Afghan women

by: sofya panova

“Women’s question” in Afghanistan provides a vivid illustration of ongoing emotional and sensitive debates on universalism versus cultural relativism, individualism versus tribalism, women’s rights versus community rights, secularism versus religious state, the nature of islamist movements versus development and the critique of orientalism. The afghan social structure is characterized by institutionalization of extremely restrictive codes of the behavior for women, the practice of strict gender segregation and ideology linking family honour to female virtue. Men (with no regards to their age) are entrusted with safeguarding family honour through their control over female members. They are backed by complex social arrangements which ensure the so-called protection and dependence of women. While most social scientists distinguish gender from sex and agree that gender roles are not biologically determined in Afghanistan there is no difference between sex and gender. In Afghanistan and much of the Muslim world, there is still a predefined stereotypical image of women with fixed idea of what is considered to be her proper behavior and appearances. Afghans are extremely serious about social codes and indicators and basically they live by them, often in denial, rather then by feelings, logic and so on. As a matter of fact a bunch of cultural prototypical patterns determine their actions and individuality. The woman position in the society with all its consequences is customarily justified by invoking Quranic prescriptions. The social role creation and adoption starts with birth (women are regarded stupid by birth (naqis-e-aql) and people still tend to celebrate the birth of a boy but not of a girl and continues through whole life experience. From the early childhood. Girls live in atmosphere of mistrust. They learn early that they are untrustworthy beings who constitute the danger for the tribe. For this reason girls have to be invisible, so work indoors for many becomes house arrest which can start in puberty. Afghan gender roles and women’s status work as property relations, where women and children tend to be assimilated into the concept of property and therefore to belong to men. Marriage is a transaction between households, an indicator of a status; it’s a way of ending feuds, compensating for blood, paying off debts, cementing alliances between families, increasing families prestige or accumulating wealth. Female is a perfect gift inalienably linked to the father by birth, but transferable for the practice of daily life – to her husband. Quite often a teenage girl on a horse in nice dress and covered in jewellery is sent to the house of the avenger. The avenger family can’t return the girl back, that would be against the code of honour, Nanawatey requires Pashtuns to protect all living creature and that includes your enemy.

The woman is a dead end for her own patriline but she can make herself useful to her husband’s patriline – by giving birth. Woman’s role is being a giver of temporal pleasure and physical producer of man’s children, in each role she earns her worth by and through men. Afghan society is strongly dominated by sexual morality derived from tribal arab values dating from the time the prophet received his instructions from Allah. From times when women were property of their fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers or guardians. The essence of the women is reduced to her hymen. It’s most important part of her body and should be treated with more caution. The look of an Afghan girl must only meet the ground, she is not to look up; her eyes should not meet the eyes of a stranger on the street. Girl education starts with sexual education, sport and intense activities or for that matter any physical exercise should not be performed because they pose a risk to hymen. Sex education is a series of warning; shame and guilt sanctions girls’ behaviour. Afghan girls are trained to suppress her own desires to empty herself of authentic wishes and fill the vacuum with the desires of others. There are girls who broke rank but they vanished into thick air. marriages and rapes are still widespread especially in rural areas. UNICEF says child marriages are a reaction to extreme poverty, where families see daughters as a burden and as second-class citizens. 57 percent of Afghan marriages involve girls under 16, up to 80 percent of marriages in the country are either forced or arranged. Most marry far older men whom they meet for the first time at their wedding. Some girls are so young that they hold onto their toys during the wedding ceremony. As I said afghan men are controlling women, which is considered necessary as women are regarded as potential source of social anarchy and disorder. Supposedly they can’t control their natural drives including sexual impulses, while men are able natural inclinations in control. “Islamic sexual culture emphasizes the female as powerful, seductive temptress who consciously or unconsciously is driven to capture the hearts and souls of men and will distract men from focusing on god”. Basically woman means sexuality. Funnily enough as a part of living in denial some women got persuaded in this. I have witnessed several times women far from being attractive (not only by my standards) were behaving as if they were sexual goddess, worth kilos of gold and were even accusing male colleagues of sexual harassment (a though which would have never crossed a sound mind of an accused man). The central concern of Islamic sexual doctrine is prostitution and illegitimate children, meaning those born from prostitutes.
Afghanistan is one of the world's most conservative countries, yet its sex trade appears to be thriving. Sex is sold most obviously at brothels full of women from China who serve both Afghans and foreigners. Far more controversial are Afghan prostitutes, who are practicing anal sex to remain virgins. Beatings, cutting off noses, ears and feet and rape are increasingly common. Unbelievably, a woman often has to prove her lack of consent in a rape case in order to avoid being punished for it. Moreover rape may be treated as adultery and punished accordingly if a settlement cannot be reached between the two families concerned. So half of the women in afghan jail are imprisoned for “moral crimes” should not be there at all and would qualify as victims rather than criminals under any interpretation of international human rights laws, including those to which Afghanistan is a signatory.

