Several young women who turned to online businesses after the Taliban’s restrictions are expressing concern over the shutdown of fiber-optic internet in Afghanistan. They say this move will completely halt their professional activities. These women add that while other countries focus on advancement and efficient use of the internet, the Taliban only think of restrictions and fear women’s abilities. According to them, instead of supporting women’s entrepreneurship, the Taliban are steadily suffocating them, and at a time when education, freedom of expression, and job opportunities are limited, cyberspace is the only space left for their activities—yet even this limited presence is not tolerated.
Some of these women entrepreneurs, in interviews with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, said that by making excuses to cut off internet access, the Taliban, after shutting the doors of education, now intend to restrict women’s presence in the digital sphere as well. According to them, the Taliban do not see the internet as a tool for growth but as a threat to their control and power, because women use this space for resistance, awareness, and self-reliance.
Zahra Ali, one of the online entrepreneurs, says that if fiber-optic internet in Kabul is cut, her last hope for survival and financial independence will also be taken from her. In her view, the Taliban are “enemies of life,” and anything that enables work, education, or communication is considered by them as “vice” and must be destroyed.
This entrepreneur adds that she turned to this work after the Taliban banned girls’ education. She explains: “The Taliban ban anything that carries signs of life, hope, or progress. If the internet is cut, I can no longer work. Mobile internet is also very expensive. The Taliban are selfish people who only see themselves.”
Maral, another young woman who turned to online business after the closure of schools, says that online trade is the last opportunity for girls to participate actively and independently in society. She warns that if high-speed internet in Kabul is cut, women will return to the dark days of the first ban on education.
Maral adds, “I work from home. If the internet is cut, I can neither study nor work. All girls had pinned their hopes on the internet, and when this is also cut, their last hope will be taken away.”
Sutoda (pseudonym), another online entrepreneur, also voices concern over the Taliban’s move to cut internet access. She says she has no certainty about her professional future, because even if she starts in-person work, the Taliban might shut that down too. Sutoda adds, “In some provinces, Wi-Fi internet has already been cut. Our colleagues working in online trade complain about the fiber-optic internet shutdown, and their work has been disrupted. They are deeply worried about this continuing situation.”
Sutoda believes that young women who relied on online trade as their sole source of income and achieved financial independence are now facing serious challenges. According to her, online business was not only a way for many women to earn money but also a tool to reduce stress and avoid financial dependence.
She says: “I am extremely worried about the internet shutdown, because I attracted my clients through the internet and social media. If it is cut, I will lose all my customers.”
Meanwhile, several technology experts warn that filtering and shutting down the internet could put startups and online businesses at serious risk of collapse and financial loss. They add that if internet access is completely cut, users could still connect to free internet through Starlink.
Farhad Fakhri, a technology expert, says: “A complete internet shutdown would be a major disaster for the economy and people’s businesses, because the country lacks large-scale economic infrastructure, and all sectors—education, trade, production, advertising, and others—depend on the internet and would face a severe crisis without it.”
In addition, several economic experts warn that small businesses that depend on online payments and internet-based services will face serious disruption if the internet is cut, reducing the national economy to a level of “bare survival.” They stress that Afghanistan’s future is tied to the digital economy, and the Taliban’s decision to cut internet access will destroy this vital opportunity.
Seyar Quraishi, an economic expert, says that in today’s world, no country can achieve sustainable economic growth or develop its digital economy without the internet. He adds: “The Taliban are using internet shutdowns as a tool to silence the voices of young people and control society, but this decision will ultimately cause serious harm to Afghanistan’s economy.”
Qutbuddin Yaqubi, another economic expert, says: “While the world is rapidly advancing in various areas of technology, if we in Afghanistan face such regression, we will undoubtedly experience stagnation and collapse in trade, economy, and banking. Cutting off the internet will not only stop businesses but also create serious challenges for Afghanistan at the national and international levels.”
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists has described the Taliban’s decision to shut down high-speed internet in several provinces of Afghanistan as “an unprecedented increase in censorship.”
By order of the Taliban Supreme Leader, the fiber-optic internet shutdown began on Monday, and so far, access has been cut in the provinces of Balkh, Badakhshan, Helmand, Kunduz, Paktika, Uruzgan, and Nimruz.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
