#DoNotTouchMyClothes

Campaign: Afghan women protest Taliban Restrictions on Rights

The world watched with bated breath as the US military departed from Afghanistan and the Taliban reasserted control of the country last summer. Fears grew as the Taliban strengthened their grip on women’s rights, limiting women’s access to work and denying girls the right to attend secondary school, to name a few. After promising a kinder version of the violent and repressive regime of the 1990s, Islamic extremists have begun to whittle away at freedoms just one month after taking power.

Thousands were outraged when photographs of Afghan women in Kabul wearing all black, complete veils, and long robes in a pro-Taliban march appeared on Sept. 11. Following the street protests in Afghanistan’s major cities, women went to social media to express their displeasure with the Taliban’s severe policies toward them. Dr. Bahar Jalali, an Afghan historian, and gender studies scholar created an internet campaign, #DoNotTouchMyClothes, which Afghan women all over the world used to promote the beauty of their traditional colorful clothing.

The demonstration was in response to a Taliban-organized sit-in at Kabul University, when roughly three hundred women dressed entirely in black, covering their faces, hands, and feet — a look that had never been seen before in the country.

The women, who were waving Taliban flags, claimed they supported the militants’; announcements that women would not be permitted to assume high-ranking government jobs and that schools and institutions would need to be gender segregated. Many Afghan women, particularly in urban areas, are concerned that their hard-won liberties may be curtailed, recalling the Taliban era from 1996 to 2001 when women were primarily restricted to their homes. Dr. Jalali shared in an interview with The New York Times, “It confirmed my fears that our culture, our heritage is coming under attack.” Zarifa Ghafari, activist and one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors also stated, “Taliban are trying to erase women’s presence…it is important to create awareness and to show the true colors of women in Afghanistan.”

Since taking power in August, the Taliban have attempted to look more flexible. Even though schools have reopened for male students, no date has been set for female students to return. The Taliban’s higher education minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said that in addition to requiring women to wear the hijab, female students will not be able to study with male classmates. Despite the Taliban’s warning that subsequent protests would only be permitted if the ministry of justice approved them, women in Kabul have committed to continue their demonstrations till they see a change.

The international community has yet to figure out how to prevent Afghanistan’s new rulers from restricting women’s rights. After promising to hold the Taliban to their promises of inclusivity, foreign leaders and delegations should make sure the Taliban are given a constant demonstration of the norms of the international community they claim they want to join. After all, Women’s rights are human rights!!!

By Keren B.