In the latest erosion of female rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban have reportedly just banned women from boarding a flight without a male chaperone. Airlines in the country have been ordered to stop lone women from flying according to at least two sources who reportedly have knowledge of the decision.
The decision was communicated to airlines by the Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice on Saturday. The ban isn’t expected to come into force until Tuesday but there are reports that some lone women have already been turned away at the airport.
The Taliban hasn’t officially confirmed the ban but a spokesperson said they would grant women rights in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture. During the Taliban’s last time in power, women were barred from leaving the house without a male chaperone.
The Afghan people had been told that those kinds of restrictions wouldn’t return but there are creeping restrictions coming in that inhibit women from going to work, travelling or getting an education.
Few international airlines still fly to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul after the Taliban retook the city last August and chaotic scenes engulfed Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans desperately tried to flee the country.
Qatar and Turkey have reportedly reached a preliminary deal to operate Kabul airport and provide security arrangements. Qatar Airways has recently resumed charter flights to Kabul after suspending services for a couple of months following a disagreement with the Taliban.
Afghan carriers Ariana and Kam Air operate a select few international flights to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. Air India continues to fly to Kabul but Emirates, says it won’t return to Kabul until 2023 after initially suggesting it could resume services by July. FlyDubai does still intend to return to Kabul in 2022.
In surveys (pre the return of the Taliban), 99% of Afghans wanted Shariah law. Afghanistan had a population of 40 million and a supposed army of 300,000; the Taliban had an estimated strength of 60,000. It may be hard for us to understand but they got the government they wanted, if it wasn’t they could have easily fought them. You may say that can’t be true as the Taliban defeated the US Army however they could only do that because of the support of the people. Most of the people trying to escape Afghanistan were economic migrants after welfare. It’s very telling that the Ukrainian men stayed to fight for their country whilst the women took refuge, in Afghanistan it was the men trying to escape for a cushy life in the west.
STOP THIS MADNESS AT ONCE. EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL NOW !