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Afghan women still stoned to death “but with smaller stones”

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Summary of story from International Business Times, June 22, 2011

Ten years after war against the Taliban began, the brutal treatment of Afghan women has been relegated to the background, according to Anissa Haddadi.

The extreme oppression of women under the Taliban regime was regularly used as justification for the 2001 invasion.

At the time, the then US Secretary of State Colin Powell said “the rights of the women of Afghanistan will not be negotiable”.

Yet these rights seem to have been sidelined, and not just by politicians seeking an exit from the war.

Haddadi claims feminist groups who raised their voices against the Taliban are less vocal on western complicity with the current government which is not much better.

Under the Afghan government led by Hamid Karzai, barbaric laws remain in place.

Women’s marches are prohibited, women cannot seek work or education and have to agree to have sex with their husband at least every four days or be denied food.

Women are also still being executed. A leading Afghan judge is quoted as saying “those convicted of adultery will still be stoned to death… but with smaller stones.”

Rhetoric about fighting for women’s rights persuaded many people to back the Afghan war, but as Haddadi puts it:

“it is sad that while these women were being used as a prompt to balance the public opinion in favour of an intervention in Afghanistan, those who spoke on their behalf did nothing else but indulge in self-gratifications.”

  1. Christine Cutler says:

    As Alway my heart breaks when I read that these acts are allowed to still take place against our sisters who are forced to have their rights violated.We can never be quiet when these human rights and woman’s right issues are taking place.I wish to share a website and encourage all women faced with these issues to visit globalsisters.org where woman are trying to improve lfe for themselves and women
    arould the world.Please know I care and many other women in the world do to.

    Peace and Light
    Christine C

  2. I remember reading about how women lived in Afghanistan about fifteen years ago, maybe more, in Cosmo of all places (back when I read magazines). It seemed Western governments weren’t concerned then and I was sure they weren’t concerned when we invaded. Looks like they still aren’t concerned. I wish I were surprised by this.

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