ProjectFearlessnessJul 23, 2023

This is a thread about photographer Shah Marai, democracy and women's rights in Afghanistan.

As the Taliban are trying to make everybody forget democracy and women's rights ever existed in Afghanistan, I will take every opportunity to remind everybody that democracy and women's rights in Afghanistan have a long history, and also share Shah Marai's photos. So it will be a long thread.

If you're short on time, after the next post you can hit the eject button before the slideshow begins, ok?

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Show threadProjectFearlessnessJul 23, 2023

If you want to cut to the chase, here it is.

Women have had rights and have participated in society and in democracy in Afghanistan for a long time. They first won the right to vote in 1919. That's a year after women in the U.K. and a year before women in the U.S.

The Taliban's brutal repression of women's rights has nothing to do with Islam, traditions or Afghan values. It's misogyny, plain and simple.

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Show threadMargaret
@ProjectFearlessness The same misogyny the extreme right in both US & UK would like to reestablish.
Jul 23, 2023 at 8:03amWeb
Show threadProjectFearlessnessJul 23, 2023
@margarance Exactly
Show threadJDJul 23, 2023
@margarance @ProjectFearlessness as I read the thread I couldn’t help but think that at one time they were more progressive than what part of this country wants to work toward now.
Show threadProjectFearlessnessJul 24, 2023
@jag0325 @margarance
Yes. This is very recent history in Afghanistan. Before the Taliban's return in 2021, Afghanistan had 34% female politicians, which compares well with any other democratic country in the world. It was a higher percentage of female politicians than the U.S. has.