Sept 02 Veiled Threat

Veiled Threat Feature

One of the most shocking revelations during the war on terrorism has been the status of women in Afghanistan. How did women become victims of the Taliban regime? Is there hope for women and young girls in Afghanistan? Learn more in our special feature on Sally Armstrong's compelling new book Veiled Threat and find out how you can help...
About the Book In 1997 Sally Armstrong, then editor-in-chief of Homemaker's magazine, wrote an article about the women of Afghanistan and their lives under the misogynist Taliban regime. More than 9000 letters poured in from readers demanding that something be done to get these women out of bondage. Since then, Armstrong has stayed in touch with the women she met while researching the article, as well as the ones she met on subsequent visits to that troubled, complex country. Recently named as UNICEF's Special Representative to Afghanistan, Armstrong has an insider's view of the terror, abuse and misogyny the women and children in Afghanistan have faced for more than two decades of civil war and, in particular, since the Taliban took over.
Author Q&A Journalist Sally Armstrong has risked her life numerous times in order to get the inside story of Afghan's women. Penguin Online talked with Sally about the Taliban's attitudes towards women, her thoughts on the future of women in Afghanistan and what we can do to help... Q: Why do the Taliban hate women so much? A: I don't think they would agree that they "hate" women as they've never explored their behavior toward women and wouldn't understand the concept of misogyny. When the movement began in the early 90s, they were all young men, in their twenties, who had never been to school and never known anything but war. The teachers in the madrassa schools they attended claimed they were teaching Islam. But in fact they were teaching messages of hate. The Taliban claim they are serving Allah with their edicts — but the edicts have nothing whatsoever to do with the Koran. The Taliban just made it up as they went along and were in the business of political opportunism, not holy observance. They truly seem to be unaware of women as human beings. Q: If international aid and support had been forthcoming after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, do you think it might have curbed the spread of extremism in Afghanistan? A: It might have. The international community moved like minnows — suddenly and all at once when they exited the region. The impression to the people there was that with the cold war over, they were no longer of any use. Afghans were well aware that extremists factions would move in but the international community didn't seem to care. The people were basically held hostage by the extremists until September 11, when the international community finally realized what happens when you turn your back on a country that is denying education, providing terrorist training grounds and making its living from opium sales. Q: You quote civil engineer Farahnaz Mehdiz: "I have no hope for my future and what's worse, I have no hope for the future of my two children." Do you think she now has reason to hope? A: Most women I spoke to post Taliban are very, very hopeful. But they are also very worried. If the international community does not provide the funds it promised (and so far they haven't), if massive aid is not injected into Afghanistan, if the infrastructure isn't rebuilt — everyone knows they'll be back to where they started with a new collection of bandits running the country. Q: The ethnic tensions within Afghanistan — between Hazara, Pashtoon, Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek — aren't they always going to stand in the way of peace? A: Not necessarily. There are ways — particularly by involving women — to decrease the tensions among the tribes. Food, health care and education have a way of calming disputes. Have these groups ever got along? They have managed alliances over the years effectively. The issue is security, getting the guns, convincing factions to work together for peace. On top of that there are tribal chiefs all over the country who want to hang on to their turf and power. It's a tightrope the interim government is walking. But it's do-able. Q: There has been news of women beginning to work again, and some schools opening. Do you think conditions have improved for women? Do you think they're likely to get better without some radical change in Afghan society? A: The schools are open. Health clinics are in the early stages of being reopened. There needs to be radical change for the status of women to improve. But remember, before the Taliban, women made up 50 percent of the civil service, 40 percent of the doctors, 70 percent of the teachers and half the students at Kabul University. There is hope. But there needs to be action. Q: What can we do to help? A: We can pressure our government to fund the Ministry of Women's Affairs. Our government promised $250,000 to Minister Sima Samar. She still doesn't have it. And we can stay vigilant. It's the women's movement that raised awareness levels about the human rights catastrophe in Afghanistan and it's women's groups around the world that raised funds to keep the clandestine schools and hospitals open while the rest of the world, including the UN, turned its back on the women and girls. Women need to stay on the case to make sure these women move ahead with their lives and aren't shuffled aside in power-broking deals.
How To Help Donations to support health care and edcuation for Afghan women and girls can be made to Dr. Sima Samar's Shuhada Clinic at: Rights and Democracy 1001 de Maisonneuve Blvd. E., Suite 1100 Montreal, Quebec H2L 4P9 Cheques are payable to Rights and Democracy. Please write on the cheque's memo line "Women for Women Afghanistan — Samar."
Learn More Check out these online resources for more information about women in Afghanistan and women's rights: Women's Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan (WAPHA) PO Box 77057 Washington, DC 20013-7057 Tel: (202) 882-1432 Fax: (202) 882-8125 E-mail: zieba@aol.com Website: www.wapha.org WAPHA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose goal is to promote awareness of the brutal human rights violations in Afghanistan and to advocate for social, political, economic and civil rights for Afghan women and girls. WAPHA also promotes peace and peace process activities both outside and inside Afghanistan. Women for Women Afghanistan Bankview PO Box 32014 Calgary, AB Canada T2T 5X6 Tel: (403) 244-5625 Website: www.w4wafghan.ca ListServ: www.egroups.com/group/w4wafghan W4WAfghanistan raises awareness and funds for the women and girls of Afghanistan. Global Sisterhood Network Co-ordinator, Dr Lynette Dumble Email: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~globalsn/ Yahoo discussion group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GSN/join Founded in 1996, the Global Sisterhood Network (GSN) monitors electronic and print media for developments in agriculture, economics, employment, environment, health, law, militarism, politics, technology, trade and science which have a direct impact on the realities of women's lives. GSN provides regularly updated information including critical comment and displays of newspaper and journal articles that reinforce patriarchy/misogyny but which have attracted sparse attention and/or comment as the world moves closer and closer to undemocracy. Sisterhood Is Global Institute 4095 Chemin de la Côte-des-Neiges, Suite 12 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3H 1W9 Tel: (514) 846-9366 Fax: (514) 846-9066 Email: www.sigi.org Sisterhood Is Global Institute is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the support and promotion of women's rights at the local, national, regional, and global levels. With members in 70 countries, and a network of more than 1300 individuals and organizations worldwide, SIGI works toward empowering women and developing leadership through human rights. Other Sites Of Interest www.Feminist.org www.HelpAfghanWomen.com www.MsMagazine.com Initiative on Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity (INCORE) Canadian Coalition in Support of Women in Afganistan www.w4wAfghan.ca www.yorku.ca/iwrp

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