Every time I post about Afghanistan, I remember how the 'radical' left treat Muslim issues like playthings, to be picked up when it suits them and dropped as soon as they can't make any political capital out of them.

(🤚Hi, Owen)

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵2

Every time I post about Afghanistan, I remember how nearly every time I post about Afghanistan, I will get a reply from an American saying the Republicans are just like the Taliban.

I always respond politely, saying this is about the actual Taliban in Afghanistan, and ask them what do they think about them.

I'm yet to receive a reply.

Not a single one.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵3

Every time I post about Afghanistan, my heart breaks as I realize I have no real news to post about. It's just an update about how the lives and rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are constantly decreasing, while at the same time international aid is constantly decreasing.

All this time, and it's just tumbleweeds rolling across the world stage.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵4

Every time I post about Afghanistan, it usually contains some uncomfortable truths, about all of us. Just because we don't want to hear it, doesn't make it any less true.

At this point, I really don't know what, if anything, we can do for women and girls in Afghanistan.

I only know it starts by remembering they still exist.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵5

Anyway, this is a rolling thread of news from and about Afghanistan and Afghan refugees.

First, some good news from the U.K. which may have got overlooked(we've been busy!).

U.K. government to expand Afghan resettlement scheme to include separated family members.

The new U.K. immigration minister Seema Malhotra said simply:

"The Afghans did right by us. It's time for us to do right by them"

She has no plans to remove any cartoon murals.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵6

ein.org.uk/news/afghan-familie…

"As aid budgets shrink, humanitarian workers and resources are stretched even further, and the punishment is felt most by women already suffering from persecution. The international community must instead empower us to help the millions of Afghan women still living in the country, keeping politics and humanitarian aid distinct and apart. Here at home, we are fighting to be heard."

Anonymous female Afghan aid worker.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵7

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

I live under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. That’s why I am urging the world to engage with them

People who have fled Afghanistan encourage the world to sever ties with the Taliban. That only harms those of us still here, says an anonymous female aid worker

^{Anonymous (The Guardian)}

"Not long after learning I was going to the Olympics, I kept thinking about the girls in Afghanistan. For me, I have always had to balance pursuing my dreams with the humanitarian situation in my country.
At the Olympics, I realised that I had to use that moment to raise awareness. The girls in Afghanistan are more important than my dreams. Honestly, they are more important than my life."

Manizha Talash,
Afghan Olympic Breakdancer.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵8

dazeddigital.com/fashion/artic…

‘Free Afghan Women’: B-girl Talash on taking her fight to the Olympic stage

Breakdancer Manizha Talash was disqualified for wearing wings emblazoned with a plea for ‘basic human rights’ – here, she tells Dazed about bringing the sport’s rule-breaking spirit to this year’s Games

^{Dazed Digital}

"I took my burqa and had it cut and sewn into wings in order to show that transformation and change can be possible, even in the most oppressive situations."

Manizha Talash,
Afghan,
Olympic Refugee Team Breakdancer,
(disqualified)

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵9

FREE AFGHAN WOMEN

Here's a detailed photo of Olympic Breakdancer Manizha Talash's cape that got her disqualified at the Olympics.

Here you can see what wasn't clear on the press photos. She has used a traditional Afghan burka, complete with mesh bar visor slit.

She's taken the symbol of women's oppression in Afghanistan, and turned it into wings.

And the slogan that says it all.

FREE AFGHAN WOMEN.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵10

"At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

We urge the international community to remain mobilized to obtain the unconditional reopening of schools and universities to Afghan girls and women."

Audrey Azoulay,
UNESCO Director-General.

#LetAfghanGirlsLearn
#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵11

rferl.org/a/afghanistan-girls-…

At Least 1.4 Million Afghan Girls Banned From Attending School Since Taliban Takeover, UNESCO Says

At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency, said on August 15.

^{RFE/RL's Radio Azadi (RFE/RL)}

1.4 Million girls in Afghanistan don't receive a secondary education. If that sounds like a big number and is hard to visualize, let's put it another way.

