Such rules include, women not being allowed to go outside their house without a male blood-relative and women being forced to wear a Burqa covering them from head to toe, there are countless rules which were enforced towards women. Their sufferings were hardly heard or taken account for as a woman “must not be heard,” how can one human-being, of the same religion and even the same country treat somebody like this? A man is no more superior to a woman, this is what the Taliban is implying and it is very wrong.
Shortly after the Taliban had set its rules there was a crisis in healthcare and education as all women were banned from working outside the home. This caused more chaos within the country as there was a lack of male doctors and teachers. While women were locked up in the house, their only jobs were to cook, clean, pleasure for their husbands and then provide healthy children. It was a man’s world, for this their wives, sisters, daughters and mothers had to follow rules that would be too cruel even for an animal to pursue.
The simple things in life, that women with full freedom take for granted include, wearing perfume, painting of nails, wearing make-up, playing sport, listening to music, watching television, wearing nice clothes and even going out. All of these enjoyable life simplicities were banned under the Taliban rules, women were basically not allowed to act as women or be seen by any man unless the man was a ‘mahram’, (male blood-relative.) The ‘mahram’ was a woman’s only way or ticket out of the house, for shopping, riding in a taxi; even going for a walk a mahram was required.
A woman’s fear of the Taliban would have understandably been indescribable, having to ensure that the rules were followed and to accept the fact that their life had no freedom or fun. The most horrific thing that the women feared was the punishments of breaking the Taliban’s rules. These punishments were beating, which were generally in public, as well executions, this happened in 1999 when a women was found guilty of killing her husband while he was sleeping after already beating him. Women are also stoned, imprisoned and had their fingers cut off if found wearing nail polish. Sometimes the woman’s family was also beaten for her wrong-doing, including her children.
In conclusion, the Taliban, although it may have been the ruling government at the time set inappropriate and unjust rules and restrictions to the whole country, in particular to the women. The way of life under this system is much too cruel for any person to deal with, what is the point of having two different genders, both humans if one group treat the others as non-human and unimportant. Hiding away what makes up half of the world’s population, not allowing women to be themselves or have a voice yet alone any freedom. Therefore the Taliban’s choices about its country, Afghanistan, made derogatory and unjust decisions on the treatment of women.
