Summary

This document provides news and information about Afghanistan in 2024. Updates will be provided as they become available.

In Afghanistan’s history, as recently as the 1920s, the Afghan people worked hard to achieve various goals:

• Slavery was abolished in 1923.
• The abolition of the traditional burqa for women.
• The opening of co-educational schools.
• The 1923 constitution made elementary education compulsory.

As has often been the case throughout history, men debated and fought fiercely over differences in opinion about the extent to which women would be oppressed and controlled. When men dominate government, an imbalance can result, creating inequitable outcomes for women who are underrepresented.

In recent history, Afghanistan has gone from education being mandatory for women to education being forbidden for women.

Afghanistan has a present-day relevance as an example of a country governed by a religious group that is considered to have a stern approach to enforcing religious laws.

People with a more “Western” mindset may consider the Afghanistan government to be overreaching in cultural and private matters. Such people believe in a separation of “church and state” where religion inspires a charitable government, but does not determine enforcement of cultural and social behavior.

There is a movement of some people in the United States who would like to see similar religious laws established and enforced among the general public. There would likely be different laws and restrictions for men and women. It’s not clear which arbitrary scriptures and interpretations would be used as the basis such laws.

So, Afghanistan is an example of how a religious group with governing power could establish certain state enforced religious laws.

Refugees From Blue States Moving to Red States

In the United States, a popular theme in news reports are the stories of individuals, families, and companies moving from Blue States to Red States. It’s an opportunity to criticize what are reported as failed policies and liberal extremism. Within the Red States, there are conservative havens where local communities have adopted even more strict and narrow cultural adherence to conservative religious practices.

In a Blue State, you may encounter people who don’t look like you do, don’t pray like you do, don’t love like you do, and don’t vote like you do. That may make you uncomfortable. However, some people like living in a society of people with diverse political, religious, and cultural views. It’s a matter of preference. This is something known as tolerance and acceptance.

What we see in Afghanistan we can understand from what we see in the United States. Some conservative religious people want to take control of the government and create a religious society where a specific religion has favor and prominence. We also see what can happen if this goes too far.

Measuring Success

The success of a country can be difficult to measure. One would want to consider various aspects of society. A useful metric for success would be the Good Country Index to arrive at an aggregate evaluation of net benefit for citizens and the world. Some areas of life may seem to do well under a strict religiously influenced regime. Other areas of life may suffer.

Background and History

Afghanistan has a complex and rich history dating back about 50,000 years.

For purposes of this document, Afghanistan is a geographical area that has a changing representation of people over a long period of time. In summary, the Afghan people are smart, strong, beautiful, courageous, and creative in all areas of culture and society.

Note: Feel free to skip this section on history and consider it “TLDR” (too long didn’t read). You can skip ahead to the Recent Events and News sections below.

Provided here will be a few selected excerpts of moments along the Afghan timeline.

• It is believed that “In the mid-to-late first century CE the vast Kushan Empire, centered in Afghanistan, became great patrons of Buddhist culture, making Buddhism flourish throughout the region.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• “The Buddhist Turk Shahi of Kabul was replaced by a Hindu dynasty before the Saffarids conquered the area in 870, this Hindu dynasty was called Hindu Shahi.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• “In 1219 CE Genghis Khan and his Mongol army overran the region. His troops are said to have annihilated the Khwarazmian cities of Herat and Balkh as well as Bamyan. The destruction caused by the Mongols forced many locals to return to an agrarian rural society.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• “Ahmad Shah invaded India eight times during his reign,[96] beginning in 1748. Crossing the Indus River, his armies sacked and absorbed Lahore into the Durrani Realm. He met Mughal armies at the Battle of Manupur (1748), where he was defeated and forced to retreat back to Afghanistan.[97] He returned the next year in 1749 and captured the area around Lahore and Punjab, presenting it as an Afghan victory for this campaign.[98] From 1749 to 1767, Ahmad Shah led six more invasions, the most important being the last; the Third Battle of Panipat created a power vacuum in northern India, halting Maratha expansion.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• “By the early 19th century the Afghan empire was under threat from the Persians in the west and the Sikh Empire in the east.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• A regime change war took place in 1839 as it is reported: “In 1839 a British expeditionary force marched into Afghanistan, invading the Principality of Qandahar, and in August 1839, seized Kabul. Dost Mohammad Khan defeated the British in the Parwan campaign, but surrendered following his victory. He was replaced with the former Durrani ruler Shah Shuja Durrani as the new ruler of Kabul, a de facto puppet of the British.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• “During the First World War, when Afghanistan was neutral, Habibullah Khan was met by officials of the central powers in the Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition. They called on Afghanistan to declare full independence from the United Kingdom, join them and attack British India, as part of the Hindu–German Conspiracy. The effort to bring Afghanistan into the Central Powers failed, but it sparked discontent among the population about maintaining neutrality with the British. Habibullah was assassinated in February 1919, and Amanullah Khan eventually assumed power. A staunch supporter of the 1915–1916 expeditions, Amanullah Khan invaded British India, beginning the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and entering British India via the Khyber Pass.” [Source: Wikipedia]
• “After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War and the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi on 19 August 1919, Emir Amanullah Khan declared the Emirate of Afghanistan a sovereign and fully independent state. He moved to end his country’s traditional isolation by establishing diplomatic relations with the international community, particularly with the Soviet Union and the Weimar Republic. He proclaimed himself King of Afghanistan on 9 June 1926, forming the Kingdom of Afghanistan. He introduced several reforms intended to modernize his nation. A key force behind these reforms was Mahmud Tarzi, an ardent supporter of the education of women. He fought for Article 68 of Afghanistan’s 1923 constitution, which made elementary education compulsory. Slavery was abolished in 1923. King Amanullah’s wife, Queen Soraya, was an important figure during this period in the fight for woman’s education and against their oppression. Some of the reforms, such as the abolition of the traditional burqa for women and the opening of co-educational schools, alienated many tribal and religious leaders, leading to the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929).” [Source: Wikipedia]

