Is it a civilized world we are living in? This question often haunts us when news of horrifying incidents of genocide, merciless killing of children, burning people alive, bestial savagery, inhuman torture, cruelty and such other unpardonable crimes are reported from all over the world India included. Of late, another such instance of medieval barbarism has come to light. Afghanistan was struck by a series of destructive earthquakes in late August and early September 2025 taking a toll of over 2,200 lives and injuring thousands more, as per latest official report. But scores of women remain trapped under the debris as male rescuers prioritize men and children owing to the “no skin-contact” rule of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In the absence of female rescuers, many women survivors stuck under the wreckage are not being pulled out, while the bodies of the dead are dragged out by their clothes because of prohibitions on men touching women. “No one offered the women help, asked what they needed or even approached them,” said Aysha, a 19-year-old from Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, describing how she and others were treated in the aftermath of deadly earthquake. “Some of them bleeding, were pushed aside,” she added. These searing testimonies from survivors highlight how Taliban-imposed rules – banning men from making physical contact with unrelated women – turned a natural disaster into a deeper tragedy for women. The Taliban government has not released a gender breakdown of casualties, concealing the scale of women’s suffering.
Women and girls in Afghanistan face some of the world’s most severe restrictions under the Taliban, who took power four years ago and have remained unflinching, even as most of the Muslim world, countless human rights organizations and bodies like the World Bank have warned against the long-lasting effects of such policies on the country’s social fabric and economy. What is Taliban? It is a diehard Islamic fundamentalist group which was formed with the blessings, patronage and support of the US imperialists as well as of the Pakistani rulers when following terrible power struggle among the warlords for almost 3 years the country was disintegrated into isolated fiefdoms dominated by local despotic warlords. And in Talibani rule, women have virtually been enslaved and confined within the four walls of the house stripped of all rights. And now they are left from being rescued from the rubbles after a natural calamity.
The Taliban says it respects women’s rights in line with its interpretation of Islamic law. But unfortunately, it is far from truth. In the age of jahiliyyah, the period of “ignorance” in pre-Islamic Arabia, characterized by a lack of monotheistic guidance and a morally corrupt society marked by practices like polytheism, gambling, and warfare, women were regarded as having low social standards. Women were inherited as property following the husband’s death. Even the son had the right to inherit the wife of his father, who is not his mother. It was Hazrat Muhammad who taught the world the true value of women. In his words: “When someone is informed of the birth of a daughter, his face turns black (due to sadness and embarrassment), and he becomes enraged….Accept my command and be kind to women. Indeed, they are made from ribs, and the uppermost rib bone is the most curved. If you attempt to straighten it, it will break, whereas if you do nothing, it will remain crooked. Accept my directive and be kind to women.” He also encouraged women to reach their full potential and advised the menfolk to empower them and set a model showing an exemplary attitude toward them.
So, are the Talibanis following Islam or are maligning the edicts of Hazrat Muhammad? That is typical of all fundamentalists—whether Hindu or Muslim. They merrily distort the preachings of religion and use religion as a tool for buttressing their narrow sectarian political interest of being saddled in the seat of power. In this regard, there is no difference between the RSS-BJP-Sangh Parivar and the Taliban-IS-Mujahedeen. The RSS chief also advises women to restrict themselves to doing household chores. What is the RSS model for an ideal Indian marriage?
Krishna Sharma, leader of the VHP Women’s Wing, elaborated in an interview, “It is the man who must earn and support his family (while the women manages the household), his education is more important. This division of labour is natural.” The Manusmriti, held in high esteem by the Hindutva groups, is abhorrent and discriminatory towards women.
We denounce the most atrocious misogynic viewpoint of the Talibani authorities and hope that the right-thinking people of Afghanistan as well as the persecuted women would rise in vehement protest against such barbaric attitude of present Afghan rulers.
