Ban on saloon, girls’ education & return of public executions: Is Afghanistan going back in time?

NEW DELHI

Afghanistan seems to be going back in time. Since coming back to power, the Taliban have been undoing the decades of progress made by the then-elected government. The Afghan women seem to be facing the brunt of it. 

The ban on the education of girls, the closure of driving classes for women, and the fresh diktat on dress codes, these are some of the areas where the Taliban seem to be controlling every aspect of women’s lives. 

Nilab Durrani established the first driving school in the country for women about a year ago to support several other women who wanted to learn driving. But it has been closed ever since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. 

Durrani said, "Since the previous government collapsed, we have not registered a new student till now, and also no one has contacted us to get registration." 

A young cyclist had dreams of representing her country on the global stage, but her hopes were dashed after the Taliban came to power.

Watch: WION captures the plight of Afghan women

She said, "When I was young, I was interested in cycling, and I had gotten quite good at it recently. But unfortunately, ever since the Taliban came to power, all my dreams related to cycling have been quashed. I have lost all hope to compete abroad."

These are just a few examples of Afghan women who have been forced to give up their dreams. 

On September 18, the new Taliban education ministry issued a new order stating that the secondary schools would re-open only for boys, effectively banning girl students from getting education.

Apart from that, the Taliban also announced a strict gender segregation policy across the universities. 

The Taliban’s regressive policies came on full display after it announced that public executions and amputations as forms of punishment would return to Afghanistan.

The Taliban's co-founder, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, had also warned against any outside interference in their Islamic rules. 

"Everyone criticised us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments," he said.

Immediately after the announcement, the Taliban hanged four dead bodies in public for allegedly stealing.

In Helmand province, the Taliban banned hairdressers from shaving or trimming beards, saying that it is against their version of Islamic law. They also instructed the salons not to play any music.

Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob, the defence minister of Taliban, had warned foot soldiers against taking selfies and wearing stylish clothes. He also asked them to improve their appearance and ensure that their beards, hair and clothes are in line with Islamic rules.