Afghan Women\'s Social Struggle Social

Afghan Women's Social Struggle

Social Struggle of Women in Afghanistan

It was only in the fall of 2001 when the United States focused on Afghanistan in their search for Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida network that the international audience first heard of the stories of the Afghan women (Dubriwny). In a statement by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (as cited in Dubriwny, par. 2), he said, "We didn't really know how women were being treated until it was brought out in the news accounts. For five years, girls have been denied education in that country." Accounts of the situation of Afghan together with speeches delivered by former First Lady, Laura Bush, which according to Abu-Lughod (784) "enlisted women to justify American bombing and intervention in Afhanistan," fueled the interest and concern of the international community.

Accounts of the struggles of Afghan women are numerous. According to Abdullah Qazi the Afghan women have been denied "either by official government decree or by their own husbands, fathers, and brothers" of the "rights to inheritance, the right to vote, the right to work, and even choose their own partners in marriage" (Qazi, par. 1) for centuries now. This is in spite of the fact that Islam has demanded that both men and women be equal before the God wherein Islam has also given them such rights. It is to be noted that "the vast majority of Afghanistan's population professes to be followers of Islam." (Qazi, par. 1)

When the Talibans ruled Afghanistan in 1996 to 2001, "women were treated worse than in any other time or by any other society." (Qazi, par. 1) According to Qazi, women were prohibited to work. They were forbidden to seek medical help from a male doctor. They were not allowed to leave the house without a male escorting them and they were obliged to cover themselves from head to toe with a burqa, which even covers their eyes. Accounts like these were enlisted to justify the "War on Terrorism" during the Bush administration. To Abu-Lughod, such justification implies that the Afghan women need to be saved.

Being one of the less developed societies in Asia, several political groups and individuals aim to transform the Afghan society to turn it into a modern one. However, efforts to transform the Afghan society have been unsuccessful as the ideas and strategies presented "were based on modalities of the past without any relevance to the lives and requirements of the present era." (Emadi 154). Emadi recognizes that improving the status of women in Afghan society is essential in rebuilding and transforming Afghan society. Empowering the Afghan women is essential in transforming society "because women are its critical ingredients." (Emadi, 155)

The social struggles that the Afghan women face today are tied to the many things that their counterparts in other countries freely experience. Abu-Lughod cited a report which said that most Afghan women look for inspiration in their social struggle to Iran wherein "they saw women making significant gains within an Islamic framework -- in part through an Islamically oriented feminist movement that is challenging injustices and reinterpreting the religious tradition" (788) "The status of women is manifested in women's access to economic, political, educational, and organizational resources outside the home." (Emadi, 29) Although Afghanistan is composed of various ethnic and linguistic communities with different cultures, their attitude toward women is generally similar. Patriarchy is the prevailing culture and this dictates the codes of conduct for women in Afghanistan. Although there are women who work outside of the home to contribute to the family's income, the Afghan men are still regarded as the only provider and guardian of the family." (Emadi 30)the patriarchal culture of Afghanistan is said to treat women "as creatures who lack wisdom, foresight, and judgment and who therefore cannot decide matters related to their lives" (Emadi, 37) and for this reason, the men are at liberty to make the decisions for women especially on concerns like engagement, marriage, and divorce. Moreover, in the 1970s, many Afghan parents viewed education "as a complete waste of time that did not help their daughters' future life as a wife and mother" (Emadi 50) such that many girls over the age of eight were not allowed to go to school (Tell). However, nowadays, Afghan women are resistant to the education ban imposed for girls that they take the risk of being punished and send their daughters to secret schools (Tell). The Afghan society denies the women to define their future. The women do not have the freedom to choose the men they will marry. They also "suffer both from societal injustices and from male oppression and brutality. Their suffering ranges from physical abuse such as beating and stabbing, to crippling and even death." (Emadi 35)

While the Afghan women struggle for social change and various groups try to help, Abu-Lughod (788) reminds everyone "to be aware of differences, respectful of other paths toward social change that might give women better lives." Lila Abu-Lughod invites everyone to think of ways in making the world more just. She points out that perhaps the Afghan women do not need saving from the Westerners. Instead of saving, providing women with educational opportunities, which will enable them to live safe and decent lives. Education of women is critical in the transformation of the Afghan society and the struggle of women to better their position in society.

The idea of empowering women by giving them equal opportunities to education and involving them in the rehabilitation of the Afghan society is parallel with Mary Wollstonecraft's idea presented in her work, a Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Wollstonecraft argued for the equal education opportunities for women. In Afghanistan, women are viewed as inferior to men even intellectually, which Wollstonecraft attacks as she believes that women are equally able to reason just like the men. The patriarchal society of Afghanistan, where the men vigorously defend their superiority over the women, views "women as inferior to men in both intellect and nature" (Emadi, 31). In general, women are referred to as naqis-e-aql or lacking wisdom, badal or impure, kam asl or imperfect by birth, and so on. According to Emadi, women's position in society is so low that in fact, men would usually insult their opponents who lack courage and initiative by calling them "women." On the other hand, the Afghan women "are brought up to believe in their own natural inferiority and even feel shame and disgust regarding their menstruation." (Emadi, 32).

Wollstonecraft argued that women were simple slaves to their passions (Burke). She argued that early in the life of every female, they are brought up to be docile and domesticated.The Afghan society is said to have unwritten rules of morals and codes of conduct for the female. These unwritten rules require the Afghan women to be quiet, retiring, and modest. Laughing, speaking in a loud manner, as well as other demonstrative mannerisms are considered as social offenses. Likewise, approaching or speaking to an unrelated male or a stranger under any circumstances is also considered a social offense (Emadi). The social traditions and customs in Afghanistan are very strict and limiting that it restricts women's mobility in public spheres. In most public areas, sexual segregation of space exists that women are allotted special places (Emadi). For Wollstonecraft, these things reinforce a woman's weakness. Wollstonecraft pointed out that it is the parents who train their daughters to become docile and domesticated. This is mirrored in Afghanistan in that society expects women to act in this way. In effect, society in a way, limits the women in Afghanistan.

Wollstonecraft believed that if only women were encouraged to develop their minds starting from when they are very young, they would grow up to be rational creatures and there would no longer be any reason for them to be denied of the same educational opportunities that men are given. Moreover, Wollstonecraft believes that by allowing women to be educated like men, they will have power over themselves. In the same way, if women in Afghanistan are given equal opportunity to education and if they were trained to develop their minds, they could reach their full potential in society. Through education, the Afghan women might be helped in their social struggle.