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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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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Agreed fully. But also, misogyny is totally baked into the Abrahamic religions and so they are a vital tool in this program. When people can invoke an invisible, silent sky god to back up their prejudices it becomes a powerful tool. And also infinitely flexible, of course. "God" can say anything the men in charge want him to.
No expert either, just my opinion 😉
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MylesRyden