A Woman Opens a Women-Only Restaurant in Badakhshan
A woman’s voice, nakedness? A critique on the thirteenth article of the Law of Enjoining Good
Afghanistan Was Recognized as the “Worst” Country for Women
United Nations: 7 out of 10 Women in Afghanistan Suffer from Mental and Emotional Problems
One Thousand Women Are Imprisoned in Afghanistan’s Jails
A Woman Opens a Women-Only Restaurant in Badakhshan
A woman’s voice, nakedness? A critique on the thirteenth article of the Law of Enjoining Good
Afghanistan Was Recognized as the “Worst” Country for Women
United Nations: 7 out of 10 Women in Afghanistan Suffer from Mental and Emotional Problems
One Thousand Women Are Imprisoned in Afghanistan’s Jails
Amnesty International: Afghanistan Has the Highest Rate of Forced Disappearances in the World
A Woman Opens a Women-Only Restaurant in Badakhshan
A woman’s voice, nakedness? A critique on the thirteenth article of the Law of Enjoining Good
Afghanistan Was Recognized as the “Worst” Country for Women
United Nations: 7 out of 10 Women in Afghanistan Suffer from Mental and Emotional Problems
One Thousand Women Are Imprisoned in Afghanistan’s Jails
Amnesty International: Afghanistan Has the Highest Rate of Forced Disappearances in the World
A Woman Opens a Women-Only Restaurant in Badakhshan
A woman’s voice, nakedness? A critique on the thirteenth article of the Law of Enjoining Good
Afghanistan Was Recognized as the “Worst” Country for Women
United Nations: 7 out of 10 Women in Afghanistan Suffer from Mental and Emotional Problems
One Thousand Women Are Imprisoned in Afghanistan’s Jails
Amnesty International: Afghanistan Has the Highest Rate of Forced Disappearances in the World
A Woman Opens a Women-Only Restaurant in Badakhshan
A woman’s voice, nakedness? A critique on the thirteenth article of the Law of Enjoining Good
Afghanistan Was Recognized as the “Worst” Country for Women
United Nations: 7 out of 10 Women in Afghanistan Suffer from Mental and Emotional Problems
One Thousand Women Are Imprisoned in Afghanistan’s Jails
Amnesty International: Afghanistan Has the Highest Rate of Forced Disappearances in the World
Destructive Limitations: The Majority of Mental Health Patients in Herat are Women
Health sources from the provincial hospital in Herat report that the number of individuals suffering from mental health issues in this province has increased, with the majority of patients being women and girls. At least two health sources mentioned that more than 50 mental health patients or individuals suffering from depression seek treatment at the Herat provincial hospital daily, with women and girls comprising most of these cases. The source indicated that the majority of the patients are young women and girls who suffer from existing restrictions and an increase in domestic violence. According to the source, women and girls visiting the provincial hospital complain about limitations, domestic violence, and harassment from people in public spaces. The source stated, "Most of the patients say that if these issues are not addressed, in the coming years, the number of individuals with mental health problems and depression in society, especially among women and girls, will multiply. When mental health issues and depression increase in society, controlling and treating them will require significant expenses." Additionally, some female students and women employees in Herat express that after schools and universities were closed and severe restrictions were imposed on women's employment, they have developed mental health issues and have even contemplated suicide. Psychological Pressure and Out-of-School Girls Razieh Sadeqi states that she and her classmates have developed depression and psychological problems due to the prolonged closure of schools. Razieh, 16 years old, was in the tenth grade when schools were closed, and three years later, they remain shut. With a lump in her throat, she said that her small shoulders cannot bear the heavy burden of being away from school and her classmates. Razieh and over a million other girls have been barred from school and university, many of whom have resorted to hard labor, forced marriages, and migration. Fatemeh, one of the students who endured seven years of hardship in medical studies to become a doctor and alleviate people's pain, now finds herself unable to help others due to her own illness. Instead of sitting in a doctor's chair, she now works behind a sewing machine. Now Instead of the Operating Room, She Finds Herself in Iran. Like many female students who faced forced migration after the fall of Afghanistan and the closure of universities. A Mother Who Lost Her Job Zubaida Rasooli, who was an employee at a non-governmental organization, lost her job due to the return of the caretaker government and restrictions on women's work. Zubaida, a mother of three children, says: "My daughter was in the sixth grade when schools were closed. Her father lost his job, and I was working at an organization, but after a while, I also lost my job. My husband was forced to migrate to Iran for work. My mental state deteriorated significantly, and I attempted suicide. Even a psychiatrist could not help me." Zubaida emphasized: "The future is uncertain. The weak family economy, poverty, and unemployment over the past three years have led me to severe mental illness and depression, and I even resort to tranquilizers." She added: "Unfortunately, the current living conditions in Afghanistan have caused depression, especially among women. When we visit clinics, one of the departments with the most patients is the mental health section." For three years, the caretaker government has closed schools for girls above the sixth grade. Simultaneously, all educational centers have been closed to girls and women, and women's work in governmental and non-governmental organizations has also been prohibited. Razieh, Fatemeh, and Zubaida, like thousands of Afghan girls and women, have been unable to fulfill their dreams. As they put it: "Being a woman in Afghan society was hard, but now it feels like nothing but punishment. Why else are we being so severely punished?" The right to education and employment is a fundamental human right that should be enjoyed by all individuals without any discrimination. This right has been emphasized in various human rights documents. Thus, gender inequality in education and employment is a clear violation of this right. It should be noted that since the announcement of the closure of universities for girls and the prohibition of women's work in domestic and international organizations, none of the officials in the caretaker government have been accountable regarding the reasons for or lifting the ban on girls' education and women's employment.
