Afghan women die after earthquake because male rescuers won't touch women

[TheodoreisntBeth]

I just don't know what to say any more. Male rescue workers won't rescue women, and women aren't allowed to work as rescue workers. Women can just die trapped in rubble because misogyny.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/05/afghan-women-die-rubble-male-rescuers-refuse-touch-them/

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2025.09.06-200903/www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/05/afghan-women-die-rubble-male-rescuers-refuse-touch-them" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2025.09.06-200903/www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/05/afghan-women-die-rubble-male-rescuers-refuse-touch-them/

Horrible and depressing in equal measures
Those poor women already have such difficult lives

There's an existing thread about this where this has already been posted.

Because of the misogyny inherent in the religion and culture of the region - let’s not forget that.

Has any Muslim leader issued any sort of edict against the Taliban’s femicidal laws in the name of Islam? As this might be the only thing that persuades them to change without losing face.

So? We need as much discussion about this as possible because women are being left to die, simply due to being women.

This is horrific and unbelievable. Thanks for the thread @TheodoreisntBeth

Hardly, if each thread is only getting half the information available it isn't that useful is it.

Having two threads doesn't mean halving the traffic especially if each thread is started on a different site for example on Feminism and on AIBU.
People can post on both if they wish, or look for the second thread named.

It's not the religion that causes this, it's the misinterpretation of the religion and the misogynistic culture.

faith leaders in this country need to start speaking up

I did look before I posted and didn't see a lmother thread. Happy for this one to be deserted and for discussion to move to an earlier thread if someone can link to it

I have a nasty feeling that if any Islamic scholar spoke out against the Taliban stance, it would be written off as a wrong interpretation of Islam, influenced by the evil minds of the West. They are the only true Muslims.

They never do, do they?

Historical context alert

https://tiranapost.al/english/stil-jete/sunanda-mbreteresha-qe-vdiq-19-vjec-sepse-nuk-mund-te-prekej-i532414

Similarly in Saudi Arabia, 2002, 15 girls died and about 50 more were injured in a fire at their school, when religious police forced them back into the flames because they weren’t wearing the compulsory long cloak and veil.

Police also assaulted people trying to rescue the girls, and forced them away.

Smaller-scale but still one woman’s needless death: a Saudi university student died of a heart attack after teachers refused to let male paramedics help her.

It’s not a country but a culture.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Mecca_girls%27_school_fire

Would that not get him a F4tw4h?

We know this (and other things) are happening to Afghani women, and yet Farage says he will return female refugees (https://news.sky.com/story/farage-confirms-he-wants-to-deport-women-back-to-taliban-in-afghanistan-13425996).

I will never, ever, vote Reform. Their rhetoric and lies are disgusting.

A few years ago my Eldest was on a course with a young female Afghan refugee in the UK. Her family had seen what was coming, and managed to leave (legally) to come to the UK. She was especially pleased it meant she could continue to study (and her parents will both hopefully be allowed to work in the UK). I know she is glad to be here, and horrified for those she had to leave behind. The family have a very strong community and work ethic, and will contribute to our society.

I've only seen this thread and wouldn't know about this I suggest @IwantToRetire that you might want to consider stopping policing threads.

Exactly. I hadn't seen any other threads.

I remember the utterly shocking tragedy a few years ago of a young Muslim woman drowning in the sea because her own father wouldn't allow the male lifeguards to rescue her as it would involve touching her. Her own father!

Strange how the male Islamic leaders are not standing up saying this is wrong etc

How completely odd

I read this with my jaw on the floor. I can’t comprehend the cruelty shown towards women in Afghanistan just because they’re women.

Thanks for posting this OP as I hadn’t seen another thread on this article.

I wondered this when I saw the news coverage as there were no women in sight. Yet they expect the international community to help and (probably) make donations. Those poor women

Oh my God. That's just horrific. And all the other examples above. I really don't have words but also didn't want to not post to acknowledge.

I think that all this fear of touch probably began as a protection of women, no unnecessary touching - as we know, men will violate women if not controlled - and has become something appallingly counter to that, that assistance cannot be offered. Or is it to protect men from contamination by some female lurgi?

I’d think it started as protection IF anything else in the society was beneficial to women. It isn’t, which suggests to me that men aren’t supposed to touch women because (a) the women belong to other men, owned like livestock, and/or (b) women are filthy and touching them risks contamination for the man.