The land of Afghanistan has been home to many empires, and for that reason the people of that land have offered much to humanity in the way of cultural and social progress.

Knowing the 50,000 year history of people in the land of Afghanistan helps to humble anyone who might be too quick to criticize any recent short-term social developments in the area.

Recent Events

After a period of time when education for women was required by law, Afghanistan is now in a period of time where education for women is forbidden.

As of August 2024, a revised codification of morality laws are now being enforced. This is welcome news to those who would like to see certain religious cultural observances harshly enforced across society.

There is some commonality between the Taliban’s rule and some interpretations of the Christian Bible. For example, the Bible states: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.” [Source: 1 Corinthians 14:33-35]

That would be an example of a religious teaching that could become a law, and indeed has become law in Afghanistan.

Resource Links

• Council on Foreign Relations — Excerpt: “The Taliban surged back to power two decades after U.S.-led forces toppled their regime in what led to the United States’ longest war.” [Source]
• U.S. Department of State — Excerpt: “The United States established diplomatic ties with Afghanistan in 1935. In 2012, the United States and Afghanistan concluded the Strategic Partnership Agreement to strengthen our bilateral relationship, support Afghanistan’s capabilities as a partner, and improve the lives of the Afghan people. On February 29, 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed the Doha Agreement, which led to the August 30, 2021, withdrawal of U.S. and Allied forces from Afghanistan. Since the forcible takeover by the Taliban in August 2021, culminating in the fall of Kabul on August 15, the United States has shifted to a position of pragmatic engagement in Afghanistan.” [Source]

News

Below are recent news reports in chronological order with the most recent at the top.

MSNBC (28 Sep 2024)

“Malala: what’s happening to Afghan girls and women is ‘gender apartheid’” — Malala Yousafazai joins Andrea Mitchell to speak out about Afghan girls and women losing their rights under Taliban rule, as well as the war in Gaza and women’s reproductive rights in the U.S. [Source]

BBC News (9 Sep 2024)

“Women banned from speaking in public by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers” — Three years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan a new law has been passed compelling women to cover their face and body completely when leaving their homes. The latest restrictions also state that women’s voices must no longer be heard in public. They are the latest in a series of draconian restrictions imposed on women by the country’s Taliban rulers. There’s been international outrage. The US and EU are among those condemning the new laws but they have little influence over Afghanistan’s religious leaders. Despite the risks some women in Afghanistan have spoken out, giving interviews to BBC News. Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Yogita Limaye inside Afghanistan. [Source]

DW News (31 Aug 2024 at ~3:00 PM)

“Afghan women sing online to protest latest crackdown on their rights” — In Afghanistan, the Taliban are refusing to cooperate with a United Nations mission, banning its human rights expert from entering the country. The UN has criticized the Taliban’s new so-called ‘Virtue Law’, which prevents women from singing or raising their voices in public. Afghan women are attempting to protest the latest crackdown on their rights, despite being silenced on the streets. We spoke with Pashtana Durrani, an Afghan human rights activist in the US. [Source]

France 24 (30 Aug 2024 at ~7:00 AM)

