Taliban Women Motives for Female Essay

In some ways, the men who practice violence against women and attempt to control them to the degrees that the Taliban has decreed are simply carrying out the violence and the repression that was practiced against them; though it serves no constructive purpose and is indeed highly detrimental both to women and to the country as a whole, the Taliban's action against the women is at least partially a result of the cultural psychological repression that Afghanistan has suffered for thirty years. That, and the fact that a common enemy in women makes the Taliban that much stronger in its operations and control of the government and society as a whole, can be seen as the primary psychological motives for the Taliban's treatment of women.

Women in Islam

According to the Taliban themselves, however, their actions and attitudes towards women simply carry out strict Islamic law, and are necessary for establishing a society with order and moral control. They maintain that Islamic teachings grant them not only a traditional reason and right for the repression of women, but even a religious imperative to carry out their gender policies from family situations to larger civil and social concerns. An examination of the holy texts of Islam -- especially the Quran -- and commentary on the texts from Islamic scholars does not really support the Taliban's claim in this area, however; the issue is not exactly clear-cut, but the Islamic religion does not denigrate but rather uplifts women, viewing them as unquestionably different from men but still deserving of respect.

One particular passage in the Quran is often cited as evidence of the essential equality of men and women, both in society and in the eyes of Allah, or God: "If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them" (Quran 4:124).The ways of righteous living for men and women are different in the Quran, as well as in later interpretations of the text, but this passage points to the ways in which anyone leading a righteous life will be treated by God, and should be treated on earth. The automatic lack of respect for women by the Taliban is completely antithetical to this sentiment and imperative, and cannot be reconciled with the concept of respecting righteous women no matter what the Taliban's definition of righteous behavior is. If women are violently and physically forced to comply with harsh and draconian interpretations of Islamic law, there is no respect shown for their capabilities to be righteous -- it is no longer a matter of choice, but of coercion and fear.

The Quran, like almost every holy text belonging to any religion, holds life as sacred. The way that the Taliban treats women in Afghanistan does not live up to this standard, either; not only do many women die at the hands of their abusers, or at their own hand as a means of escaping their fate, but even those that survive have a very difficult time seeing life as something in which to take joy, and to regard as a precious gift (Sengupta, web). Instead of being a journey of opportunities to serve Allah and Islam, as the Quran essentially prescribes, life is a chore of escape and endurance at the hands of those who do not practice what they preach.

References

Sengupta, Kim. "Abuse of Afghan women: 'It was my decision to die. I was getting beaten every day'." The Independent, 24 November 2006. Accessed 20 February 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/abuse-of-afghan-women-it-was-my-decision-to-die-i-was-getting-beaten-every-day-425580.html.

Skaine, Rosemarie. The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2000......