ProjectFearlessness"Control of women is foundational to the Taliban’s political and religious project. If anything, it has become more central over the last 20 years as a direct answer to the alternative political order that the US and its allies established.
So the status of women became inseparable from what they think is their struggle against foreign influence. It’s not just about gender narrowly, but about their vision for the country."
‘Control of women is foundational to the Taliban’s project’. How life in Afghanistan has changed after the second Taliban takeover, Stanford University historian Robert Crews explains — Novaya Gazeta Europe
After the Taliban entered Kabul in August 2021 and re-established control over Afghanistan, they made a pledge to install a softer, more moderate regime compared to their first time in power in 1996-2001. Or at least, this is what the people wanted to hear. Since then, however, the Taliban have been putting increasing pressure on half of the country’s population — the women. Over the course of the last two years, the Taliban have installed a mandatory head-to-toe cover up dress code for women, prohibited them from entering most public places including parks and sports centres, and banned young girls from going to schools and universities . Most recently, the Taliban have ordered hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan to shut down, leaving even fewer job and leisure opportunities for women. The UN said all the progress that had been achieved in regards to female liberation during the 20-year-long US intervention in Afghanistan was erased after the Taliban takeover. Novaya Gazeta Europe spoke with Stanford University historian and expert on Afghanistan Robert Crews about how the Taliban have changed during their second time in power and why the oppression of women plays a crucial role in their ideology and political project.