ZERO AFGHAN GIRLS ARE IN SCHOOL AFTER THE AGE OF 11.

That's the Taliban way. They stay at home and do the housework, until they are married and then they stay at home and do the housework.

What can they do?

Open Secret Underground Schools.

Ssssh!

#LetAfghanGirlsLearn
#FreeAfghanWomen

#12

bigissue.com/news/activism/afg…

How Afghan women and girls are defying the Taliban with secret schools: ‘We are not alone’

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 they have cracked down on women's rights. Now secret groups are striking back.

^{Hoda Javdani (Big Issue)}

What's that?

Secret underground schools for girls where teachers and students risk beatings and lashings and imprisonment if they're caught, just so they can receive the basics of an education?

Is this from The Handmaids Tale?

No. This is the actual reality of life in Afghanistan in 2024.

Some of the schools are paid for by the charity Ideas Beyond Borders. Info and donation opportunity in the link below.

#LetAfghanGirlsLearn
#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵13

ideasbeyondborders.org/program….

Underground Schools In Afghanistan

Defying the Taliban restrictions on women and girl’s education Help us fund underground schools in Afghanistan to ensure girls get the education they need. The Taliban’s seizure of powe…

^{Ideas Beyond Borders}

People say that the U.S. and U.K. intervention in Afghanistan was a colonialist attempt to impose western democracy, and the Taliban returned the country to it's natural state, tribal, warlike and backwards.

This misrepresents the wide range of views in Afghan society, ignores the history of struggle between modernizing and traditional Afghan politics, and Afghan women's decades long struggle for equal rights and representation.

Why would you say that?

I wonder.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵14

You might be surprised to know that women in Afghanistan first won the right to vote in 1919, a year after the U.K. and a year before the U.S.

Believe me when I say the women's rights movement in Afghanistan is not a new thing. They have been standing up for their rights in Afghanistan for decades, centuries even. It's a struggle that already existed, well before the Taliban or the U.S. and the U.K. got involved.

The struggle continues

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵15

ppr.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.3138…

The Rise and Fall of Women Rights in Afghanistan | LSE Public Policy Review

The LSE Public Policy Review is an open-access, refereed journal which is published quarterly. Each issue is thematic and concentrates on a key topic at the heart of current debates in public policy.

^{LSE Public Policy Review}

The history and politics of Afghanistan is complicated and often misunderstood. It's hard to agree upon.

This thread is concentrating on the current dire and overlooked state of women's basic human rights. And I'm sure we can all agree on that.

(you can ignore this post unless you get it sent as a reply from me. It doesn't mean I agree or disagree. It means we're wandering off topic. That's All.)

🧵16

#FreeAfghanWomen

This thread is focused on Afghan women and girl's rights, but I haven't forgotten about LGBT rights in Afghanistan (Spoiler: There are none)

I won't be mentioning it too much here, partly because it's not my area of expertise, but mostly because this thread is heavy going enough. LGBT rights in Afghanistan is a whole other level of harrowing. Someone please post about it.

Read this article and you'll see what I mean.

🧵17

#FreeAfghanWomen
#TransRightsAreHumanRights

8am.media/eng/under-the-taliba…

Under The Taliban Rule: Transgender Individuals Treated as Sexual Slaves - Hasht-e Subh

In the last two years, human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Taliban of engaging in gender-based apartheid against girls and women in Afghanistan.

^{Moqim mehran (Hasht-e Subh)}

If you managed to read the whole of the article on the last post of this thread, you did well. I warned you, reading about LGBT rights is a whole other level of harrowing.

Let's move on to what is considered, almost, as light relief in Afghanistan. This week the Taliban are celebrating the 105th anniversary of Afghan Independence.

Are they having a laugh? Are they sure they really want us to remember events in 1919?

OK. We will. Next post.

