WHY ARE WOMEN SCAPEGOATS OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM?
There is no better time to ask this question and as Taliban storms through Afghanistan the tragic memories of Talibanisation are coming back to haunt the people of Afghanistan and more so the women .But this brings us back to our question that why is misogyny and women repression so extreme in failed states because it’s not just Afghanistan this is a distinct pattern which can be observed across battlefields. In general there are two components to the answer the first one relates to the position of women in the social hierarchy and the second one deals with ideology and religion. Women have long history of suffrage they have fought extremely hard against cultural bias and discrimination to achieve basic rights be it universal adult franchise or right to education however even in the most developed countries women still aren’t safe and prosperous so within the framework of disparity it becomes extremely evident that what would be the position of women in failed states like Syria , Afghanistan and Iraq. These states are heavily conservative and believe women as toys who they can control .But there is another component to it and that’s far more concerning because religion and ideology are the drivers of stereotype and in these patriarchal societies religion has become a tool for women suppression until such religious ideology is never discarded world can never be a better place for women which itself means that there will be no signs of humanity.
HYPOCRICY OF CALIPHATE
A Few thousand kilometers from Afghanistan lies Syria a place which was the epicenter of ISIS blitzkrieg. As ISIS started conquering districts across middle east it laid down guidelines for it’s citizens on the basis of sharia Law and women were the primary targets there movements were restricted and anyone laying eyes on a women would be executed yet the hypocrisy of it lies with the fact that as ISIS ravaged through towns it picked up girls. A more disgusting case lies of the girls belonging to Yazidi Community. The ISIS considered Yazidis as devil worshippers and so they have been responsible for carrying out a genocide of Yazidis and at the forefront of it are women. Yazidi women were used as “Sex Slaves” they were forced to convert ,raped and kept as slaves to be passed on among savages, Many couldn’t survive but those who were successful in escaping narrated the horrors that they faced and saw.
TALIBAN,MALALA AND RELIGIOUS CLERICS
Taliban has a long history of being extremely regressive towards women under it’s first rule the society was basically patriarchy on steroids. Women were not allowed to go alone without a male “guardian”. They weren’t allowed to receive education which is basically reflected from Afghanistan women literacy rate which is mere 29.8 % they were strictly instructed to cover themselves and love was prohibited and those women who violated these rules were stoned to death . Those who have little understanding of Afghanistan know that it was a very liberal society in 1980’s however all of this changed with the evolution of Taliban and Rise of Islam in it’s surroundings. Even in the then Taliban controlled parts of Pakistan women were oppressed and the prime example of it was Malala Yusufzai who was shot as she wanted to go to school while education was prohibited for girls. Religious Clerics instigated militants and political leaders to direct terms of how a women should behave and that her responsibility is child bearing for Jihad.
A CAUSE OF CONCERN
We are observing a major humanitarian crisis unraveling in front of us in Afghanistan . Americans have received a shameful defeat and they just want to bring back their soldiers home they have zero apathy for the people of Afghanistan. While its difficult to understand what really does this peace process intends to achieve however an extremely striking fact is the representation of women in either Nation Reconciliation council or for that matter America which is the stakeholder that as we thought had the teeth to dictate terms to Taliban Emirate. There has been no conversation in the peace process regarding the safety and rights of women in Post American pullout Afghanistan . While its clear that laying terms on Taliban to prevent restrictions on women is futile as it hasn’t even fulfilled the basic condition of accord which was to stop the violence and prevent providing safe havens to terrorist groups like ISIL.
Taliban is stronger than ever and Biden simply wants his troops to be back his intelligence is well aware that Kabul will fall and once it does women will bear the brunt of it there struggle will have no meaning as they will be drawn back in stone ages by those religious fanatics. Taliban fears educated women as it well understands that questions cannot be suppressed by guns however its clear that it will dictate the social structure of society which pretty much means “HELL FOR FEMALES”. It pains me to see that flagbearers of feminism are quiet while women are being pushed towards oppression in Afghanistan.
A THOUGHT
“RAPES ARE INSTRUMENT OF WARS” this is not just an observation but a reality. In the movie Padmavat the queen pushes herself into fire to protect her sanctity unfortunately nothing has changed the only thing that has changed is that today we all stand as spectators while these savages come for our mother and daughters. Difficult to find difference between civilized societies and fringe groups like these. Shame is small word for us now as the narrative stands political heads blame women for violence and rape to which they are subjected . Why women are the scapegoats? The answer is our silence and lost moral conscience ,
Geopolitical Matrix 