Afghanistan- Traditional Culture Has a Huge Bearing on Women's Rights

(MENAFN- Daily Outlook Afghanistan) The evolution ofwomen's rights have passed many ups and downs. Social and political issues havehad direct impacts on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women. Tribal code ofconduct and traditional culture have been one of the great drawbacks before theprogress of women's rights and liberty.
In post-Taliban andpost-Mujahidin Afghanistan, although women were entitled equally with men andtheir freedoms and inherent rights were recognized constitutionally, shockingviolence against women occurred and tragic story emerged regarding them. Afghanwomen in tribal belts bore the brunt of tribal tradition deeply imbedded inAfghan culture. Honor killing is prevalent in remote areas of Afghanistan.
For example, RodNordland, the New York Times correspondent, said in his book 'The Lovers thata number of girls who were raped had to marry their rapists based on thedecision of tribal elders. He also pointed out that Bibi Aisha had increasedbacklash against women's shelters after a picture showing that her nose hadbeen cut off appeared on Time's cover. 'Bibi Aisha was widely criticized inAfghanistan after that cover picture – including by officials in the office ofPresident Hamid Karzai – for bringing shame to her homeland, Nordlandmaintained.
Pointing to KingAmanullah Khan's reform and modernization, Nordland said that Amanullah Khan'smovement did not bear the desired result in Afghanistan in the wake of backlashshown by conservatives. He said that when Amanullah returned from a visit toEurope 'with his liberal minded queen, Soraya Tarzi, he declared at a publicevent that Islam did not require women to be covered, whereupon Queen Tarzitore off her veil and the other government wives present did so as well. Hesaid that under Amanullah's rule, women were allowed to divorce and to choosetheir husbands, bride prices were outlawed, women were encouraged to work andstudy.
However, mullahs andconservatives protested against his movement, which led to the collapse of hisregime. Subsequently, his reforms were undone by his successors and the stridesmade in the sphere of women's rights and liberty backtracked.
Even with democraticadministration after the downfall of the Taliban's regime, tribal code ofconduct and parochial mindset regarding women's rights held strong sway inAfghanistan. Notwithstanding strides made by Afghan women and high officialpositions held by them, violence continues unabated. As a result, Nordlandquoted some women rights activists who were victims of violence themselves athome.
The country'spatriarchal system and traditional culture is believed to have tarnishedAfghanistan at regional and global level. Local militia commanders andstrongmen still control their villages with misogynistic view. In areasdominated by the Taliban, women's rights and freedoms are curtailed to a greatextent and the Taliban's warped mind is imposed on locals, mainly women. Agirls' school was reportedly burnt down by the Taliban militants few days backin a district in Kabul.
Generally speaking,a large number of Afghan people are highly sensitive to the human rightsdiscourse and deem them as western product. Worst, the Elimination of ViolenceAgainst Women law, which was legalized by Hamid Karzai's decree, could not beapproved by Afghan parliament as a result of backlash and sensitivity shown bysome conservative MPs, including former warlords and Mujahidin.
Overall, tribal codeof conduct and traditional mindset had huge bearing on women's progress andthose of their rights.
Meanwhile, Afghanwomen still fear the return of Islamic Emirate, which restricted women's rightsand freedoms based on radical interpretation of sharia law. Now Afghan womenurge the Taliban negotiators, including the government, to include femalerepresentatives in the talks.
As far as tribalcode of conduct is not reformed and some mullahs, especially those who pretendto be mullahs and dress like them, continue their exploitation on the groundsof religious terms, violence against women will not stop. That is, the AfghanConstitution approved in 2004 should be enforced thoroughly.
Afghan Constitution,which was approved with the presence of Afghan clergymen and former Mujahidinand warlords, leaves no room for gender discrimination. Article 22 states, 'Anykind of discrimination and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan shall beforbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, man and woman, have equal rights andduties before the law.
The horizons oftribal locals will be broadened regarding the issue of women's rights andliberty through founding schools and universities in every nook and cranny ofthe country. The Afghan government has to encourage the schooling of boys andgirls, especially in tribal areas, through extending educational institutionsand schools so that it could change not only locals' mindset but also theircustoms.

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