Fundamentalist groups, regardless of their religion or sect, share similarities. One of these commonalities is their perspective on the role of women in society. Many fundamentalists reject the value and importance that modern society attributes to women, viewing it as a threat to their principles. They do not adhere to the feminization of contemporary civilization, considering it contradictory to their ideological tenets. According to their perspective, a woman’s role is reduced to unbridled reproduction, sincere service to men, and facilitating their needs. Fundamentalists often romanticize pre-modern lifestyles, believing that during those eras, men wielded absolute power, and women unquestioningly followed them without challenging male dominance. The theological similarities among fundamentalists, be it in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sunni Islam, or Shia Islam, concerning women and their societal status, surpass their differences. A closer examination reveals that there is no difference between the Taliban and ISIS in their opposition to women and emphasis on patriarchal values.
In recent times, Al Arabiya TV has conducted interviews with two wives and a daughter of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. What is most palpable and evident in these interviews is the demeaning behavior al-Baghdadi and his cohorts exhibited towards women. Al-Baghdadi’s first wife, Asmaa Muhammad, stated in the interview that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was infatuated and obsessed with women, had a lustful gaze towards them, and had turned the leadership of ISIS into a matriarchy. She claims that besides her, al-Baghdadi had three wives and ten concubines. One of his wives was Syrian, and the other was Chechen. Asmaa Muhammad stated: “I was shocked by al-Baghdadi’s marriage to a thirteen-year-old Iraqi girl. He also married off his daughter at the age of twelve to one of his bodyguards named Mansour.” According to Asmaa, al-Baghdadi did not allow his wives to leave the house, and even when they visited the doctor, they had to close their eyes so as not to discern the exact location of the doctor’s clinic. Asmaa Muhammad, al-Baghdadi’s first wife, claims that many members of ISIS have left behind numerous orphans and widows, as well as many illegitimate children.
The daughter of al-Baghdadi stated in an interview with Al Arabiya: “Yazidi women captives were living in our house under bad conditions and were always crying. When I objected to taking Yazidi women as concubines, my father cited religious decrees and deemed it permissible.” Al-Baghdadi’s third wife, Noor Ibrahim, also stated that she was forced by her father to marry Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at the age of fourteen, although she was not willing. She mentioned that al-Baghdadi’s wives had no access to telephones.
For those of us experiencing the Taliban regime for the second time, these statements are not unfamiliar and entirely believable. Muslim extremists are as zealous in depriving women of their natural rights and fundamental freedoms as they are in constructing harems, taking multiple women as concubines, and sacrificing women to their sexual desires. Depriving women of education, rights, and natural freedoms logically corresponds with constructing harems and sexually exploiting women, as educated and empowered women would never consent to serving the insatiable lust of hedonistic men and sacrificing their own identity and worth for men’s desires.
Since the Taliban regained power for the second time, numerous reports have emerged of Taliban officials abusing their positions in government to subjugate women. Many Taliban officials are engaging in polygamous marriages, taking advantage of families’ desperation to satisfy their sexual desires. Polygamy has reached its peak under Taliban rule. There are numerous reports of Taliban officials and individuals committing violence against women throughout Afghanistan. However, what receives less attention is the desire and will of women, with no institution to defend their rights and prevent injustices. Certainly, what has been disclosed so far only reveals a small part of the hidden realities. Many families either lack the courage or fear the Taliban too much to lodge complaints against Taliban atrocities, and if they do complain, where can they turn?
What exacerbates the plight of women is the passive approach of human rights institutions worldwide towards the Taliban’s misogynistic behavior. These institutions allocate most of their time to condemning Taliban actions or reporting on the plight of women in Afghanistan, but in practice, they make no effort to pressure the Taliban. Weekly aid is provided to the Taliban, and foreign diplomats are also engaging with them. If global women’s rights defenders do not take practical and effective measures to compel the Taliban to acknowledge minimum women’s rights, the situation for women will worsen day by day. Over the past two and a half years, the Taliban have practically demonstrated their disregard for the ethical appeals and soft words of international institutions.
The main point we want to emphasize here is that misogyny is an integral part of the ideology of groups like ISIS and the Taliban. Religious extremism in Islamic countries, which has been expanding its influence in recent decades, has targeted human culture in general and women’s freedoms in particular. The most significant dispute occurs between enlightenment movements and reactionary forces over this issue. Before fundamentalist groups gained strength in Afghanistan, women enjoyed freedom, and their presence in various fields was noticeable. This is while Afghan women in the 21st century, amidst global cultural, scientific, and humanitarian transformations, have been completely absent from the societal scene. All these unfortunate events have led to the proliferation of religious extremism in the country.
One of the effective solutions to bring Afghan women back into the spotlight is a rational and concerted fight against religious fundamentalism. Wherever fundamentalism gains strength, one of the primary victims is women. World powers attempt to form alliances with fundamentalists relying on realpolitik, even if it means compromising on slogans they espouse regarding freedoms, women’s rights, and human rights. The coalition of major powers with groups that do not value women’s rights and seek to confine women to their homes for childbirth and serving men, disappoints and disheartens enlightened movements, pushing them to the margins. If any institution or country believes that positive engagement with groups like the Taliban could change their policies and behaviors, recognizing women’s rights, they are gravely mistaken. Fundamentalism that is not opposed to women’s rights and freedoms is not truly fundamentalist. Similarly, a Taliban that is not misogynistic is not truly Taliban. Enmity towards freedoms and women’s rights is part of the identity of fundamentalist groups. If these groups ever abandon hostility towards modern women’s rights and freedoms, they have essentially changed their identity.