Introduction

Afghanistan has played a substantial role in changing the course of world history. Having been inflicted by war and destruction, the Afghan people have had to pay with the loss of lives and the deterioration of their homeland. The constant fight for freedom from different oppressors and the unique political geographical existence remain a main obstacle of Afghan people who have spent their life in war zone. The conservative social culture of Afghan people along history and especially throughout the 20th century was hardly a far cry from the rest of world’s socio-political development. The culture became mostly patriarchal and male dominated, thus diminishing and almost eliminating the role of the female. Women have been suppressed in many of the third world countries, Afghanistan is not an exception. Women’s suppression began as early as 1978 during the time of the Soviet uprising in Kabul. The self appointed Northern Alliance Mujahedeen’s (1992-1996) record of discrimination and unfair treatment of women paved the way for the Taliban to continue in their footsteps.

The impact of Afghanistan’s conservative culture on women has been especially harsh, especially because of the sheer physiological difference between women and men. Women are viewed as the weaker sex mostly due to tribal laws and sanctions. Gender roles are also imbedded through generations by kinship in many rural regions of the country. In light of the recent political climate, tribal laws have been enforced as opposed to Islamic or constitutional laws. According to tribal laws, marriage is used as a tool to build relationships and alliances between different tribal groups, therefore divorce is unheard of and women are merely used as pawns in a trading game. Because education is the key to empowerment, these women are also kept from receiving any formal or informal education. It is expected that the women entering this relationship are completely obedient to not only the husband but the husband’s family as well. It is a well understood fact that women are the “honor” of the family, the bearer of children and a symbol of domesticity. Therefore they are to remain voiceless in any matters that do not deal directly with the sphere of their existence in the home.

One of the biggest scandals regarding women’s roles and the reputation of women came in late 1927, when King Amanullah and his wife Soraya visited Europe. The royals dined and wined with the most prominent people in England. They received honorary degrees from the University of Oxford the following year. The royal couple was so impressed with Europe that they finally settled there after the King’s reign. Upon returning to Afghanistan from their first trip, the King tried to implement some of the social and political customs of Europe in Afghanistan. During this same time period both Turkey and Egypt (which are predominantly Muslim) were on the same path to social and political modernization. The educated elite in Afghanistan wanted to adopt and emulate the developmental models that were being set forth by nations such as Turkey and Egypt. However, pictures of the Queen without her veil, dining with foreign dignitaries and an especially notable picture of the Queen having her hand kissed by the leader of France caused outrage among the conservatives. They viewed it as blatant dishonor to the Afghan culture and religion. This led to hostility and discontent with the King and Queen among Afghan people. Eventually, because of the backlash and demoralization of the King and Queen’s character, they were forced out of office.

Many conservative Afghans in the rural areas felt that the reforms suggested by King Amanullah in regards to women were too “western” for their society and the proposed changes were against the dogmas of Islam. The rural communities and provinces reacted harshly to these changes because they felt their patriarchal societies were being threatened. Changes regarding gender roles were not accepted easily if at all among those poorly educated residing in the country sides of Afghanistan. The main points Amanullah stressed were that of polygamy, the “bride price” and education for girls. All three points were deemed as too radical for Afghans to accept. This difference in viewpoint started many conflicts between traditionalists and elite modernists. All disagreements were in regards to the proposal of change in women’s roles. Despite these setbacks, an institution was set forth in 1924 that granted women the right to choose their own partners for marriage and the “buying” and “selling” of women into marriages was outlawed. Patriarchs saw this as a perpetual loss of the power and stronghold they had established over their daughters and began to feel as though they had diminished social status, familial control and financial security with the abolishment of bride prices.

The change proved to be too much for the rural regions and many of the provinces in the outskirts of Afghanistan refused to adhere to the new laws and by 1928 they had started protesting the freedoms experienced by women in the city of Kabul. Despite their discontent, Afghanistan’s tribal grand council, the Loya Jirga raised the age of consent for marriage for women to 18 and 21 for men. In addition, polygamy was officially abolished. A group of tribal leaders and elected officials coming together to democratically arrive at decisions.

