THE GIANT LEAP BACKWARD: AFGHAN WOMEN ODYSSEY

Since time immemorial, man has always tried to subdue women. Violence and maltreatment towards fairer sex can be noticed in any religion or culture. Post industrialization era witnessed major women rights movement and women were able to win certain rights, but still the condition of women in majority of Asian nations is alarming. The contemporary condition of Afghan Women is an outstanding example in support of the above-mentioned claim. Afghanistan may be the only country in the world where during the last century kings and politicians have been made and undone by struggles relating to women status. Recently, the situation of women under the Taliban rule has been center stage. The situation of women came to symbolize to Western military powers a justification of war in the name of freedom of women. But the situation of women in Afghanistan today is not only the result of the Taliban’s policies. There is a history over the centuries of women’s subjugation. Even in more recent times the Mujahedeen’s (1992-1996) record is worse than the Taliban’s. Thus, one must approach the analysis of women’s situation in Afghanistan, not through the ideological formulation of before and after the Taliban, but within the larger historical context of Afghanistan. Only such a perspective can ensure that women will be seen as integral to the rebuilding of the Afghan nation.

In this paper, I try to zero in on the conditional history of women in Afghanistan for four basic reasons. Firstly, women in Afghanistan were not always oppressed by fundamentalism as occurred under the Mujahedeen and the Taliban. Secondly, to show that women issues were an integral part of national agendas as early as 1920s.Third, to discuss that there was a time when Afghan women were ahead in every aspect as compared to the women of Indian subcontinent and other major Asian Nations. Fourthly, to highlight the power of tribal/community leaders in defining the role of women and in successfully resisting any modernization that would challenge their patriarchal authority.

This paper chronicles Afghanistan’s political history to highlight the sporadic efforts made to empower women in an attempt to create a sense of nationhood. This is essential to explore because the political and powerful nature of tribal dictates in the Afghan countryside, and the oppositional ruling parties and elite are instrumental in determining the scope of women’s lives. Women in Afghanistan are not an isolated institution; their fate is entwined with and determined by historical, political, social, economic, and religious forces. In addition to a range of internal tensions, outside or international political forces have impacted Afghanistan in significant ways. While the rulers of Kabul and the governments till the regime of martyred President Najibullah were women friendly and believe that strong women community could lead the nation on the path of progress, this paper attempts to explore that Afghanistan as a nation can only become stable when women rights are safeguarded, and they are allowed to play an essential role in the society as well as nation rebuilding.