To be shocked this isn't getting more coverage?

[Sugarcoldturkey]

Women in Afghanistan are now forbidden from speaking when not inside their homes. A simple "hello" to someone in a shop is now against the law. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/26/taliban-bar-on-afghan-women-speaking-in-public-un-afghanistan

AIBU to think this is some of the most horrific news I've heard in months? I can't wrap my head around it and I can't help thinking - activists/newspapers/politicians are loud when campaigning about the gender pay gap or the state of child care or a woman's rights to her own body but somehow on this topic no one wants to criticise too often or too loudly.

Is it because religion is mixed in? Or guilt over the war? Or do politicians in particular only care about women's rights when it's a vote-winner in their constituency? Or is it just that it's so terrible and we all feel so powerless to prevent it that we just prefer to ignore the situation?

I'm feeling v v shaken.

It’s kind of hard to answer that because there’s not really such thing as a “traditional Jewish life”. It varies so widely. Some women avoid contact with their husbands during their periods, some use the mikvah (ritual bath) for a number of purposes including after menstruation, some chose to cover their hair or wear a wig, nobody is forced to sleep on the floor or avoid contact with everyone. Or even cut a hole in a sheet!
But you can be Jewish and do some or none of the above, for example if you’re Reform.

Bet the Taliban couldn't believe their luck at being left 1000s of crates of arms and munitions.

You’ve got thousands of uneducated religious zealots happy and honoured to die for their cause. How can anyone take that on and expect to win.

I'm wondering what pp think can be done

Really not. So educate me like I suggested to

@ChallahPlaiter
FYI my source is a close Jewish friend who I'm sure knows what she is talking about!!

I was intrigued by what you claimed Zarah Sultana said, so couldn't help but look it up. I think you need to go back and re-read it, because you have misunderstood. She has used irony.
https://x.com/zarahsultana/status/1827329888807735528

but why? We should be more ashamed that we sent the British army in ill equipped to deal with it! And if they get injured they are left to fester.

Would you be happy to go there? All these people that are disgusted - please, go and fight yourself!

thank goodness Labour are funding tje MOD even less.

No other state has recognised the taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Various states are talking to them unofficially, not least because the UN is providing money so the Taliban can buy food from China, other states nearby. The UN food programme in Afghanistan is currently feeding about half the population there.

www.dw.com/en/life-in-afghanistan-dire-as-taliban-mark-3-years-of-rule/a-69937540

Most Muslims don't consider their views representative of Islam, in the same way most Christians do not consider the views of the let-the-mother-and-the-baby-die crowd of anti abortion people in America representative of Christianity.

The Today programme has fully covered this. An Afghan woman spoke out about it earlier this week on the programme. During the course of the piece, she said she is continuing to teach girls on line, in Afghanistan. I can’t believe such bravery.

Women’s lives in Afghanistan are worse than ever before. This image was taken pre-1979 when women had so much more freedom in every sense. Since then war and the rise of the Taliban has now reduced them to slavery.
I think the ‘war on terror’ post 9/11 remains a hugely contentious issue. If you were around at the time, the need to seek out and destroy those involved was huge.
There are so many facets involved, and of course since so much controversy over whether weapons of mass destruction actually existed. It is now called an illegal war, and the blame here in the UK still rests with Tony Blair.
However, some interventions from our side did help
ordinary citizens. At the time of the withdrawal of allied forces there were young women in schools, Universities and employment enjoying some level of freedom. Not to the same level we enjoy in the West, but a definite improvement.
That has all gone now.
Here in the UK I feel we are now in a media situation where nobody wants to mention the situation as it stokes up past arguments about whether we should have invaded at all, the mistakes made, and the absolute chaos of our forces’ withdrawals.
As with all wars and oppression, women suffer most.

There's no need for shame. There are already pp below talking about their dps going in and fearing for their lives

Would you go? Or someone in your family?

