Afghan women fear return to strict Sharia law under Taliban
Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul’s airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others. (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani)
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CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — As the Taliban take control of the Afghan capital of Kabul, many women across that nation now fear for their rights and their lives.
The Taliban forbid girls from going to school and women from working – or even traveling outside their home alone.
“I’m afraid of these things, first of all my life,” Farzana Kochai, a member of the Afghan parliament, said. “For sure I am afraid for myself, my life, my freedom to work and my freedom to speak up.”
According to the United Nations, nearly 250,000 Afghans have fled their homes since the end of May – ahead of western countries withdrawing their troops.
80 percent of the displaced are women and children.
Nilofar, a teacher and mother of six, is one of them.
Afghans fear that the Taliban will soon impose their strict interpretation of Islam. It would eliminate women’s rights and bring back brutal punishment for those who disobey.
Afghanistan’s first female mayor, Zarifa Ghafar, told iNews, “I’m sitting here waiting for them to come. There is no one to help me or my family. I’m just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me.
“I can’t leave my family. And anyway, where would I go?”
It’s a sentiment felt by thousands of Afghan women who are wondering if they will survive.
“No one knows where we are going and where this will end up, will this end up to a peace deal?” Kochai said. “Will this end up with a new government? Will this end up with a transfer government or will this end up in a civil war again?”
The Taliban have already started imposing their rules. Women are no longer allowed to go to the market without a male escort.
