A Taliban spokesman made clear what kind of role women would play under the new regime, and it doesn’t bode well for those hoping for an inclusive government.
In an interview on Afghanistan’s Tolo News on Thursday, Sayed Zekrullah Hashimi said women are incapable of performing government duties.
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A Taliban spokesman on @TOLOnews: “A woman can’t be a minister, it is like you put something on her neck that she can’t carry. It is not necessary for a woman to be in the cabinet, they should give birth & women protesters can’t represent all women in AFG.”
Video with subtitles? pic.twitter.com/CFe4MokOk0— Natiq Malikzada (@natiqmalikzada) September 9, 2021
“A woman cannot do the work of the ministry — you put something on her neck that she cannot carry,” Hashimi said, according to a translation.
He dismissed the women who took to the streets to protest against the new government, arguing it does not indicate how most women in the country feel.
“The four women protesting in the streets do not represent the women of Afghanistan,” he said. “The women of Afghanistan are those who give birth to the people of Afghanistan and educate them on Islamic ethics.”
Hundreds of women took to the streets in Kabul, Parwan and Badakhshan on Wednesday after an acting minister for Women Affairs was not announced among other ministers in the cabinet listed by the Taliban on Tuesday. The women called for their meaningful inclusion in the govt. pic.twitter.com/wnKPlsav07
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) September 8, 2021
The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan last month as U.S. forces departed. There were multiple women in political positions when the U.S.-backed government fell.
Members of President Joe Biden’s administration hoped for a more inclusive Taliban that did not implement the same harsh methods they did when previously in control of the country, especially against women and girls.
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“You know, I think the whole international community was hopeful that they would be inclusive as they kind of said they would be weeks and months ago, but we’ve not seen evidence of that early on,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
