“Your voice, your vote” is the infamous slogan in the United States to help various people acknowledge their freedom, but there’s barely any recognition of freedom and rights in other countries. That right was taken away recently in Afghanistan by the Taliban, who implemented a new edict that would further push the voices and rights of women to be unrecognized by the government. The Taliban minister, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, proclaimed that women must refrain from reciting the Quran in public with other women and to do it in their own homes.
The Taliban is an ultraconservative, political, and religious faction that arose in Afghanistan during the mid-1990s following the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the collapse of Afghanistan’s communist regime, and subsequent breakdown in civil order. It originated as a small group of religious students and scholars seeking to confront the crime and corruption that was occurring within the country.
The Taliban suspended delivery of nursing and midwifery education to female students. The Taliban are also blocking female students from doing and choosing certain degrees in universities. These rules in place affect many Afghanistan women greatly. They are barely allowed to do much even with other women, much less men. This will affect their daily lives and as well how they will carry on with their lives.
Divya Saha, a junior at Mark Keppel High School, was asked what she thinks about these restrictions with Afghanistan women. he said, “It’s horrible; Afghan women used to have rights to education previously, but now they are led by an oppressive government which has made them stripped of their identity.”
When Destiny Valenzuela, who is also a junior at Mark Keppel, was asked about her opinion of the new edict, she said, “Coming from a person whose religion plays a big role in my life, it’s really upsetting to hear this. Women’s beliefs should be shared and expressed with each other freely in order to connect with each other and build bonds. It’s very disappointing to see that our rights of freedom are being taken away in opinion and religion in different countries.”
This is a serious issue that is happening, and could potentially lead to more rights of women across the world being completely demolished. More awareness should be given to this topic in order to help protect women’s rights.
