A thousand days have passed since schools were closed, and girls’ education and women’s work were banned in Afghanistan, and these restrictions remain in place. These thousand days symbolize countless days of pain and suffering not only for half of Afghanistan’s population but also for the conscience of humanity worldwide. In this thousand-day spectacle, the agony and human tragedy inflicted by ruthless directors in Afghanistan’s geography have been showcased, and observed by nations around the world and international organizations. The fascination of mesmerized countries and ideological groups with this spectacle may be expected, but the scrutiny by democratic nations and human rights institutions is perhaps the most intriguing of all.
The oversight of these institutions, in addition to the social consequences entailing the perpetuation of the current situation, signifies the establishment and reinforcement of a new norm in international relations. In this new norm, ethics and human values are barred from entering international affairs, much like how women are barred from entering universities in Afghanistan.
The free world playing the role of a spectator in this horrific drama and historical theater, in terms of playing with the fate of Afghan girls and women, means establishing a new behavioral pattern in which all human values have faded away. The cries and screams of deprived women in this exhibition no longer carry genuine pain but seem designed to entertain spectators. The lamentations of deprived girls lead nowhere, and the cries of girls in solitary confinement, the suicide of those violated in their dignity and body, do not torment consciences or provoke a resurrection. In this tradition, it seems that the global decision for moral awakening lacks existence. Human rights and women’s rights are merely instruments of entertainment devoid of real consequences.
Otherwise, it is clear that the deprivation of women from education and the imposition of the bitter fate of illiteracy on Afghan women have bitter consequences for the country and constitute a direct threat to the world. Women who are deprived of education today cannot be useful members of society tomorrow, and the natural consequence is becoming mothers to children like the Taliban. The Taliban pose a threat both to Afghanistan and to the world. One possible secret to the Taliban’s survival in Afghanistan is the existence of mothers who, based on yesterday’s inhumane culture of the country, have been deprived of their rights, including the right to education, and have raised children like the Taliban. Apparently, according to this new tradition, this vicious cycle is supposed to continue as a general destiny in Afghanistan. With women deprived of education, a specific process of societal acceptance is established, resulting in inhuman awareness as its natural consequence. In this process, deprivation is essentially a deprivation of understanding, leading to mental and psychological unhappiness in society, prompting efforts to address it. In this trajectory, compounded ignorance appears to be the most pervasive form of awareness shaping society; meaning, if the Taliban’s ideology fails to comprehend the deprivation of mothers, girls, and women in Afghanistan, and the Taliban do not suffer from this deprivation, it is due to that compounded ignorance which the Taliban have adopted in their societal integration process, centered around mothers deprived of education.
As the primary nucleus of society, family delivers children abandoned to the winds of time with mothers deprived of education society, and fundamentally, expecting anything else would be misguided. However, this analysis and attribution of the ban on women’s education in Afghanistan to the Taliban’s compound ignorance does not deny the involvement of political and intelligence factors in enforcing this ban.
The Secret of Global Spectatorship
As mentioned, the international community has primarily been an observer in these thousand days. This spectatorship can be attributed to various reasons, but here we highlight one of the most significant factors: the failure of idealism in the realm of the international system.
While the struggle between realism and idealism is one of the longstanding and historical conflicts in the international system, the defeat of democracy and human rights in Afghanistan with the return of fundamental fear and religious suppression in this country was officially announced on August 15, 2021. A thousand days have not simply passed since the closure of schools and the ban on education in Afghanistan; rather, it has become a new international norm of a thousand days. The failure of ethics, and ideals, and the erosion of values from global affairs have spanned these thousand days. If ethics were alive and there was sincerity in safeguarding modern values in the modern world, there would never have been a chance for the resurgence of terrifying specters. On August 15, 2021, it was not just the Islamic Republic system in Afghanistan that did not fail; it was the declaration of realism’s victory and the defeat of idealism on a regional and global scale. On that day, democracy was discredited, and the shame of democrats worldwide from the high roof of Asia, namely Afghanistan, fell to the ground. It seems that reviving idealism requires much time, and there is little hope for an idealistic confrontation against darkness in Afghanistan the world will not be, but the world is very interested in playing with everything as a playing card, including the fate of women in Afghanistan. In this context, nothing is good or bad; everything can be used based on efficiency and usefulness. In this perspective, democracy, ethics, human rights, and human relations have no intrinsic value, but each is a tool for pursuing seasonal interests by actors and an excuse for immersing masses and people on a global level
It appears that shifting from a spectator role to real engagement in supporting women in Afghanistan is not merely a moral or ideological demand that loses relevance with the fading of idealism. Rather, helping women in Afghanistan emphasizes a pragmatic strategy to prevent real future threats, facilitated by the proliferation and normalization of terrorism in Afghanistan. Realist policy dictates that support for women in Afghanistan should take place. Women’s access to education in Afghanistan directly translates to reducing the chances of radicalization and indoctrination of mesmerized children. Naturally, as opportunities for radicalism to grow and indoctrinate diminish, the world will face fewer threats, making this the most realistic strategy that the world can pursue.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
ظلمت هزارروزه؛ نگاهی به ممنوعیت آموزش دختران در افغانستان | روزنامه ۸صبح