After offering midafternoon prayers at a Kabul mosque in late March, Matiullah Wesa was surrounded by armed men. They claimed they were members of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), the Taliban’s intelligence group, and forced Mr. Wesa into a vehicle, even as his brother Attaullah attempted to question them.
We still don’t know why he was taken. But what we do know is that the two brothers co-founded Penpath in 2015, an Afghan organization that has been mobilizing local communities to restart schools in areas hit by four decades of conflict. More than a month later, and despite countless international campaigns calling for his release, the condition and whereabouts of Matiullah Wesa remain unknown. His brother has gone into hiding to escape the same fate.
Today, Afghanistan – under the rule of the Taliban, which returned to power in August, 2021 – is the only country in the world where girls over 12 years of age cannot pursue education. The ban on schools and universities is part of a broader Taliban campaign suppressing women’s rights and freedoms, which has included restrictions on women’s employment, political participation, travel, and even entry into parks and public baths.
In response, women in Afghanistan have risen up in protest, chanting the slogan “nan, kar, azadi” (”bread, work, freedom”), similar to the slogan being used by women in neighbouring Iran who are fighting their own battle against political patriarchy. However, unlike in Iran, few Afghan men can be seen accompanying the women in their demonstrations, which often end in violence, abuse, or detention for the women involved.
This isn’t to say that Afghan men do not support the women’s rights movement. On the contrary, many, such as the Wesa brothers, have dedicated their lives, at great personal cost, to campaigning for women in spaces where they are no longer allowed, and some have joined women in their rallies against the government. What prevents more Afghan men from joining in, however, is the Taliban’s criminalization of support for women. Male allies have been threatened, jailed, and even tortured for the mere act of expressing support for their female compatriots.
Read full piece on Globe And Mail
0
0