🧵18

#FreeAfghanWomen

rferl.org/a/afghanistan-yaqoob…

Taliban-Led Government Celebrates 105th Anniversary Of Afghan Independence

Top officials of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan marked 105 years of of the country's independence on August 18 by demanding mutual respect from the international community.

^{RFE/RL's Radio Azadi (RFE/RL)}

The Taliban should celebrate Afghanistan Independence Day. The end of British colonial rule in 1919 is important.

It led to-

*End of mandatory hijab
*Full female participation in society
*Votes for women
*Female MPs
*Full education for girls.
*University education for women.
*Equal employment for women.

None of these rights for women are now available under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2024.

You don't mention this bit though, do you lads?

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵19

amnesty.org.uk/womens-rights-a…

Women in Afghanistan: The Back Story

Highlighting the history of women's rights in Afghanistan, the impact of the Taliban's takeover in the country & what the current situation looks like, including links to our recent in-depth reports.

^{www.amnesty.org.uk}

In terms of women's rights, The Taliban are the polar opposite to the modernising political forces that led Afghanistan to independence in 1919.

We know the Taliban leaders have wives, but do we see them ? Do we know their names?

Now let's look at Queen Soraya of Afghanistan 1919-1929. She was a pioneer. She brought about change. She wrote the book* on gender equality in Afghanistan.

(*technically a monthly magazine, but you get the idea.)

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵20

arabnews.com/node/1732666/amp

So, let's join the Taliban in their celebrations of Afghan Independence Day!

Here's to 105 years of women in public life in Afghanistan!

#FreeAfghanWomen
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1919 2024

I know. I thought that last post could have gone better too.

Who was the 'first lady' of Afghanistan in 1919?

That's easy, that was Queen Soraya. She was everywhere. She was belatedly on the cover of Time magazine woman of the year 1927.

Who is the 'first lady' of Afghanistan in 2024?

Hmm, well it's thought Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has two wives but nobody's really sure. They haven't made any public announcements and as for names and photos, forget it.

#FreeAfghanWomen

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"Even the sun came out today to greet the 20 female medical students that arrived in Scotland from Afghanistan, thanks to the efforts of Linda Norgrove Foundation and Scottish universities.

Through their forthcoming achievements, the girls will prove the Taliban ban on education very wrong."

Sabir Zazai,
Scottish Refugee Council.

#FreeAfghanWomen
#LetAfghanWomenLearn
#RefugeesWelcome

🧵24

thetimes.com/article/ae88e9c1-…

Here's a photograph that will brighten your day.

This is Scottish Refugee Council head Sabir Zazai, who came to the country as a refugee from Afghanistan in 1999.

He's standing in sunny Edinburgh, with some of the 20 refugee women from Afghanistan who have just arrived on visas to study medicine at Scottish universities.

If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

#FreeAfghanWomen
#RefugeesWelcome
#Scotland

🧵25

The Afghan refugee women who arrived in Scotland today to study medicine were helped and funded by the Linda Norgrove Foundation.

Info and donation opportunity below.

#FreeAfghanWomen

#26

lindanorgrovefoundation.org/wh…

Where your money goes - The Linda Norgrove Foundation

How the Linda Norgrove Foundation spends your money in Afghanistan.

^{The Linda Norgrove Foundation}

Here is an account from last year by one of the Afghan medical students who arrived in Scotland today.

She and her classmates were in the sixth and final year of their medicine degrees when the Taliban returned. The university attempted to hold their last 3 exams in one day before they were closed down.

On that day, the Taliban were waiting for them at the university. They were stopped, surrounded, and taken away at gunpoint.

And still they don't give up.

🧵27

glasgowguardian.co.uk/2023/04/…

The female Afghan medical students hoping to study in Scotland - The Glasgow Guardian

The unedited account of life under the Taliban from a female Afghan medical student hoping to study at the University of Glasgow.

^{Glasgow Guardian Editors (Glasgow Guardian)}

"The Taliban have already murdered lawyers, activists, students, police and other women, as well as subjecting them to torture and abuse. Concerns that they will resume public stonings persist. But there are many other ways to take women’s lives.

