Women silenced in Afghanistan - banned from phones and media

This is what opinion pieces are good at. Drawing together seemingly separate things to draw parallels

Echoes the post up thread. If it could happen there how would we stop it here

inews.co.uk/opinion/taylor-swift-malala-and-the-abandoning-of-afghan-women-3247778

The Linda Norgrove Foundation got mentioned on R4 Today his morning

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20lrzpxklro

Some people are irredeemably stupid. Too dim to understand how they are being exploited.

What 'danger tourists' DON'T tell you about life under brutal Taliban rule: How regime is luring travel influencers to Afghanistan where women are stoned to death for adultery | Daily Mail Online

@ArabellaScott
In the end, one way or another its always tribalism, there here and everywhere.

You've all prompted me to donate to Linda Norgrove.

@Imnobody4 How easily women's rights can slip away. You're so right.

An analogy from me - I have a horse, he's a bit of a plod but certainly has his moments. Sometimes he spooks and runs a little way, and I'd always thought I was able to stop him. One day he just took off, full pelt, not because he was scared but because he wanted to - and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. When I got tried to get back control he stopped dead and chucked me off. I realised I'd been riding him with his consent.

As women we think we have a certain amount of control over our lives, but actually, if men as a group decide that women are not allowed to leave the house alone, or get an education, or go to the park, or talk in loud voices, we can't do a damn thing about it.

And that's where the 'just blockade them' plan falls apart. It requires the cooperation of too many countries who will do something just because one of the others wants them not to. And more who will always act in their own interest rather than for the wider good - especially if they have limited trade options themselves.

You'd need Taiwan to cooperate with China, China with the USA, the USA with Russia, Russia with Europe, India with Pakistan, North Korea with everybody ...

It’s absolutely heartbreaking and must be a living hell for these women and girls.

I've just donated to them. It's heartbreaking.

Horrifying and fascinating to see misogyny played out to these extremes.
The perfect woman! Uneducated, dependent, servile, married off young and completely silent. Why do so many men crave this in their women?
See also ‘Boko Haram’. Can’t get your entire country on your side? Just kidnap a village full of young girls and stage a slow takeover of a region.
I am so thankful to live in the time and place I do. We can never rest though.

Just ponder this:
In 1919, Afghan women were granted the right to vote. In 1920 the first school for girls opened its doors. In the 1970s, the Afghan government raised the marriage age for women from 18 to 21, abolished polygamy and introduced compulsory education.

How easily women's rights can slip away.

@BernardBlacksMolluscs

I see your point yes, and of course we are all individuals and being female is not going to stop some women from carrying out bad actions. But I do believe that as a group, women would lead a more balanced society without abuse of power.

This is why we call for equality in our own societies, as more females in boardrooms, governments and positions of leadership always leads to more balance.

I am so sad for the women in Afghanistan and others living under similar regimes. It is not living, it is just surviving.

Agree. They just don't care about women though.

On a flippant note, perhaps Mr Tickle should move to Afghanistan to get the full “woman” experience

I know it's a flippin joke isn't it. S/he would soon decide that they were actually male if they were in Afghanistan!

It's OK. According to Amnesty it's those that identify as women and girls that are oppressed, so all they have to do is identify as men and boys.

Agree with @BernardBlacksMolluscs - women aren't a special repository of virtue. Whee we have the physical advantage (eg over children) the numbers killed by women vs the numbers killed by men are much more even. However, women don't have to be specially virtuous to deserve human rights (obviously).

The Taliban is missing a trick. It's all very well stopping women from studying, working, uncovering, going out without a guard, and, now, contacting the media, but they can still talk to each other, at least within the family or at the mosque.

They're probably conspiring against you right now. They're laughing at you, or planning to cuckold you all. You should consider banning groups of two or more women assembling anywhere without a guard. If there are not enough mahram available, recruit castrated volunteers to be your spies.

Apply to the Australian government/judiciary for further information.

That reminded me to get hold of The Power by Naomi Alderman 😄

@Shortshriftandlethal said: "After the recent riots that followed in the wake of the Southport murders - the police said they were monitoring a cross-over between football troublemakers and those taking part in the rioting. "

It seems it's not new!

This is from the 1600s: "Often a football match was the prelude to a raid across the Border, for the same hot-headed young men were game for both, and the English authorities learnt to keep their eyes on the footballers."

http://www.sirc.org/publik/fvhist.html