The protest in Kabul was the second women’s protest in days, and the first was in the city of Herat. About 20 women gathered with loudspeakers, despite the help of a Taliban militia, who allowed the demonstration to continue.
Women demanded access to an education, the right to return to work, and a share in government. “Freedom is our motto. We are proud of it” – the slogans on the banners chanted.
“We are concerned about human rights issues in Afghanistan, especially women’s rights,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday. “It is essential that women have the right to work, to work in a safe environment, and these are just some of the issues that our interlocutors in Kabul and beyond are concerned about.”
The Taliban declares that women will be able to continue their education and work outside the home. They were denied this right when they were in power before. However, at the same time, the Taliban promised sharia, or Islamic law.
Interpretations of Islamic law vary greatly across the Islamic world, with fairly moderate themes predominating. The former Taliban rule was shaped by Afghanistan’s unique tribal tradition that women cannot participate in public life, a practice that continues, especially in the countryside, even after 20 years of Western-backed rule.
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