As the Taliban establish their rule over Afghanistan, fears began to mount for Afghan women. There were concerns that the Taliban would deprive Afghan women of all their rights, for instance, the right to work.
However, according to reports, the Taliban are allowing women to work. As a result, a video of a Taliban Commander addressing a group of female doctors is making the rounds on social media. As per the video, a Taliban Commander is telling the female doctors that they can continue with their work.
“Female doctors should return to their medical services and students should return to their educational institutions,” the Taliban Commander said.
Read more: Islamic system only way to Afghan peace, women’s rights: Taliban
Throughout his conversation with the female doctors, he is consistently telling them to remain calm. He also assures them that society needs them and that they will be allowed to work. Furthermore, he reassures the doctors that if they need anything, the Taliban will be ready to help.
“You are like our mothers and daughters. The government has spent resources on you. Therefore, you can carry on working without any fears,” the Taliban Commander told the group.
In the end, he says that the purpose of the visit was just to reassure the female doctors that they can continue with their medical practices.
ښځينه ډاکټرانې دې خپلو طبي خدماتو ته او محصلانې دی خپلو تعليمي مؤسسو ته په شرعي چوکاټ کې راوګرځي.
د دوي د عزت ساتنه زموږ لومړنۍ مکلفيت دی. pic.twitter.com/DrUVajBBkW— Qari Saeed Khosty (@SaeedKhosty) August 16, 2021
Taliban allowing women to work
According to media reports, the Taliban are letting women work in Afghanistan. TOLOnews, Afghanistan’s 24/7 news channel, resumed its broadcast with women anchors on the second day of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
“Our female presenter is interviewing a Taliban media team member live in our studio,” tweeted Miraqa Popal, head of news at TOLOnews.
We resumed our broadcast with female anchors today.@TOLOnews #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/YLqtJEYceL
— Miraqa Popal (@MiraqaPopal) August 17, 2021
Miraqa Popal also shared a series of tweets showing that women are not only reporting from the studio but the streets of Kabul as well.
Moreover, according to recent reports, the Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan. They also urged women to join its government on Tuesday.
“The Islamic Emirate doesn’t want women to be victims,” Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission said, “They should be in government structure according to Shariah law.”
Read more: Taliban to include women in next round of Afghan peace talks
Reaction to Taliban’s move
The Taliban’s move allowing women to work took people by surprise as previously, there were predictions that the Taliban would once again roll back women’s rights after US troops leave the country.
Many people appreciated the change in the Taliban’s attitudes towards women. They are expressing happiness in Afghanistan moving towards modernization and development.
https://twitter.com/Khan9Afghan/status/1427354398813003786?s=20
However, there are still concerns regarding the safety of women. Some Twitteratis are claiming that the Taliban are just putting up a show for the media. Once the media attention shifts, the Taliban would impose extreme restrictions on women.
When the Taliban first took over in the late 90s, they took drastic measures against women. Women were barred from working and receiving education. They were also forbidden to go out in the streets.
Read more: Afghan women negotiators aim to fight for fragile gains in talks with patriarchal Taliban
Currently, it seems as if the Taliban have evolved and are more serious about accepting women as an important part of Afghan society.