«Free Afghan Women» Slogan Leads to Manijeh Talash’s Disqualification from Paris Olympics
Afghan Women Entrepreneurs: Government Restrictions Have on Our Trade
Ministry of Promotion of Virtue: We Destroyed Over 21,000 Musical Instruments in One Year
UNESCO: The Ban on Education for Afghan Girls Puts the Future of a Generation at Risk
The Dark Anniversary; A Tale of the Real Nightmare of Afghan Girls
Dark clouds have enveloped everything. It feels as if bullets and missiles are raining from the sky. My ears can no longer distinguish any other sound amidst the cacophony. Everyone is fleeing, but the destination is unclear. Some have rushed towards the metal birds (planes); the streams of water are now filled with blood. My eyes see not cars, but corpses, as if zombies have overtaken the world. I open my eyes and once again, it’s a nightmare! My forehead is drenched in sweat. My body is trembling. I don’t know when these nightmares will cease. For three years, they have stolen sleep from my eyes. This dream is pure reality that has slowly turned into a nightmare—untimely nightmares that escort me to the brink of death every night. For a long time now, these nightmares have become my nightly companions. During the day, I am silent, and at night, I am bound by this true nightmare. Hearing the sounds of phantom cries, which I find difficult to distinguish between sleep and wakefulness, I get out of bed. I wipe my sweaty forehead and follow the frequency of the crying outside; yes! I had guessed correctly—it was my sister’s voice. My unfortunate sister, trembling from the force of her sobs. Harsh and unsettling thoughts raced through my mind as I hurried to her. With a voice that seemed to rise from the depths of a well, filled with fear and anxiety, I asked her what had happened. With eyes sadder than ever, amidst her sobs, she said she had submitted a blank exam paper. And I, unable to even ask her why, because I know the reason for her actions. My unfortunate sister does not want to graduate from sixth grade so soon. She still wants to go to school, to learn, and she hasn’t yet let go of her love for school. The fear of never going back to school and not seeing her classmates again has consumed her like a parasite. I completely understand how this pain gnaws at her being. As I saw her, I momentarily returned to the past, to the days when I was sitting in a university classroom. I still remember that fateful day, the day when one of our professors entered the class along with our principal. I can still recall their sorrowful and mournful gaze. They wouldn’t lift their heads from the ground, as if they had committed a crime as grave as murder. Our principal avoided making eye contact with us, as if he feared what might happen if our eyes met. It was clear he had been crying, but he seemed unwilling to reveal the lingering lump in his throat. In a voice we had never heard before, he told us, “Due to an order we have received, you can no longer attend university and…” I never heard the rest of his words that day. As far as I remember, I felt as if someone had wrapped their hands around my throat and was trying to cut it with a dull knife. In that moment, even my breaths were not helping me; all I could hear was the sound of my classmates crying. Their wails still echo in my ears like the tolling of a death bell that has long been ringing. That day, I brought my half-dead body home. With my sister's voice, I return from the past to a present that bears no resemblance to life. My sister calls my name and asks how I am. With pain and tears still tracing her cheeks, she asks if I remember today. I tell her, “How can a person forget the day their soul died?” Today marks three years since the fall of Afghanistan. Today is exactly the day when misfortune was inscribed upon our fate. It’s the day we stopped wishing and started praying for death. It has been three years since my notebooks gathered dust, my pens wrote not a single word, and the lessons I struggled for months to learn have faded from memory. In these three years, I have lost everything I had; sometimes I think we all became ill overnight. Our spirits and minds are no longer healthy. I wish there were a psychologist to whom we could express the pains and lumps in our throats—the words that are slowly consuming our souls and bending our backs. I no longer feel alive; in these three years, I have died and come back to life a thousand times. If I were to forgive the whole world, I would never forgive those who caused me to be deprived of education, who made me feel worthless, separated me from society, and deprived me of my human rights. They have taken away rights that are mine and inflicted pains upon me during this time that can never be compensated. Author: MahNoor Roshan