“Taliban seek to further erase Afghan women from society: Singing, raised voices now banned” — It’s been three years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Their policies have rolled back women’s rights. Newly enforced laws require women to veil their faces in public. They are also now prohibited from singing or raising their voices. Afghan artist and activist Fatimah Hossaini reacts to the devastating new laws. [Source]

France 24 (30 Aug 2024 at 10:00 AM)

“The battle for freedom: Addressing the plight of Afghan and Iranian women” — In this special edition to mark the beginning of a new season, we’re focusing on the plight of Afghan and Iranian women. It’s been three years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and thus erasing women from all forms of public life. It’s also two years since the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed while in detention by the Iranian morality police for seemingly showing too much hair under her veil. Her death prompting the biggest protest movement in Iran since the 1979 revolution. Annette Young is joined by Afghan-Canadian journalist, Zahra Nader and Iranian human rights researcher, Mahsa Alimardani, as they discuss the failure of the international community to stand up to both regimes on women’s rights. [Source]

NBC News (27 Aug 2024 at 8:00 PM)

“Afghan orchestra plays on despite Taliban crackdown” — A national orchestra in Afghanistan has been able to stay together, playing in exile after the Taliban took over the country and outlawed their music. The young musicians even made it to Carnegie Hall. NBC News’ Richard Engel reports. [Source]

Al Jazeera (24 Aug 2024)

“What do the Taliban’s new rules mean for Afghans?” — When the Taliban swept back into power, it took over a country in which the rights of Afghans, were enshrined in the constitution. But since then, many of those rights have been eroded – especially for women and girls. Now, Taliban officials have published a new set of morality laws – which will in their words, ‘promote virtue and prevent vice.’ The new laws range from requiring women to cover their faces and men to grow beards to banning music in cars. So, what impact will it have on the lives of millions of Afghans who are already struggling to survive? [Source]

Reuters (23 Aug 2024)

“Taliban codify morality laws requiring Afghan women to cover faces, men to grow beards” — Afghanistan’s Taliban formally codified a long set of rules governing morality this week, ranging from requiring women to cover their faces and men to grow beards to banning car drivers from playing music, the Justice Ministry said. The rules, promoted as in line with Islamic sharia law and to be enforced by the morality ministry, were based on a decree by the Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader in 2022 and were now officially published as law, a Justice Ministry spokesman said. [Source]

CNN (22 Aug 2024)

“Taliban bans the sound of women’s voices singing or reading in public” — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are cracking down on the sound of women’s voices in public, under a strict new set of vice and virtue laws under the Islamist regime. The laws were issued Wednesday after they were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, a government spokesman said, and cover aspects of everyday life like public transportation, music, shaving and celebrations. Among the new rules, Article 13 relates to women: It says it is mandatory for a woman to veil her body at all times in public and that a face covering is essential to avoid temptation and tempting others. Clothing should not be thin, tight or short. Women are also obliged to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim males and females to avoid being corrupted. A woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. It is forbidden for women to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa. [Source]

CNN (22 Aug 2024)

“The Taliban says it wants people to visit Afghanistan. Here’s what it’s like” — Ben Herskowitz stood on a hill overlooking the ancient archaeological landscape of Bamiyan, nestled among the high mountains of the Hindu Kush. In the distance, he could see white snow-capped mountains, greenery and blossoming trees spread across Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley. It was “one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to in my life,” Herskowitz said. “So many different diverse landscapes in one area. I’ve never seen contrast like that in one place.” Herskowitz, a 22-year-old from Vermont in the United States, found himself thousands of miles from home in May, with Afghanistan’s spectacular landscapes nearly all to himself. “You go to Rome or Greece to see ruins and there are thousands of tourists blocking your way all around you, but here you can sit up in these beautiful places that have so much history from so many periods, and you’re the only one there,” Herskowitz explained. [Source]

Al Jazeera (15 Aug 2024)

“Three years of Taliban rule: Afghanistan’s economy continues to face challenges” — While the overall security situation has improved – international assistance to Afghanistan has reduced significantly. Without immediate support from the international community, Afghanistan is at risk of becoming a forgotten crisis. Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reports on the changes since the group came to power. [Source]

Deutsche Welle (15 Aug 2024)

“This is what’s left of women’s lives in Afghanistan” — Three years after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, women and girls have been stripped of their basic rights and relegated to the fringes of society. Marie Sina of DW Business speaks with Nargis Nehan, Afghanistan’s former Acting Minister for Mines and Petroleum and currently a women’s rights advocate, about the daily reality of women in the country. [Source]