Depression, mental health problems and suicides (especially self immolation) still occur on a very widespread level. Last year, almost 500 women chose death or disfigurement to a life of despair by setting themselves on fire to escape forced marriages, slavery or sexual and other types of abuse. Anyway, if any deviation to strict code of chastity is observed in an Afghan wife, her husband takes the blame. If a bride is not virgin, it's the responsibility of the husband to kill her. Social humiliation compels Afghan men not to take any risk with their wives and prohibit them from any genuine and spontaneous action. Afghan society affects husband attitude in regard to their wife. Work, entertainment and sport for men are highly competitive and pitiful. It doesn't allow men to express themselves positively, the general attitude in men circles is linguistically sexist and promotes an atmosphere that men does not want their woman even not to be mentioned at, let alone being part of it. Men are indirectly also victims of the culture of virginity. As a result of oppressive culture, boys and men are not raised by healthy, balanced and well-educated mothers. Because of the disproportionately strong emphasis on manliness and because of physical and mental separation of sexes, men hardly have an opportunity to develop the communication skills necessary for living harmoniously within a family. Since most women are excluded from education and purposely kept ignorant when they raise children they can pass only their limited knowledge and perpetrate a vicious circle of generation to generation. Many muslim girls are brought up according to the Koran to live submissively which make it very difficult to liberate themselves when they are older. It appears that women have internalized their subordination they no longer experience it as an oppression by an external force. Oppression and overall harsh conditions make women passive in life and to be guided by a sense of fatalism. Constantly being controlled by dogma, prescriptions, stifling culture of gossip every child (both female and male) has to learn his/her social skills in the culture of shame, which centers on the concept of honour and disgrace. Surprisingly women who have managed to master the survival strategies derive a certain pride from living this way. Some, apparently educated, learned how to exploit the concept of being inaccessible sexual goddess and coming out with ways how to sell themselves expensively and worthy. Ironically, the repression of women maintained to a large extent by other women. Even educated women often have difficulty relinquishing ideas that have been installed in the since childhood. In traditional families, it is often mothers who keep their daughters under their thumbs and the mothers in law who make the lives of their in laws very hard. The culture of gossiping is overwhelming. Apparently, it seems there is a way to break this vicious circle, which requires certain imagination and self-confidence and irony. A young and good looking woman would be saved from discrimination and sexist attitude if her gender identity contrast sharply with that assigned to women and if her gender appearance as a woman in public does not coincide with social indicator. As a matter of fact, one can win a lot of respect by building own unknown to the community identity. This is not only limited to appearance, women interpersonal behavior determines their social role too. As it was pointed out, woman role indications are attributed by society, so if a woman doesn't go by those indications and attributes people would not realize her gender identity. Basically in order to be respected one has to behave less like an afghan woman.

A woman can be as influential in Afghan society as a man if she adopts social expression inconsistent with woman identity. A good friend of my husband is now an Afghan Parliamentarian, Sharifa Zormant, who used to be a daring journalist. She is representing southern Afghanistan in national assembly - a woman is representing some of the most conservative people in the world. She was traveling in the back of a truck with men, sleeping in the same room with men and lived without her husband from time to time. She did all this because she didn't express herself as typical afghan women do. She has departed from the social woman role defined as the kinds of activities that society determines to be appropriate for women. Fanaticism surrounds advocacy and adversary of sexual arrangement in Afghanistan. Perspectives into sex are fanatic which is the reason for an inaccurate explanation and failure to explain some important realities. when clergy and statesmen press for sustaining status quo by approving and praising the sexual arrangement they fail to account for sexual deviations and the depression of a grey life for most Afghans. Afghan society only appreciates woman’s body and kills her soul while claiming to do vice versa. A lot of traditional muslims are inclined to view universal values such as freedom of the individual and the equality of men and women as exclusively western values. I believe in universal human rights. There is nothing “natural” about ethnic, gender or class oppression and it’s hypocritical to trivialize and tolerate these practices. Official spokespersons for Afghan and widely Muslim women are nearly all men who in the majority of cases tend to deny, trivialize or avoid the enormous problems of Muslim girls and women.

