Women silenced in Afghanistan - banned from phones and media

[ArabellaScott]

https://rukhshana.com/en/women-and-girls-restricted-from-media-phone-calls-in-khost-province

'The Taliban police headquarters in Khost province issued a written directive Saturday to the media, declaring a ban on any phone contact between women and girls with audio and visual media outlets.
According to the statement, media officials are warned that facilitating phone contact between girls and media outlets will result in summoning and pursuit.
The directive accuses some private radio stations in Khost province of promoting moral corruption, citing school lessons and social programs involving girls as a primary example.'

Unbelievable and terrifying for women.

That website looks quite informative on Afghanistan, I hadn't seen it before.

Horrendous. It worries me that women’s rights around the world are going into reverse and the imbalance of power means that there is so little we can do to influence what will happen. Those poor women.

This is terrifying.

What can we do? Can anyone recommend any charities helping Afghan women I can donate to? Even Genderwoo captured ones if they are in a position to make a diference.

Linda Norgrove Foundation is worth a look.

Men really are terrified of women having a voice aren't they.

Why are they so scared of us?

It’s beyond awful

Heartbreaking

What a horrible world this is

Women and girls in Afghanistan (and the boys and good men, but especially the women and girls) are often on my mind. But what can I really do to help? It feels so hopeless 😞

moral corruption, citing school lessons and social programs

The absolute bastards. The Quran and several hadith promote education, knowledge and intellectual curiosity for both sexes. Learning is the direct opposite of "morally corrupt" under Islam. It also doesn't prohibit women speaking to men, which the directive seems to claim with its censure of girls talking to a radio show host.

It certainly doesn't rule against women speaking to each other - there is debate over whether women's voices may be heard in public (!) so the patriarchs seem to have decreed that sending your voice over invisible, inaudible radio waves is 'public'.

Sadly, @bringbacktheladiesloos, I don't think they're afraid of women. All the religious restrictions on women are based on men's 'fear' of their own sexuality, supposedly. The more likely motive, however, is the othering of half the population. As they grant all men increasing power over women, they boost the men's self-esteem and unite them against a common threat 😡

the 'common threat' being what though @Garlickit ?

For anyone moved to do so, the website Rukhshana Media is looking for support. See button in top right of the article.

'There are 3 key challenges: Women working in independent journalism - this is now considered a crime in Afghanistan; Access to information - sharing news about women is prohibited and the Taliban control the media; Leading Rukshana from exile to deliver news from inside Afghanistan. We believe the outlook for the life of women in Afghanistan now looks gloomier than ever. Rukhshana Media feels a heavy responsibility on its shoulders but is committed to continue its work.'

I've quoted this on here before. From Christopher Alexander, "A Carpet Ride to Khiva", on visiting Kandahar:

This complete separation of the sexes seemed to benefit no one, and I struggled to understand it. ‘You have to stop thinking of men and women as the same species,’ I was told. ‘Women are like sheep and men are like wolves. Everyone knows that it is in the nature of sheep to be led astray and that sheep make a tasty meal. You never trust sheep – what a notion! – nor do you leave your sheep unguarded, because men are like wolves and the nature of a wolf, given the chance, is to prey upon unguarded sheep. If sheep and wolves freely mingled together, it would lead only to bloodshed.’

So, blaming the men for the problem, but dealing with it by restricting the women rather than the men.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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/

Appalling. Almost unbelievable, really.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13770831/Taliban-new-lifestyle-laws-Afghanistan-women.html