Following the exile of King Amanullah, other rulers tried to introduce change for women’s rights in Afghanistan. However all of them had to tread carefully in an effort to avoid conflict with tribal and religious leaders. Another notable leader was King Nadir Shah who ruled during the 1930’s and opened several schools for girls. He was assassinated in 1933 by who many believe to have been extremists who opposed his efforts for women’s rights.

It was not until the 1970’s that there was a rise in women’s education, women faculty in universities and women represented in the Parliament. The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan brought about the most rapid social and economic change in 1978. With it came high hate crimes against women, including reported incidents of women killed for donning what was considered “Western” clothing and the general sexual harassment of women who wanted social changes for themselves.

Although the time period recorded a marked increase in women enrolled in universities, employed by corporations and making headway in the fields of medicine and law, it was also a time of lawlessness and devastation. A decade of war began with the Soviet invasion in 1979 making the Afghan country side a breeding ground for the training of self proclaimed “freedom fighters”. Fearful that the Soviet’s had a social interest in Afghanistan, the Mujahedeen formed a revolutionary army made up of these freedom fighters to fight in the name of preserving Islam. One of their main targets was the freedom granted to women and they pushed for the reversal of these rights.

Finally, in 1989, when the war with the Soviets finally ended, it left the country in a state of disorder which led to the inevitability of civil war and in-fighting for control among tribal nations. In 1992 the Mujahedeen took over the capital city of Kabul and declared Afghanistan an Islamic country. This meant a complete reversal of women’s rights, fundamentalist Islamic rule reigned. This was the beginning of apartheid against women. Schools were burned down, libraries were desecrated and universities were obliterated. Women were required to wear a head to toe covering called a burqa if they were outside of their home. Between 1992 and 1996 women experienced harsh and barbaric treatment in Afghanistan, all in the name of religious preservation. There are stories of rape, brutality and violence that occurred daily against women during this time period. Suicide rates among women increased as well as forced marriages, in an effort to escape the possibility of rape and violence.

In 1996, a consortium which was made up of the United States, Pakistan and Iran supported the Taliban to counter the violence inflicted upon the Afghan people by the Mujahedeen. With promises of change and relief, the people of Afghanistan wanted desperately to find a sense of hope. It didn’t take long for the Taliban to set forth a doctrine very similar in it’s oppressiveness of women to the doctrines of the Mujahedeen. They set up a specific department titled “Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” to monitor the activities of women in Afghanistan. The radio (television was banned) was used to spread the new changes in the social order of Afghanistan. They were to adhere to an Islamic fundamentalist regime, the laws made it illegal for women to leave the home unless they were going to buy food. At which point they had to accompanied by a male relative and don the burqa. Makeup, fancy shoes and jewelry were forbidden. Attending school was outlawed and receiving medical care from male doctors was also not allowed under the new doctrine. The age of consent for marriage was done away with and the old rules were brought back into practice, forced marriages began to occur again.

The term “fundamentalist” has become misconstrued in its affiliation and association with Islam, due to the events of September 11, 2001. The West links the term with Islam exclusively, disregarding for example that India has a fundamentalist Hindu government; however it is never described in such a manner.

Afghanistan happens to be at the crossroads of Islamic fundamentalism and westernization, especially in terms of women’s rights. At the current time the political climate lends itself to be in good shape to slowly bring about positive changes for women. The government in power provides the right situation to begin implementation of laws regarding modernism, secularism and gender equality. Although the changes that are proposed will still be challenged by the freedoms women have in Western nations, it will still be a grand victory for women in the Afghanistan and among Eastern nations. A key factor in bringing change for women is directly correlated to women playing a more active role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and participating in efforts that are attempting to form a unified and peaceful country. At this point in time, the focus should not be victimization of oppression, but unification of the culture to bring about change. There is a strong emphasis on women’s responsibility to family and community, and culture and religion are intertwined, however modernism and equal rights does not mean the end to these fundamental roots. Social change can be brought about in a manner that does not destroy the integrity of the culture and currently, there are great strides being made in Afghanistan to see that this idea is brought into fruition.