Thank you for your response. My friend (who is Jewish) chose not to wear a wig or cover her hair as suggested to her by her mother in law and it was eventually accepted. She chooses to have the bath after her period and also fasts on Friday and Saturday. It's great that she could choose the rituals she wanted and it didn't seem that anything was enforced as such but also said that it is expected in some other families but hers are more liberal.

I'm sure this is also the same for many people of all religions/faiths etc. It's the laws which are being made and then enforced in Afghanistan which is truly shocking meaning there is no actual choice in the matter.

But in the Soviet era, as now if you disagree with the government get your throat slit in the middle of the night or fall out of a police cell. Both of which happened to my family members.

I can't help wondering that the UN should provide a safe corridor for women to leave. This would free the Taliban from the worry of female temptation, free the women and cause the men to die out.

On twitter a lot of brave Afghani women are singing. It is really gathering momentum there. It is heartbreaking that women are ceasing to exist in Afghanistan and very worrying.

There are many branches and denominations in Judaism. Liberal, reform, orthodox, ultra orthodox and more... What you should remember about Judaism is it doesn't actively seek to recruit or convert people like many other religions do.

Mentioned this, and other news story about “new law woman can’t look at a man” to a friend studying politics … he said - “that’s not new news, it’s always been forbidden to look at a man, forbidden for woman to be outside without female group & chaperone, etc”

He was surprised that it’s a “law” because it already is. Perhaps it’s in writing now?

Probably many women in “west”, in my country, who are locked in all day, can’t communicate outside home, subject to cultural practices that impact health, freedom, access to education, medical care and jobs.

Not sure how “we” can “save” women outside our borders.
Would however, like be see that within our own country, women are all given personal freedom, education, access to further education, jobs, freedom to walk around and speak. We cannot ignore what’s going on here and pretend it’s only in Afghanistan. Or import cultural norms which oppress woman. Without worry that this is racism.

The taliban wouldn't allow it.

I also heard the news about the new laws only it's a lot worse than what OP mentioned, it's actually that women's voices are not allowed to be heard in public nor in their HOMES! basically when at home they can only speak in a whisper and yes of course, faces must be covered.
They clearly really hate women!

It would be the perfect solution, but they wouldn’t let the women go. How else would they feed their pathetic little egos and feel like real men if they didn’t have women and children to dominate and abuse?

But the men need sex.
The men need to procreate
The men need looking after - Cooking, cleaning & nursing
So why would they agree to that?

I seem to recall when the Taliban were back in power and trying to be accepted as a recognised government they made a point about women and girls will be able to go to school, work, etc. and be more ‘liberal’ I guess compared to the old regime. Didn’t take long for them to backtrack on that. They also stopped the opium poppy farming which has taken a lot of income out of their country.

I don’t see what or how any other country could stop what’s happening there, they won’t listen to anyone else. It’s a sad state of affairs.

It depends on how many you see arriving in each country who will sign up to it but it might not be wanted. Germany is currently becoming more hardline re movement from Afghanistan (and Syria) due to recent events

If you come from a small EU country, maybe it is worthwhile getting educated about some of Moslem countries and their working and earning women? Number of women doctors in Azerbaijan - 62%. Number of Kazakhstani females in natural sciences is 53%, in R&D 44%. This is what I could find in the English language publications. Unfortunately I can't search non-English sources, but I am sure that the number of educated and over-educated women in the Moslem countries, formerly republics of the USSR after they broke away from Russian colonialism is far greater.

Please, not all Jewish women, or communities, follow these practices. Please be better informed.

From distant perspective, so many similarities between Muslim & Jewish “ancient” traditions in regards to head covering, modesty, washing body, dietary requirements, separation of men and women in worship, gatherings, education, etc etc
Possibly everyone lived by these types of health &safety guidelines 1,500-2,000 years ago in Middle East … No refrigerators, no running water, no law enforcement or safety for women
IMO these are H&S guidelines which are very out of date and have nothing to do with religion or worship.