The Taliban Is Moving on Peshawar

Taliban has strengthened its grip on pakistan; below i am providing some detail. The Taliban in pakistan primarily direct their activities Pakistan's border regions Afghanistan, NATO and the U.S. taliban are also in a fight with the Pakistan, despite the recent peace agreements with the NWFP government. Although the Islamists have halted suicide attacks in return for the government's release of their prisoners, most of their activities have not stopped. Pakistan government is only concerned about the activities of Taliban inside Pakistan, peace deals with Taliban ensures that they gain their objectives which is the release of their prisoners and free roaming at the same time Pakistan government is happy too because they ensure less violence. Unfortunately for Pakistan ISI things quite don’t work out as they hoped. For example, even after the government made a deal with the Islamist group Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (Movement for the Enforcement of the Islamic Shari'a), releasing its leader from prison and permitting it to enforce shari'a in the Swat and Malakand region of the NWFP, the Taliban did not cease its violent activities, and in late June, 10 girls' schools were burned in the Swat district.

This is one of numerous examples of the Taliban defying the government in the regions it controls. However, the main cause for concern is the Taliban's recent advance on Peshawar. Since late June, the Taliban has been present in all the surrounding regions – namely Khyber Agency, Darra Adam Khel, Mohmand Agency, Shabqadar, Michni, Mardan, and Frontier Region Peshawar. Even in the city itself and in its environs, there have been reports of violence and destruction: electricity pylons and power substations have been vandalized, shops selling CDs and DVDs in the center of Peshawar have been bombed, and the Peshawar military base has come under rocket fire – leading some to speculate that the city may soon fall to the Taliban. The business community in the NWFP has expressed its concern over this possibility. Inayat Khan, vice president of the NWFP Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that both residents and investors were worried about the increasing "Talibanization" of the Peshawar area.

In early June, NWFP Police Chief Malik Naved Khan warned the province authorities about the danger, stating that, if the government failed to take action, Peshawar would soon be under Taliban control. His concerns were echoed by the province's top bureaucrat, Tipu Mohabbat Khan, who likewise noted in mid-June that Taliban fighters were moving on the city. However, these warnings were disregarded by the secular government of the province, led by the Awami National Party that came to power in the February 2008 elections. The secular governments in Peshawar and Islamabad have been criticized widely outside Pakistan – for instance by Afghanistan, NATO and the U.S. – for pursuing a policy of dialogue with the Taliban.

suicide attack on indian embassy

A Taliban suicide car bomb has hit the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing 41 people and wounding 141. The bomber rammed his car into the embassy just as two diplomatic vehicles were entering the compound. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack. The Health Ministry said 28 people were killed and 141 wounded, but a senior police official said the death toll was 41.

This was a very organised attack. The authorities admitted that the attack was coordinated the precision, timing and target of the attack has so overwhelmed the authorities that they now link it to Pakistan secret service. Among many Indian embassy staff is the military attaché too.

The attack has also killed many children too who were on their way to school. I am attaching some picture to help visualise the crime. This is such a cruel act of inhumanity that I don’t want to write about how wrong it is. but there is one question in my mind; given the precision of the attack, Taliban or whoever is behind the attack got what they wanted the death of civilians is a collateral damage which is trivial for achieving a larger goal. I have been on both sides of the claim I could easily condemn the attack and the larger goal of the attacker. I have been to such scenes and I was so shocked and the only thing I wanted was no more attack. There are many people in Afghanistan today who don’t like violence because inevitability innocent people are going to die in the process. these people are foreigners favourite. The foreign community love people who don’t like to pursue violence to resolve conflicts while they themselves are happy to do so. If you are an afghan intellegencia or part of civil society then you condemn violence and don’t Taliban. in return taliban are accusing them of being weak and playing in the hands of invaders, which is true to some extent.

However I have been to the other side of the argument too. After 9/11 I did not feel sorry at all I thought it was an incident which had some collateral damage which compared to my experience was nothing. In my life time over two million of my compatriots have died and half of the country have fled. I believed 9/11 is good for Afghanistan. the world would be so pissed off that they won’t tolerate Taliban and Afghanistan is going to be a better place without Taliban. I have no sympathy and connection with people who died on 9/11 what so ever, while I am deeply connected with two million people who died in my country in my life time.

My response right now to this incident is; if my little brother comes home safe and he is not among dead and wounded children, this is a nice attack with horrific collateral damage. This is an unfair world and everybody pursues an agenda and collateral damage happen it was just yesterday that Americans bombed a village and killed 25 people in wedding when they suspected it of a Taliban gathering in Nangarhar province; it was the day before yesterday that Americans bombed a village in nuristan and killed 15 people in a mistaken attack.

worsening Afghan-western relation; who to blame?