Dark clouds have enveloped everything. It feels as if bullets and missiles are raining from the sky. My ears can no longer distinguish any other sound amidst the cacophony. Everyone is fleeing, but the destination is unclear. Some have rushed towards the metal birds (planes); the streams of water are now filled with blood. My eyes see not cars, but corpses, as if zombies have overtaken the world. I open my eyes and once again, it’s a nightmare! My forehead is drenched in sweat. My body is trembling. I don’t know when these nightmares will cease. For three years, they have stolen sleep from my eyes. This dream is pure reality that has slowly turned into a nightmare—untimely nightmares that escort me to the brink of death every night. For a long time now, these nightmares have become my nightly companions. During the day, I am silent, and at night, I am bound by this true nightmare. Hearing the sounds of phantom cries, which I find difficult to distinguish between sleep and wakefulness, I get out of bed. I wipe my sweaty forehead and follow the frequency of the crying outside; yes! I had guessed correctly—it was my sister’s voice. My unfortunate sister, trembling from the force of her sobs. Harsh and unsettling thoughts raced through my mind as I hurried to her. With a voice that seemed to rise from the depths of a well, filled with fear and anxiety, I asked her what had happened. With eyes sadder than ever, amidst her sobs, she said she had submitted a blank exam paper. And I, unable to even ask her why, because I know the reason for her actions. My unfortunate sister does not want to graduate from sixth grade so soon. She still wants to go to school, to learn, and she hasn’t yet let go of her love for school. The fear of never going back to school and not seeing her classmates again has consumed her like a parasite. I completely understand how this pain gnaws at her being. As I saw her, I momentarily returned to the past, to the days when I was sitting in a university classroom. I still remember that fateful day, the day when one of our professors entered the class along with our principal. I can still recall their sorrowful and mournful gaze. They wouldn’t lift their heads from the ground, as if they had committed a crime as grave as murder. Our principal avoided making eye contact with us, as if he feared what might happen if our eyes met. It was clear he had been crying, but he seemed unwilling to reveal the lingering lump in his throat. In a voice we had never heard before, he told us, “Due to an order we have received, you can no longer attend university and…” I never heard the rest of his words that day. As far as I remember, I felt as if someone had wrapped their hands around my throat and was trying to cut it with a dull knife. In that moment, even my breaths were not helping me; all I could hear was the sound of my classmates crying. Their wails still echo in my ears like the tolling of a death bell that has long been ringing. That day, I brought my half-dead body home. With my sister's voice, I return from the past to a present that bears no resemblance to life. My sister calls my name and asks how I am. With pain and tears still tracing her cheeks, she asks if I remember today. I tell her, “How can a person forget the day their soul died?” Today marks three years since the fall of Afghanistan. Today is exactly the day when misfortune was inscribed upon our fate. It’s the day we stopped wishing and started praying for death. It has been three years since my notebooks gathered dust, my pens wrote not a single word, and the lessons I struggled for months to learn have faded from memory. In these three years, I have lost everything I had; sometimes I think we all became ill overnight. Our spirits and minds are no longer healthy. I wish there were a psychologist to whom we could express the pains and lumps in our throats—the words that are slowly consuming our souls and bending our backs. I no longer feel alive; in these three years, I have died and come back to life a thousand times. If I were to forgive the whole world, I would never forgive those who caused me to be deprived of education, who made me feel worthless, separated me from society, and deprived me of my human rights. They have taken away rights that are mine and inflicted pains upon me during this time that can never be compensated. Author: MahNoor Roshan
