An Afghan woman in Kabul: 'Now I have to burn everything I achieved'

[blueseas]

A university student tells of seeing all around her the ‘fearful faces of women and ugly faces of men who hate women’

Early on Sunday morning I was heading to university for a class when a group of women came running out from the women’s dormitory. I asked what had happened and one of them told me the police were evacuating them because the Taliban had arrived in Kabul, and they will beat women who do not have a burqa.

We all wanted to get home, but we couldn’t use public transport. The drivers would not let us in their cars because they did not want to take responsibility for transporting a woman. It was even worse for the women from the dormitory, who are from outside Kabul and were scared and confused about where they should go.

Meanwhile, the men standing around were making fun of girls and women, laughing at our terror. “Go and put on your chadari [burqa],” one called out. “It is your last days of being out on the streets,” said another. “I will marry four of you in one day,” said a third.

[link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/15/an-afghan-woman-in-kabul-now-i-have-to-burn-everything-i-achieved|

[PortTack]

1. Sadly for the women there it's the male culture. Decades more American involvement won't solve it

[Lokilooney]

10. Not male culture

Although there are some here that would deny it to their dying day and pointing out this fact is quite un PC...it's Islamic culture.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. Small correction

Radical Islamic culture.

[lunatica]

18. Fundamentalist Islamic culture

[uponit7771]

41. Bingo !!! Radicals fundamentals in all religions mess stuff up

[Lancero]

16. Which is, spoiler, male dominated.

Then again, the same can be said of many other Religions. Male led, with a dogma that pushes the ideal that men are inherently superior to women.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. All the Abrahamic religions are patriarchal.

But some take it to a whole other dimension

[pjpossum]

39. I agree.

I am jewish. Israel is having a real problem with their "fundamentalist' Orthodoxy. Don't any of you remember how some of the major newspapers in Israel Photoshopped Hillary Clinton out of the "War Room" pic when the Seals killed Bin Laden? There are also extreme Orthodox sects in NY that treat the women in their sects horribly by our standards.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

43. When I was a young man I knew this convert from the States...

When I was a young man I knew this convert from the States who on a visit to Israel lectured an Orthodox rabbi on the role of women.

[pjpossum]

45. I'm sure that went well.

[irisblue]

25. bullpucky. Every political system across the globe stands on the necks of women Lokilooney

look at the " good Christians" here in the US

[pnwmom]

34. Bullpucky. There are some repressive CULTS in the US -- but none of the mainstream religions here,

even the most patriarchal, are comparable to the Taliban.

[irisblue]

35. That is not what I said. You have a good night now

[DemocratSinceBirth]

44. The Taliban are in a league of their own.

Iran despises the Taliban for their treatment of women which they feel makes a mockery of Islam.

[pjpossum]

40. Women's inequality here in the US isn't quite as bad.

But, we are still NOT treated equally to men in our overall culture. Women could not get loans or their own credit card without a cosigner until the 1970's. How many women lead big (and small) companies? How many women are Senators and Congress people? What is the percentage of women partners in Law Firms and Accounting Firms? What about all of the laws governing women's bodies? How safe do women feel going out at night by yourself? I could go on...

[lapfog_1]

2. We armed and trained the wrong people to fight the Taliban

we should have trained the women.

[questionseverything]

4. Exactly

[blueseas]

6. Yes

[niyad]

7. Exactly.

[dchill]

9. Oh! So right!

[crickets]

12. Too true. nt

[MustLoveBeagles]

21. +1

[Vdizzle]

22. 100% correct.

[Warpy]

33. I said that from the beginning

but our country is run by a bunch of macho twits, too.

[pjpossum]

37. A great example is the Kurds.

Their women are amazing fighters.

[Withywindle]

46. Yep

They're the ones with everything to gain and everything to lose.

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

3. One of the main things I got from that article

Was that the men were happy to go back to taliban rule….the same men who were probably in the Afghan military…know wonder they gave up so easily

[blueseas]

5. That occurred to me as well

Why did they give up so easy?

[dchill]

11. Like many Republicans.

Authoreligion.

[LymphocyteLover]

23. good point

[Vdizzle]

24. The opiate of the masses.

[quakerboy]

28. Are they the same?

I mean.. that was 20 years ago. Most armies are young men.. Id assume that most of the afghan army that just folded was either children or not yet born when we took over the nation.

the leadership, though, certainly.

[pjpossum]

38. Social change happens exceedingly slow.

[quakerboy]

42. Funny

since i always hear how fast things are changing

[ansible]

29. Tell that to the men who are going to get executed for collaboration

[Rustyeye77]

8. Soon we won't think of the women

They will suffer under a vile system and we don’t have to worry about them.

Out of sight and out of mind.

And we did NOTHING but turn their lives into tragedy.

We really should ashamed.

Please don’t respond to this.

[Solly Mack]

13. K&R

[Blue Dawn]

17. Reading this literally makes me sick to my stomach.

Those poor terrified women.

I am hurting tonight, and I just feel a heavy oppression.

[lunatica]

19. I hear you...

It’s really heartbreaking.

[Blue Dawn]

20. It really is, lunatica.

I wish I knew what I could do to help in some small way.

[NJCher]

31. I know

I was feeling the same earlier this evening, when the news was coming in from every direction. Terrible, just terrible, is how I felt in thinking about their dashed hopes and dreams.

I had many Iraqi women in my classes, and there may have been some women from Afghanistan, too, although I do not recall that nationality specifically. They were such intelligent, persistant women who were very dedicated to their scholarly work. It touched me as a teacher--to know that these women might not necessarily be given this chance in their home country. They were so eager and serious about their studies.

I would often have males from the same country in the class, too, and I recall thinking that if they just once crossed that line that indicated they thought they were superior to women that I would let them know about it. But interestingly enough, they never did. In fact I was quite amazed that they treated their fellow female students and me with a good deal of respect.

It kind of makes one wonder about the effect the overall culture has on one's behavior in regard to gender.

------------

on another note: I loved the comment upthread about who we should have trained.

[OMGWTF]

27. Testosterone is the most dangerous thing in the world.

[monkeyman1]

30. my theory !

Afgan got to damn complacent with the U.S. protecting them & business as usual until we decided to get the hell out .just like V.N. . the policy of the U.S. is we'll stick our nose in somebody else's business because it's right & us congress critter's need to make some money. been that way since late 1700's & not going to change that fact ! just like this damn pandemic & freedom right's crap . hiv going on & said this in another article. had hiv & knowing spread it , your ass when to a special prison cell ! what the fuck is the difference ?

[meadowlander]

32. We should have offered every woman in Afghanistan asylum in the US before we left.

Let the Taliban have their miserable sausage fest where they can't hurt oppress anyone but themselves.

[AZLD4Candidate]

36. The US government denies entry for spouses of American citizens, like my Chinese wife

What makes you think they would do that for Afghani women?