All female television presenters and reporters in Afghanistan obeyed a Taliban order to wear face coverings on Sunday, just one day after flouting the edict.
Broadcasters had hoped their united front on Saturday would convince Taliban authorities to reverse the order but the hard-liners insisted it was final and not up for discussion.
The information and culture ministry said the policy was “final and non-negotiable.”
‘I can’t breathe nor talk properly,’ says anchor
TV anchor with TOLOnews Sonia Niazi expressed her frustration with the edict.
“It is just an outside culture imposed on us forcing us to wear a mask and that can create a problem for us while presenting our programs,” she said.
“We are in a deep grief today,” TOLOnews chief editor Khpolwak Safi wrote on Facebook.
Safi shared an image in which male journalists at the news channel covered their faces with black face masks in solidarity with their female colleagues.
“I can’t breathe nor talk properly. How will I be able to run the program?” said Khatira Ahmadi, a female presenter of TOLOnews.
Addressing the policy during a live production, Basira Joya, a female host at Ariana News, said that Islam has not imposed anything on anyone by force.
“We are fighting and continuing our work, even in a burqa. Nothing can stop us,” she commented while squeezing her throat.
TOLOnews director Lotfullah Najafizada posted an image on Twitter of a presenter with her face covered, saying: “Never imagined this day!”
Change in stance
During the Taliban’s last stint in power, from 1996-2001, they imposed an array of restrictions on women, requiring them to wear the all-encompassing burqa and barring them from public life and education.
After they seized power again in August, the hard-line government’s previous stance appeared to have softened, announcing no dress code for women. But in recent weeks, they have made a u-turn on the policy, confirming the worst fears of rights activists and further complicated the Taliban’s relations with the international community.
Since the Taliban returned to power, the fundamentalist group governing Afghanistan has also imposed severe restrictions on media outlets, clamping down on human rights.
Journalists have been beaten and detained over their work. Girls and women have been deprived of many of their rights, including education, work and movement.
Television channels have already stopped showing dramas and soap operas featuring women, on the order of Taliban authorities.
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Afghanistan in free fall
Too little food
According to an analysis by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), nearly half of Afghanistan’s population is experiencing acute hunger and is dependent on food supplies, as here in Kabul, where people are receiving Chinese food aid. “Hunger continues at unprecedented levels throughout the country,” a UN spokeswoman said, putting the number of those going hungry at 19.7 million.
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Afghanistan in free fall
Drought and economic crisis
Throughout the country, people are suffering from an ongoing drought and severe economic crisis. UN expert Anthea Webb said the World Food Programme, the largest scheme of its kind in the world, has already helped 22 million people this year alone. However, she said, the UN needs $1.4 billion (€1.3 billion) to continue its programs in Afghanistan.
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Afghanistan in free fall
Control and stricter rules
The Taliban initially said they would rule with more restraint than during their first period in power from 1996 to 2001, but the rights of women and girls in particular have been increasingly curbed: They are denied access to secondary education, are no longer allowed to travel alone and must completely veil themselves in public. Checkpoints like this one in Kabul serve to help maintain control.
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Afghanistan in free fall
Protest against new regulations
In the more liberal areas of Afghanistan, like here in Kabul, protests are rising against the new regulations. “We want to be known as living creatures; we want to be known as human beings, not slaves imprisoned in the corner of the house,” said one participant. Protesters also chanted, “The burqa is not my hijab (headscarf),” criticizing the new rule on full-face veils.
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Afghanistan in free fall
15 dollars for a burqa
A burqa dealer in Kabul says that in the days following the announcement of the new clothing regulation, prices for burqas increased by 30%. In the meantime, however, price levels have returned to normal, he says, as dealers have found that there is no increased demand for burqas at all. “A burqa is good according to the Taliban, but it is the women’s last choice.”
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Afghanistan in free fall
Joint restaurant visits prohibited
In Herat in western Afghanistan, which is generally considered liberal by Afghan standards, men and women are no longer allowed to eat together. Safiullah, the manager of a restaurant, confirmed that he had to follow the directive even though “it has a very negative impact on our business,” and adding that if the ban continues, he will be forced to fire staff.
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Afghanistan in free fall
Reaction of the international community
The new rules introduced by the Taliban, some of whom are seen here at an event marking the anniversary of the death of late leader and founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, are calling the international community into action. G7 foreign ministers said, “We condemn the introduction of increasingly restrictive measures” and that urgent steps must be taken “to lift restrictions on women and girls.”
Author: Philipp Böll
jsi/aw (AP, AFP, dpa)