The story begins with a 30-minute karate class on the balcony of her home in Peshawar, Pakistan. At that time, Nagara Shahin was an 11-year-old Olympic refugee, having spent most of her short life in exile and migration. Nagara fled Afghanistan with her parents in 1993 when she was just a baby. Her mother carried her for two days and nights while crossing mountains and passes. To pursue her beloved sport, Nagara faced numerous obstacles, from her first and last karate class to competing in judo at the Olympics as a member of the Olympic Refugee Team. Since 2022, this 31-year-old athlete has been living and training in Toronto, Canada. Nagara Shahin completed her education in Pakistan, where she endured harassment from men and bullying from her peers on her way to school. In an article published in *Life Toronto*, she recalls: “One day, an older man harassed my sister and me. He shouted at me and pushed me to the ground. I wanted to hit him with my fist, but I didn’t know how to do it.” Her mother told her she needed to learn to defend herself. The school she attended did not offer martial arts training, either in the regular curriculum or extracurricular activities. Through distant relatives, Nagara learned about a karate instructor nearby. Although the male instructor couldn't teach at the school, he could come to her home. Soon enough, Nagara began practicing on her aunt's balcony. She says, “My mother said this space could be provided by family, and you should use it as much as you can.” Before long, Nagara Shahin participated in local karate competitions. Her coach recognized her enthusiasm and skill and encouraged her to compete in judo. “My first coach told me, ‘You won’t learn to get up until you fall.’ This advice motivated me greatly during my childhood.” She also fondly remembers watching professional wrestling matches in America with her father, who was a wrestling enthusiast. Judo gave Nagara Shahin the confidence to find herself and enjoy life despite all the suffering and hardships of displacement and seeking asylum. According to a BBC news report, her coaches gradually began to recognize her skills. She reached a point where she trained with the national judo team of Pakistan but was unable to compete with them due to not having a Pakistani passport. In 2014, Nagara Shahin returned to Afghanistan and studied political science and public administration at the American University of Kabul. She also trained with the Afghan national team, and her male teammates welcomed her presence. As noted in *Life Toronto*, “During training, we were like a family, and they treated me like their sister.” She continued to train and compete, gaining significant attention as a female athlete in Afghanistan, which was somewhat unintentional. She told the BBC, “I faced immense cyber violence. This violence later turned into real harassment.” She recounted, “Several times, cars followed us. Once, a soda can was thrown at my mother, and I skillfully managed to save her.” In her first competition at the Tokyo Olympics, Nagara suffered a shoulder injury. In 2018, she left her homeland. She said, “I always say I became a refugee for the second time.” She went to Russia to continue her studies in entrepreneurship and international business. Unlike the warm welcome she received during training in Afghanistan, she couldn’t find a suitable group to train with in Russia. She spent a year training alone, which she describes as the bitterest period of her athletic career. In 2019, she met with a member of the International Judo Federation who suggested she join the Olympic Refugee Team. She qualified to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but was eliminated in her first match due to her shoulder injury. Until she completed her studies in Russia, the situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated significantly. Nagara said, "I was trapped." She returned to Pakistan but often stayed at home out of fear for her life. She faced severe attacks and criticism for not adhering to hijab regulations during competitions, which made her think more about her next steps. During this time, with the help of the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency, she was given the opportunity to live and study in Canada. Nagara Shahin was accepted to continue her education in International Development in Toronto. She arrived in Canada in September 2022—a bittersweet moment for an athlete who has sought stability and peace across three different countries. It was in this Canadian city that her athletic life in judo was revitalized. In Paris, she is one of 37 athletes on the refugee team—a team that Nagara Shahin is proud to be a part of. Today (Saturday, August 20), she is set to step onto the mat once again and will compete for the first time in a mixed event representing the refugee team. Before the competitions, she told the International Judo Federation, "Team competitions are more exciting because I always look at my teammates, and I can't let them lose; that's why I fight for all of them." After the games, Nagara Shahin plans to declare Canada her home. She has now received permanent residency in Canada and hopes to one day be a supporter and helper for refugees like herself. Her mother and father are still in Pakistan and are happy that she has been able to realize her dream of participating in the Olympics. She says she relied on her family's support during the toughest times. "My sister always told me, 'I believe you will eventually reach your goal, and all these hard days will become memories that you can laugh about.'" "And now is the time when I can laugh about everything I've been through."
