Another Step Towards ‘Gender Apartheid’: Taliban Imposes Shocking Ban on Windows
Taliban mandates window coverings to restrict women’s visibility, intensifying gender segregation
The Taliban high leadership has promulgated yet another decree – banning the development of windows inside the residential halls in those particular residential buildings having an overlooking point at areas very often visited by Afghan women – and has met international criticism for the same. Windows should be covered, and obstructed views should be included in rooms used by women in the past, such as kitchens, courtyards, or wells. The municipal authority must enforce this by checking up on construction sites and ensuring this directive is met. If such houses have existing windows, their owners should erect walls or mask the view with something else.
Justifications Behind the Ban
According to Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban believes that the visibility of women in these areas can lead to “obscene acts.” The government believes that even ordinary activities, such as women working in kitchens, drawing water from wells, or performing household chores in courtyards, could provoke indecent behavior. This decree, posted on X (formerly Twitter), underscores the Taliban’s rigid interpretation of morality and its focus on segregating genders to an extreme degree. While the government frames this decision as a measure to prevent “nuisances caused to Neighbours,” critics argue that it is another step in the systematic erasure of women from public and private life in Afghanistan.
Broader Context of the Taliban’s Policies on Women’s Rights
When the Taliban again took power in August 2021, the retrogression of Afghan women’s rights was unprecedented. Initially promising a more moderate approach than during their first stint in power in the 1990s, the policies of the Taliban show a determination to exclude women from all sectors of public life. The United Nations has described these as “gender apartheid”.
Education and Employment
The Taliban have imposed some of the most serious restrictions, and one of them is that post-primary education is not allowed for girls and women. This has, in effect, shut out millions of young girls from continuing their education, depriving them of opportunities for intellectual and professional growth. Similarly, women have been removed from nearly all forms of employment, with exceptions only in specific sectors like healthcare where female professionals treat women. The exclusion of women from the workforce has had devastating economic consequences, exacerbated poverty and limited the country’s developmental potential.
Public Spaces and Cultural Expression
In addition to restricting education and employment, the Taliban has blocked women’s access to parks, gyms, and other public spaces. A new law has even banned women from singing or reciting poetry in public and has made it clear that women must “veil” their bodies and voices. Human rights organizations and advocates have been outraged by this form of cultural silencing as an attack on freedom of expression.
International Reactions and Criticism
The international world universally condemned the Taliban’s decision to prohibit windows that could view the women’s quarters. Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also denounced the Taliban for their enforced policy of excluding women from both public and private spheres.
UN Women has criticized the Taliban for their treatment of women, describing it as a systematic attempt to strip them of some of the most basic human rights and to house them all in their homes. The Taliban appear resolute in their position despite the criticism, often dismissing other opinions as interference in Afghanistan’s affairs.
The Role of Municipal Authorities
The Taliban has told the municipal administration and related departments to examine all construction areas so that no new houses can be built without windows directed toward the yard or other female usage areas. Inspectors appointed by them shall confirm this. If existing windows violate this policy, a homeowner must raise walls or cover them to prevent such intrusive views. Disobedience will also result in some penalty that strengthens the grip over private spaces.
Historical Context of Gender Segregation
The Taliban’s entire ideology, since its creation, has centered on gender segregation. In their first regime during the 1990s, women were prohibited from working, attending school, or even venturing out without a male chaperone and underneath a full-body burqa. The current regime has restored many of these restrictions but in more bureaucratic and legal garb.
Such actions are based on the fundamental principles of what the Taliban say is the Islam-based law where segregation of genders helps maintain the virtues of society. Still, Islamic scholars worldwide have critiqued their understanding, accusing them of perverting the concepts of Islam by discrediting the dignity and rights of women.
Impact on Afghan Society
The Taliban’s policies have undertaken significant psychological, social, and economic impacts on Afghan society. Women account for nearly half of the population, and their participation in social and economic life is increasingly restricted, limited to the house’s four walls. Families that had been getting income from two parents and legitimate sources are now struggling to reach financial grounds.
The restrictions have had the psychological effects of despair and hopelessness among the women of Afghanistan. Many Afghan women had seen some freedom and progress during these two decades under the governance that received support from the United States. The removal of windows viewing the women’s quarters is one step further towards complete isolation; such women are seen to be worth little more than non-visibility within their community.
Taliban’s Hostilities with Pakistan
The Taliban is in a state of conflict with neighboring Pakistan, although it takes its domestic strictures seriously. Recent attacks by the Pakistani Army on positions of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan’s Paktika province have snowballed into incidents. The Afghan forces retaliated against Pakistani positions, and there were casualties on both sides. This would seem to be the Taliban’s double aim: to establish its dominance over Afghanistan while fighting back pressures from the neighboring countries.
Conclusion
This edict against women-viewing windows epitomizes the larger design of the Taliban to render Afghan women less visible and interactive with the Afghan public. This makes the Taliban gradually deprive Afghan women of rights and liberties in general and bring widespread criticism of the international community against them. Arguing on moral grounds that its acts save society from obscenity and noise pollution, it effectively keeps Afghan women out of touch with their world and, accordingly, both in and out of Afghan society. As the world watches, so does the tragic plight of Afghan women, remaining a stark reminder of the never-ending struggle to achieve gender equality and human rights in the face of oppressive regimes.
