Women silenced in Afghanistan - banned from phones and media

I suspect if any nation did do something now it would be seen as imperialism and there'd be lots of annoyed articles about Western feminism being imposed on them in the Guardian .

It's bad enough being a woman outside Afghanistan and knowing this is going on.

So sad and awful, really terrifying to see where this has led

Just to add that I heard about the Linda Norgrove Foundation on this site and have supported them for over a year. They are a small charity who focus on getting funds to grassroots organisations helping women in Afghanistan, including projects such as getting that tiny group of medical students over to Scotland to finish their studies. Those particular students were chosen because they are almost qualified, so the effect of a relatively small project* like getting them here for a year is greater. They're a very impressive and focused charity.

*years of unrelenting lobbying and effort, plus having to turn down many many women who would benefit

I don’t really understand why women are so despised. I think men feat losing control of women. In many traditional cultures the honour of the family rests on the women behaving in an “appropriate” manner. I think this is about men maintaining their “honour”. They don’t see women as human, just maids and sex.

I just don’t have words for this, it’s abhorrent.

Unbelievable and so awful that this is happening with, as others have said, the world standing by and watching.

Afghanistan has, in effect, imprisoned half of its population. If the half it had imprisoned was the male sex, I suspect the rest of the world would have done something about it by now.

It’s hard to understand the depth of contempt these men have for women.

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

I've no words. Awful 🥲

It’s absolutely terrifying that this has happened and the world seems powerless to intervene.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/22/middleeast/taliban-law-women-voices-intl-latam/index.html
'Among the new rules, Article 13 relates to women: It says it is mandatory for a woman to veil her body at all times in public and that a face covering is essential to avoid temptation and tempting others. Clothing should not be thin, tight or short.
Women are also obliged to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim males and females to avoid being corrupted. A woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. It is forbidden for women to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.

Thank you for this thread. I had heard about the medical students going to Scotland, but I didn't know about the charity. I've sent up a standing order to help them.

A really really telling sentence from this account of an Egyptian filmmaker who spent time with them

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0l81rykd55o

"That little devil is filming,” an unknown Taliban military figure comments to Mukhtar in Nash’at’s presence. “I hope he doesn’t bring us shame in front of China.”

This, remember is is the self appointed religious authority that is meant to be the guarantor of the wellbeing of the (Sunni) islamic world. And they are fretting about atheist communist Chinese money men

I see the Linda Norgrove Foundation has just brought 20 Afghan women medical students to Scotland to complete their studies 👏
I'm sure they'd welcome any help with giving them financial assistance

Spam it?

Banned from looking at men and speaking loudly at home

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/08/22/taliban-bans-afghan-women-looking-strange-men-loud-talking/

I do still think the 'threat' is simply women. I think men are terrified of the child bearing and holding together society power women have.

I think its partly this. But invalidation is perceived as an existential threat by narcs, and I think its mainly that. To a narc the worst thing they can do to you is erase you as an individual.
Men have internalised the belief that they are better because they are male, and as a result cannot stand the idea of a mere woman having autonomy.

Truly awful situation. For 20 years or so women in Afghanistan had a taste of normal life only for it to be snatched away. It must be so hard for them.

It was obvious what would happen when the US forces pulled out leaving their armaments there ready and waiting for the Taliban.

Also, it just means that in the absence of "sheep" the larger "wolves" prey on the baby "wolves" (because they can't be expected to control themselves and not commit horrid crimes in this viewpoint). See the Bacha Bazi system for reference.

And of course the Taliban came to power promising to end this system - but they won't. No society without decent female participation in society is capable of preventing child sexual abuse because (on a societal level not an individual level. Some individual women are terrible) women tend to be more invested in child protection. Plus off course if you bring men up believing they can't help being wolves they will be wolves.

What a horrendous nightmare for Afghani women. Absolutely heartbreaking. 😢

I do still think the 'threat' is simply women. I think men are terrified of the child bearing and holding together society power women have.

Let's face it - we'd only need one man per few thousand women to all conceive and carry on the human race.
Men more often take life away than create it. They're generally happier directing and fighting than co-operating and nurturing.
I think the properties of women for communicating, organising and cooperating are genuinely quite scary to a large number of men. I think this is why they seek to break down our communications and social networks. It's the first thing a typically abusive man does.

I should have said perceived threat. It doesn't matter, the 'other' doesn't have to be a real danger for the bonding to occur.

I have a friend from uni who was seconded to the education of girls programme in Helmand Province around 2009 to 2011. Most of the agreement to allow girls to go to school was through a Shura of village elders who would refuse to allow my friend to attend. Her view was that the elders would allow girls to be educated if they got enough out of the deal but it wouldn't survive the departure of western cash as they actually hated the idea.