The Logic of the Islamic Government; From the Prohibition of Work for Women to the Permissibility of Begging on Streets Under the Taliban

Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP

Women without guardians and breadwinners in the western region of the country, complaining about the prohibition of work for women by the Taliban, say that according to this command from the Taliban's leader, not only have they lost their jobs, but they have also been forced to sell their dignity and honor cheaply.

Some women in the western provinces of the country say that on one hand they are facing severe economic problems, and on the other, according to the Taliban leader's command, they are not allowed to work outside the home, which has driven them to beg on the streets and roads.

Sufia, a widow who has wrapped herself in a blue burqa, says that the compulsion of fate, along with the Taliban’s prohibition on women’s work, has forced her to extend her begging hand to people on the streets of Herat from dawn till dusk. "My children's stomachs are hungry; I have to beg; my husband had cancer and passed away; I used to work at an institute, but the Taliban said that women, without a mahram, are not allowed to leave the house for work; I became unemployed and sold everything I had—nothing remains for me except begging."

Nadia Shahir, another woman without a guardian residing in Farah province, has complained about the prohibition of work for women and says: "I am a widow; my father was elderly and passed away, and my brothers also barely make a living—so how am I supposed to get a mahram for myself? How can I cover the expenses of my six young children? During the republic era, I worked in this very Safa command, but the Taliban kicked me out."

Bibi Hoor, another one of these women who begs in the Pul - Pashtun area of Herat province, says that she previously worked as a cook at an institution; however, with the issuance of the Taliban's decree prohibiting women's work, she lost her job.

By raising this question, she calls the Taliban's laws un-Islamic and inhumane: "The Taliban have prohibited work for us, so why do they allow begging and consider it permissible? Do I beg inside my own house? If I go out begging, there's no problem, but when I go out for honorable work, it is forbidden for me."

On the other hand, women's rights activists are calling on international organizations and the Taliban government to remove the restrictions imposed on women's work and activities.

Fazelah Nadim, one of the women's rights activists, says: "It is necessary for the world to focus on the issue of Afghan women, and the Taliban must review their imposed laws, especially regarding human rights and women's rights, because today life has really turned into a cage and prison for women and girls."

It should be noted that after seizing power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned work, education, for women and girls.