Snatch away all hope and some will conclude that there is no way to go on."

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵28

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

The Guardian view on Afghanistan’s gender apartheid: don’t embolden the Taliban

Editorial: Women have been stripped of their freedom, dignity and livelihoods. The international community must heed their demands

^{Editorial (The Guardian)}

"In Afghanistan, with each generation, there will be fewer women with educational backgrounds enabling them to take up roles outside the home.
Afghanistan is losing more than its future health-care workers, with the concomitant risks to women and girls.
The Taliban’s institutionalized gender oppression is depriving Afghanistan of its future women engineers, journalists, lawyers, biologists, politicians and poets.”

Richard Bennett,
UN Special Rapporteur

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵29

"U.N. Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has been banned from coming to Afghanistan. He was assigned to spread propaganda against Afghanistan. He is not someone we believe in."

Taliban spokesman.

#FreeAfghanWomen

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afintl.com/en/202408219084

UN Human Rights Rapporteur Banned From Entering Afghanistan, Announces Taliban

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, criticised Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, for his reports on severe human rights violations in the country.

^{Afghanistan International}

We are coming on to more serious stuff about men in Afghanistan, but compared to the restrictions on women and girls, the restrictions on men seem almost comical.

Did you know the Taliban have made it illegal for men to shave in Afghanistan? They're all forced to wear beards, and not the cool hipster kind either. No, it's got to be the full Mujahadeen.

If you're not hairy enough to grow a big enough beard, you're an Islamic failure and lose your job. Yes, really.

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msn.com/en-gb/news/world/talib…

It's hard not to laugh at the ludicrousness of the Taliban ordering men to have 'Islamic' beards. It's such a childish notion that it makes them look like cartoon villains.

Remember that men have been fined, beaten and arrested for having their beards trimmed too short. Men have been dismissed from their jobs simply because they can't grow a full enough beard, and barbers are no longer able to feed their children.

All over beards! Stupid's not the word.

🧵32

rferl.org/a/taliban-beatings-b…

Taliban's 'New' Governing Style Includes Beatings For Beard Shaving

Afghan men are transitioning to a new era of Taliban rule in which facial hair is back in fashion -- or else.

^{RFE/RL's Radio Azadi (RFE/RL)}

This thread is about Afghan women and girls rights, but where are the men in all this?

I know at least some of you are thinking all the men in Afghanistan are loving Taliban rule, cheering on the patriarchy as they delight in watching women go right back to medieval times.

You're wrong. Not completely wrong, but wrong. I'll keep saying it. If you want simple answers about Afghanistan, you won't find them here.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵33

I'll put this diplomatically. Afghan men are like all men. Fucking awful.

The worst are no worse than the worst ones you find in every country in the world. Take a good look around you.

There are also good men in Afghanistan. Take one of Afghan photographer Shah Marai's last posts on Twitter. In 2018, between the reports of the ever increasing suicide bombs in Kabul that would soon claim his life, he wrote simply:

Happy International Women's Day to all Strong Women.

#FreeAfghanWomen

🧵34

It may well come as a surprise to some of you to see an Afghan man celebrating strong women on International Women's Day in 2018.

It will be much less of a surprise to those of you who have seen my long thread on Afghan photographer Shah Marai, Democracy and Women's Rights in Afghanistan.

(Shameless self promotion in link below 👇)

#FreeAfghanWomen
#ShahMarai
#Afghanistan

🧵34

mastodonapp.uk/@ProjectFearles…

ProjectFearlessness

2023-07-23 07:38:12

This is a thread about photographer Shah Marai, democracy and women's rights in Afghanistan.

As the Taliban are trying to make everybody forget democracy and women's rights ever existed in Afghanistan, I will take every opportunity to remind everybody that democracy and women's rights in Afghanistan have a long history, and also share Shah Marai's photos. So it will be a long thread.

If you're short on time, after the next post you can hit the eject button before the slideshow begins, ok?

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