Several issues are occurring in the territory of the Taliban, now a country as large as Afghanistan. While journalists have accessed and reported on some of the cases, many have not yet been revealed or reached the public’s knowledge. The Taliban’s strict control over media and journalists, as well as the intimidation and threats against media activists, is the most crucial reason for the media’s ignorance of most of the incidents that take place under the Taliban’s rule. The Taliban do not recognize the independent press and only allow them to act according to their Taliban policies. As a result, the media inside Afghanistan cannot accurately reflect the events. Despite these difficulties, journalists still take on various risks in order to obtain facts about Afghan society under the rule of the Taliban and convey it to the audience. One of the journalists who went to Afghanistan and published reports at the beginning of the fall of Afghanistan is Safa Saleh, an Egyptian journalist at Akhbar Al Aan TV channel, which broadcasts in Arabic and is based in Dubai. She traveled to Afghanistan and produced several reports. Additionally, she expressed her views upon leaving the country. Her opinions all indicated that the Taliban regime is a misogynistic group unfamiliar with urban life. Therefore, now that they are in control of cities, they are attempting to impose their tribal traditions on all citizens, particularly urban women. Saleh’s description of the Taliban treating her as a woman with a traditional hijab demonstrates the extent of their primitiveness. Furthermore, her accounts emphasize that by forcing the tradition of their ideal society on urban women, the Taliban are attempting to take the country back centuries.
During an interview, Saleh discussed her journey to Panjshir. After receiving approval from the higher-ups, she decided to go to Panjshir and converse with the National Resistance Front and the people of Panjshir to gain a better understanding of the situation. On her way back, after conversing with Taliban fighters, one of them, with an expression of anger and hatred, abruptly stopped her car, pointed his weapon at her, and prepared to shoot. Saleh was infuriated by the incident and repeatedly asked why the Taliban member had acted so strangely and was about to kill her. The angry soldier replied that he had just come from Kandahar, and it was the first time he had seen a woman among the fighters with such attire (though it was appropriately covered), and she had provoked him. He later apologized for his behavior.
Afterwards, Saleh encountered another peculiar occurrence at the Bagram Air Base, where one of the Taliban commanders was stationed at the entrance. He was a large man with a long, thick beard, and as he glared at her with disdain and animosity, he asked the translator if the woman was a Muslim. Saleh states that the Taliban fighter posed the inquiry while she was wearing traditional Islamic attire as well as the black uniform of Kabul girls. Annoyed by the foolish question, Saleh told the interpreter to inform the guard, “Yes, I am a Muslim and even better than you.” The Taliban commander angrily commanded the journalist to be removed from the area. After the incident, Saleh asked other members of the Taliban why the person had asked such a question while she was wearing the same clothing as the Kabul girls. In defense of the query, the Taliban said that the fighters had just come from Kandahar and had not seen the girls and women of Kabul. Recounting this story, Saleh says that this episode illustrates the great tragedy that girls in cities, including Kabul, have to face and endure such assaults from Taliban soldiers on a daily basis.
After travelling to Kabul and Panjshir, Saleh decided to go to Kandahar, the capital of the Taliban. She recalls a man from Kandahar who was seated next to her on the plane, who was not a member of the Taliban but was unwilling to sit next to a woman who was not wearing a hijab. He asked the reporter to move to another seat, but Saleh refused. After several attempts, the flight attendants found a solution to the man’s problem. Saleh then commented that men from Kandahar are no different from the Taliban when it comes to misogyny, and that the Taliban soldiers from Kandahar are more violent, primitive, and narrow-minded than those from other regions.
Upon arriving in Kandahar, Saleh experienced further adventures. On one occasion, due to the extreme heat, she was waiting for her interpreter to fetch water when someone suddenly opened the door, attempting to drag her out of the car. It transpired that the man was angry because she was not wearing a burqa and was unaccompanied by a mahram. The interpreter quickly ran to her aid and asked the man why he was behaving in such a manner. The man replied that the woman was corrupting Afghan women. To defuse the situation, they were obliged to present him with letters from Taliban officials, including one written by Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, so that they could continue their activities without further interruption. Although the man eventually allowed them to leave, he still believed that the Arab woman had a detrimental effect on Islam and Afghan women.
Meanwhile, the journalist had conducted an interview with a Taliban official in Kandahar, which was broadcast on television. Upon the release of the interview, the Taliban member realized his error in discussing the internal conflict of the Taliban and subsequently held the journalist captive in his office for three hours. After the United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry officials negotiated with the Taliban, the Taliban official agreed to release her.
In her interview, Saleh stated that journalists, and female journalists in particular, are facing numerous challenges. The Taliban’s strictness towards female journalists is increasing daily, and female journalists must cover their faces when appearing on television. One of the primary challenges journalists face in Taliban-controlled areas is that Taliban officials are not permitted to give interviews. Only Zabihullah Mujahid has the authority to make announcements on behalf of ministries and departments, and Saleh had to go through a lengthy negotiation process with the Taliban in order to conduct a thirty-five-minute interview with him.
Saleh’s account of her journalistic activities under the Taliban rule provides only a brief insight into the current state of affairs in Afghanistan. Much of what is happening in the country remains hidden from the media, and if these events were to be revealed, the full extent of the tragedy would be exposed. Throughout Afghanistan’s history, many forces similar to the Taliban have held power, but what sets the Taliban apart from other regressive forces is their refusal to evolve and accept change, instead becoming increasingly radicalized. As with many other reactionary groups, the Taliban are fearful of women’s freedom and seek to impose restrictions on women living in urban areas. Although men are also facing difficulties under the Taliban regime, women are facing even greater issues.