A german friend of mine is in kabul doing some work with media, he wrote to me today mentioning of Afghan Western relation. Martin was saying that Afghan's expectations and cynism towards foreigners has reach a new level, as to my impression,
he is saying that sometimes he has the impression that Afghans put all foreigners in one box and hit on it. I put the blame on westeners it should be admitted that some westerners made grievous mistakes and contributed tremendously to the worsen situation if not causing it.

No doubt that there are numerous foreigners who lets say deserve to be in Afghanistan, in a sense that they are professional, culturally sensitive/receptive and above all respect afghans; but only one devious westerner *only a single one* is enough to be cynical and question them in a categorical term. its up to the rest of good westerners to criticise the conduct of the tricky single or group and do not side with them merely because they are fellow westerner. As a member of a group it’s the duty of the individual to bear some responsibility for the action of his groupmates. This sense of shared responsibility forms the basis of any constructive criticism of the group from within. Good westerners who are averse by the action of individuals who are socially categorised as your team-mates, then they have strong incentive to criticise and take action. I did not choose to be an afghan and I certainly did not want to become one; But because I am perceived socially from Afghanistan; I get the blame for the action of 30mil dim people, both personally and institutionally. Its up to me to criticise the conduct of my compatriots not to be pissed off with the rest of the world because the first is more constructive while the later has no outcome except for frustration.

There are two stories back to back in British media today. One on BBC trust admitting one of its popular programs (Top Gear) glamorised alcohol, and the response from the majority of British society though media is that it’s a load of bollocks. Top gear is great program and the trust shouldn’t have done it because one person found it offensive. One person complained that the program glamorised alcohol. Of course if you don’t know the program and the social context its hard to understand why the public are upset by the decision of the trust. The repeated theme is that it’s a program viewed by 11 mil people and why should trust denounce a good program because of one person.

The second story running in british media today is the story of a police ad in Dundee where a police public announcement uses a german shepherd (HERO) in a poster. The media reported that muslim community found the ad offensive. The truth of the matter is, it was not the muslim community but an individual who is sitting on the Dundee city council. He said muslims will refuse to display it in their shops.

In both these stories it comes to an individual in the first story the public consensus is that the guy who found the program offensive doesn’t matter and he is a wanker. In the second instance the public consensus is that the muslim councillor is not a hypocrite, but this is a ridiculous move by the muslim community; and the majority of muslims who wrote on this topic did not say that its an individual hypocrite who should have been ignored the same as in the case of top gear but they said this is not tolerable and its ridiculous.

So the point I make with the story is that if westerners feel cynicism in Afghanistan, which anyone in sound mind should not only feel but be seriously hindered, then they should take action against their fellow westerners who taint their name.

Here is an example of a westerner who shouldn’t have been to Afghanistan. morgan williams working for an NGO wrote a story for the daily mail, the tabloid paper, about her ‘adventures’ in Afghanistan. the story is disgusting, it tells the story of arrogance, incompetence and corrupt westernism. I have monitored the story and no body criticize it; as a matter of fact many people including internews picked it up as a story of pride, see here http://www.internews.org/articles/2008/20080419_dailymail_afghan.shtm.

Anybody in a sound mind with no knowledge of Afghanistan would ask if its OK to have bikini and booz in Kabul. And nobody wonders if she ever saw zakia; because the discrepancy of morgan and zakia life portrayed in this story would not only bring them together but make them enemies. I doubt if she had any conversation with zakia and she just heard these stories in her armoured car and she is using it to afghan-coat her adventures. I believe, the foreign community has brought it on themselves, they isolated themselves by setting up restaurants, bars and special entertainment places. They drive in their armoured cars, they have no contact with Afghans whatsoever. It took over five year for Afghans to become fed up with Morgan-type. westerners in Kabul are hypocritical, therefore they can’t be trusted. they talk of universality in equal human rights while they have established an apartheid regime supported by the aid mechanism which has successfully created another layer of governance undermining Karzai regime.

Afghanistan needs skilled people to help with reconstruction and there is plenty of aid money around to pay for westerners to come and work in Afghanistan. the number of skilled westerners who go to Afghanistan is far lower than the demand due to security fears. The question is weather you consider Morgan class people as skilled and ultimately the argument is whether Afghanistan should accept the conceited life style of westerners in exchange for their skills.