Under Taliban control, the situation for Afghan women has become dire as they suffer the ongoing loss of basic rights and freedoms. Control of the Taliban has been disproportionately unbearable for Hazara women, who throughout history have suffered the double oppression of being both women and part of an ethnic minority.
Author: Zareen Taj
Zareen Taj is a women’s rights and human rights activist. She is a Feminist Majority scholar. She has a dual bachelor’s degree in women's studies and political science and a master's degree in women studies. She is currently a LLC Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Voices from Kabul, Afghanistan: “You Can Take Our Lives, But Not Our Education”
“As a member of the Hazara diaspora, safe in my home in the U.S., it is painful for me to sit front of my computer and write about yet another mass killing. Are you not listening? Why does this continue to happen? … I am calling today for the urgent attention of the United States and the international community. We must re-think the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The lives of the Hazara depend on it.”
The Cost of U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan: “Get Ready. The Taliban Are Coming.”
“As a Hazara and a woman from Afghanistan, I am losing hope for the future of my country. I fear the U.S. withdrawal could contribute to the loss of 20 years of progress, the collapse of the current Afghan government and the start of another civil war in Afghanistan.”
The Cost of a Peace Deal With the Taliban: Ignoring Concerns of Minority Women
“The horrific images of babies and mothers shocked my soul, and made me numb. I felt so powerless and helpless. It was the first time in my life I felt awful pain and hatred. My love of humanity was tested so hard, as I felt that I had no control of myself. My only response was to scream and say again: It was an attack on the Hazara community.”
The Women of Bamyan: A Progress Report
Last Wednesday I reached Bamyan province in Afghanistan. It was a sunny, windy day, and Bamyan looked beautiful and clean. When our small, nine-person plane got close to landing, I saw a group of girls on the road going to school. I saw police with professional and neat uniforms, without beards. I saw so many […]
The Afghan Patriarchy Does NOT Know Best
As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, Afghan women may have less to celebrate and more to fear–at least if a proposed law to bring women’s shelters under government control is allowed to pass. Along with the displacement and instability caused by 30 years of war, Afghan women have long been oppressed and held to […]