A woman's voice, nakedness? A critique on the thirteenth article of the Law of Enjoining Good
Author: Mahdi Mozaffari Recently, the Ministry of Justice of the caretaker government of Afghanistan prepared a text entitled "The law of commanding good and forbidding evil" and emphasized that the responsible forces in this field should apply those orders in the society. The Ministry of Justice announced that this text was prepared in four chapters and 37 articles based on Hanafi jurisprudence and Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzadeh, the leader of the current government, approved it as law. From now on, the Ministry of Prosperity and Prohibition will be responsible for the implementation of this law. Considering that all the articles and clauses of this bill are related to the important issue of guidance and guidance of the society, it is necessary that religious experts and thinkers review it so that the correctness and incorrectness, purity and impurity of these specific laws and their consequences are clear to everyone. to be This law deals with various issues in four chapters and 37 articles, including the behavior of men and women and even their most personal issues. However, in this law, many things such as human dignity, rights of individuals and respect for ethnic groups and religions are unfortunately ignored. Comprehensive review and detailed criticism of this bill requires a lot of time and courage. But the writer knows his human and Islamic duty to address at least one specific case of this law. In this summary, it only deals with those clauses and articles of the mentioned law that are in the field of women and their scope is the women's society and the female section of the society. In the thirteenth article of this law, which is related to women, it is stated: "Woman covering the whole body is mandatory", "It is necessary to cover the face of a woman due to the fear of sedition", "Women's voices (singing songs, verses and reading aloud in Assembly) is awrat", "Women's clothes should not be thin, short and tight", "Muslim women are obliged to hide their body and face from non-mahram men", "Muslim and righteous women must cover themselves from infidel and immoral women for fear of sedition ", "It is forbidden for adult men to look at the body and face of women and for adult women to look at other men" and "Whenever an adult woman leaves her house for a necessary need, she is obliged to cover her voice, face and body ». In this paragraph, all the behavior and habitation and even the pitch of the women's voices have been discussed. All the women and the female society of Afghanistan will have their duties clarified and they will not have any injustice with the implementation and approval of this paragraph of the Law of Enjoining the Good and Prohibiting the Evil. The law has strongly and violently acknowledged that "a woman's voice is private"; "It is haram to reveal a woman's face"; "Being comfortable with women, even with their own kind, is against Sharia"; If a woman, God forbid, intends to go out of the house, no part of her body, even the positions of ablution (hands and face) and her voice, should be completely hidden and covered. This brief footnote from the 13th paragraph of the Government Guidance Law is not a personal opinion, it is the real point of view and instructions that the leader of the government has ordered the officials to try to implement. All these orders are according to Islamic Sharia (Hanafi jurisprudence) and it is what Islam has asked from those who command what is good and what is forbidden from what is bad. But should we also call all these materials and instructions Islamic with this claim of the government, without thinking and reflection? Just because the so-called Islamic government has sanctioned it! And after that, let's make ourselves available to the enforcers of this law because we want to be real Muslims! Common sense says that we should not consider it to be in accordance with the Prophetic Shari'a simply because some commandment or saying is labeled Islamic. At a time when the drumbeat of Islam and Sharia is heard from every village and village. Therefore, the examination of the Law of Enjoining Good and Prohibiting Evil, especially its thirteenth paragraph, is one of the important and necessary tasks that must be done by Shariah scholars, jurists, and religious experts. Article 13 of the State Guidance Law, contrary to its solid claim, is not completely in accordance with Muhammadan jurisprudence and Islamic literature. First, it is well known among jurists, muftis and Shariah scholars that it is not necessary to cover completely so that the hands and face are not visible. The opinion and fatwa owners agree that there is no need to hide the positions of ablution (hands, wrists, and full face) from others. Ibn Qayyim Joziyeh, this famous Islamic jurist, pointed out in his works that it is not necessary to cover the positions of ablution under normal conditions. Secondly, muftis always do not ignore the social side of women in issuing fatwas and rulings by adhering to the holy law of Islam, and it is not the case that the rulings issued by them bring weakness to women's social life! However, the guidelines of the government consider the presence of women outside the house as against Islamic rules. From the time of the Prophet until now, women had cultural, social and even political activities side by side with men. It is evident in the history of Islam that even the Prophet's wife and daughter were strongly in pursuit of social and political reform and they even recited ghaari sermons in the mosque for that purpose. In addition, women were the owners of teaching seats and sometimes they narrated hadiths. Only by examining these countless activities of Muslim women, the jurists of the present age do not allow themselves to limit the social life of women in order to force them from transformation and progressive spirit to passivity and stagnation. Thirdly, the guidance literature of the law of commanding good and forbidding evil of the government is not according to the standards of commanding good and forbidding evil of the Prophet and religious elders. These laws are composed in a harsh tone and far from dignity and respect. This is the same sentence that says: "A woman's voice is private." It means that those who announce such laws are completely unaware of the spirit of mercy and education of Islam. Hazrat Rahmat al-Lalameen has never mentioned men or women as bad or ugly, on the contrary, he always mentioned men and women as good and beautiful. #END
