Women banned from university study in Afghanistan

[BenCoopersSupportWren]

And so it goes on… 😢

Taliban closes universities to women www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64045497 Taliban closes universities to female students

This is the kind of development which makes a mockery of splitting FWR. It is a serious feminist issue whichever way you look at it. Women prevented from accessing education that is available to men is a fundamental inequality. But if you humans are no longer categorised by sex, how do you know which ones to place at a disadvantage? I bet the Taliban know which half of their student population to barring the doors against.

Jeez, excuse my godawful grammar…I’m managing to suffer from a debilitating period AND menopausal brain fog at the same time, which is some kind of biological double whammy that shouldn’t be allowed.

Wren, awful news. What is the best way for Western feminists to help women in Afghanistan?

I had already read the headline elsewhere, but clicked on your post immediately to make exactly this point:

This is the kind of development which makes a mockery of splitting FWR.

Of course there it was already in your OP!

I hate that the board split implicitly endorses the extremely controversial view that feminism can be about topics unrelated to the female sex.

Hope the brain fog clears and the period pain vanishes asap; that does seem very unfair to have both at once!

Appalling.

Heartbreaking

Horrible news, moments like this makes me hate men.

It feels so hopeless - those poor women and girls.

Dark times indeed.

Over 400 young men from this country died and many were maimed for life trying to make a difference in that country. Try and bear that in mind when you make comments like that.

It does, doesn’t it. I feel desperately sorry for the women and girls of Afghanistan.

It’s awful news. And it makes a complete mockery of all the TMAM/TWAW stuff. If that were true then women in Afghanistan would just identify as men. But it’s not possible in reality is it? The whole trans thing is a luxury belief.

The latest newsletter from UNHCR features a front page article on how they're helping Afghan women - running a midwifery school and a women's business centre. This was in June. Hoping those projects are still going.

data.unhcr.org/en/situations/afghanistan

Factsheet on displaced women and girls in Afghanistan: data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/95688

Oh god, it's all so depressing these past few days. The one thing that comes through crystal clear over and over again, whether from the Taliban or the TRAliban, is that everybody damn well knows who the actual women are when it comes to screwing them over for the enjoyment of men.

What can we do about this??

It made me sick when they curtailed certain degrees-like journalism - but now nothing?!? The Taliban is probably one of the most inhumane groups in history. Just disgusted and terrified.

Maybe a TRA will come along and advise the women to identify as men and then all will be well?

First secondary education, now further. It's only a matter of time until primary education is banned for girls isn't it? Banned from education, from parks, from public, from life.

Afghanistan. Making being female illegal.

I despair.

Horrendous. A couple of days ago my DH said to me something along the lines of "transpeople are the most marginalised group" and my first thought was, "Tell that to the women of Afghanistan."

Who the fuck do these Taliban men think they are?

www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210928-no-future-trans-woman-fears-death-under-taliban

I'm just sharing this as I wondered if the Taliban accepted Transpeople in a conservative way as being the gender they identify with, but apparently the Taliban oppose women's rights, gay rights, and transgender rights.

One of the implications is going to be a complete lack of trained medical care for women as they aren’t allowed to be seen by male healthcare workers. Female life expectancy will plummet.

The situation is so dire, I weep for them and fear what could happen to women worldwide. Despite apparent improvements I can’t remember a worst time to be a woman in my lifetime

They have slashed the rights of women and girls, which experts say can only be a sign of even more hardship to come for gay and trans people.

Right, because women don't actually matter, and the only significance we should see in the loss of women's basic rights and freedoms is how it foretells (less significant) restrictions on men.

No. Women matter. As humans in and of themselves.

I have huge sympathy and concern for all Afghan people: there is a horrific social and economic disaster happening there. People are starving and unable to get medical care. What clothes they get to wear really is the least of their concerns.

But my biggest concern and sorrow is for the women of Afghanistan. The Taliban really are creating a hell on earth for women. I wish I could help them.

Women matter. As humans in and of themselves.

Exactly, and infuriating that it even has to be said!

I've been furious about this for days, it makes me so sad and angry.
Especially in the same news bullitin as Scotland's self ID law. I bet most of the men calling themselves women would not be so keen if they'd been born in Afghanistan. Women over there can't identify out of their actual oppression. The Taliban know what a woman is and they are stamping all over them.

Feel helpless and it seems there's nothing that can be done.

I'm disgusted that this issue is being exploited to score points on the trans debate here. I don't care which side of the trans debate someone is on. But education is a fundamental human right and using this appalling, but hardly unexpected, move by a bunch of extremists ( and I would remind you that the Taliban, like ISIS, has women members) is not the place to score points. This is the place to show solidarity with Afghan women, and nothing else.

The pandemic has shown that remote learning works. I appreciate not everyone will have access to a laptop/smart phone, but in my view the west should come together to put some of our educational material (secondary and degree for example from the OU/BBC ) on the internet with subtitles/dubbing into Pashto/Dari and/or broadcast educational material via radio.