is open to Afghan women and girls working, getting an education and will not have to wear the full face and body covering.
But the extremist group has already shown they’re back to their former ways.
A TV anchor was removed from her seat and replaced by a Taliban member.
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A journalist who interviewed a Taliban official was laughed at when asked about female politicians.
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Girls have been banned from schools, women and teens are being forced to marry fighters and ordered not to leave their homes without a male chaperone, reported the Mirror.
A woman was shot and killed for going out without a burqa. A mother of four was fatally beaten with AK47s after she told militants she couldn’t afford to feed them.
It’s not only women that face horrific, medieval punishments — including public executions, floggings, stonings, amputations and beatings — if rules are broken.
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Under Taliban laws, murderers are publicly executed by relatives of their victims. Adulterers are stoned to death. An alleged car thief was tarred, tied to a pickup truck and paraded through streets. The black makeup is considered a warning; further punishments include the removal of hands.
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Music is forbidden, Western-style haircuts are banned, men are forced to keep their beards, and all citizens must attend mosque.
The LGBTQ+ community now faces uncertain death if their identities are uncovered.
Gay Afghan author Nemat Sedat, who fled the country in 2013 after the Taliban said he should be “targeted and killed,” believes the extremist group will “weed them out and exterminate them.”
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Sadat told Pink News they have two options: “Either await a slow death or a quick one.”
A Taliban judge was more specific, telling German newspaper Bild the penalties for gays are stoning or “wall-toppling,” where a person is crushed by a three-metre-high wall.
The U.S. State Department released a statement about the “Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan,” co-signed by countries including Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., Chile and Senegal, and calling on “those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection.”
“Any form of discrimination and abuse should be prevented. We in the international community stand ready to assist them with humanitarian aid and support, to ensure that their voices can be heard.”
This statement has been co-signed by Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, European Union, Honduras, Guatemala, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Senegal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America...
state.gov
A Taliban judge has spoken of the horrific deaths that will be inflicted on gay people as Sharia law returns to Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US
pinknews.co.uk
Gay Afghan author Nemat Sadat has warned that the Taliban will "weed out and exterminate" the LGBT+ community in Afghanistan following their seismic
pinknews.co.uk
The Taliban's new 'moderate' facade has already been betrayed by pictures emerging today of alleged thieves being tarred, reports of a journalist shot dead and a woman for her dress.
dailymail.co.uk
It took days for the Taliban to seize Afghanistan and potentially erase 20 years of gains for Afghan women.
cnn.com
Afghanistan's resurgent Taliban pledged to respect "women’s rights" in a propaganda blitz Tuesday, despite its history of denying women such freedoms.
foxnews.com
As militants declare victory in Kabul, desperate residents trapped in Afghanistan are being forced to give up their sons as soldiers and hand over food to soldiers
mirror.co.uk
Women in Afghanistan fear for their livelihoods and their lives despite the Taliban claiming they will allow them to live as they did under the Afghan government.
news.sky.com
Afghanistan is already bearing a grim resemblance to what the country looked like over 20-plus years ago, under the Taliban’s takeover.
torontosun.com