I feel sick to my stomach, like thousands of other people, as we see the visuals on television and internet coming from Afghanistan. It’s hard to even imagine the fear amongst the people in Afghanistan, both local and expats, who are living through the transition in power in the country. Needless to say, I am afraid for the safety and well-being of those who are not seen as Taliban supporters especially the women and girls who are empowered to share their educated voice in the dialogue related to decisions about their lives and the fate of their beloved nation.
My family members have deployed to Afghanistan multiple times and I have had opportunities to learn about their experience as foreign soldiers in Afghanistan. I also have had conversations with friends who were born and raised in Afghanistan and have family members living in different parts of the country. I remember helping US Institute of Peace as they were finalizing a course on Engaging with Religious Leaders Overseas, which was going to be used to build capacity of personnel working in Afghanistan and other countries in the region. All these experiences included deep conversations and each one of those conversations ended with the same conclusions that war is not the answer and local Afghans need to take the lead in designing their own fate.
We can spend weeks, months and even years to talk about what went wrong, who is to be blamed, how many US administrations share the blame or the violent history of Taliban regime but it’s not going to help the current situation. However, it would be beneficial for the people of Afghanistan, thousands of mutli-country military personnel and civilians who sacrificed or risked their lives and their family members to strategize about how do we salvage and build on the work that has been done till date.
Instead of spending too much time on feelings of betrayal, defeat and fear we should all engage in defining solution focused strategies. There has to be a way to find peace in the country without the soldiers and guns in Afghanistan. There has to be a way! As they say, 'Anything War Can Do, Peace Can Do Better!'
Per the Human Rights Watch article by Heather Barr from March 2020, "In February, a Taliban leader wrote “[W]e together will find a way to build an Islamic system in which all Afghans have equal rights, where the rights of women that are granted by Islam — from the right to education to the right to work — are protected.” We need to relentlessly work towards finding common ground not between 'western values and Taliban thinking but between Progressive Islamic teaching and Taliban thinking. It is crucial to include Islamic scholars, men and women, from Afghanistan and the surrounding region to lead the dialogue.
Let’s look at what has been done that is positive! I believe the best part of this 20 year old war is that there have been a whole generation of women who have been educated. There are articles all over the internet about how the rights of the Afghan women are under serious threat and it is absolutely true. However, very little is being written about the power and resilience of educated and self-aware women. They are the change-makers around the world and they will lead the long lasting change from within in Afghanistan too!
Young men and women who grew up in Afghanistan and have known what freedom looks like and have the potential of being the long term peaceful fighters for their freedom. They need safe spaces where they engage in dialogue with other youth in their country about their desired future and ways to get there! The youth of Afghanistan must be empowered to hold their leaders accountable to ensure the Islamic values of education and empowerment of women are instilled in the country.
The role of faith-based leaders is crucial as well. We know there are local scholars of Islam who understand and believe in the progressive nature of teachings of the Holy Quran. They must add their voice in the new religious agenda in the regional and national politics of the country. While I am not an expert of Islam, I know that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) believed in the empowerment of women. The progressive Islamic leaders must continue to diplomatically engage with other religious leaders who have more conservative view on women rights and education and navigate them towards the most merciful God.
We need to find ways to support and connect the women, youth and the progressive faith-based leaders in the country so that they can sustain their inner strength and engage those in power to hold them accountable in peaceful and diplomatic ways. The Taliban wants to remain in power and they understand their atrocities and violations of basic human rights made them lose this same power in the past. While they have started their new reign with similar atrocities and violations of human rights, there are frail indicators of potential evolution. We know they have agreed for international aid organizations like UNICEF to continue the work. Not only this generation of Taliban leaders know better, the people they hope to rule now know better too!
I urge the international community that they focus on supporting the local people, not in a patronizing manner but in a genuine fashion truly believing in their power, wisdom and commitment. We need to take actions in consultation with the experts from the region and establish all possible mechanisms to ensure peace on the ground. While it is time for the Taliban to move forward and away from their oppressive ways, it is also the time for the western powers to move away from their condescending ways and just support Afghans the way they want to be supported!
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| https://pixels.com/featured/anything-war-can-do-peace-can-do-better-david-g-paul.html |
- https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/taliban-womens-rights-afghanistan-gender-equality/
- https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-27-children-killed-and-136-injured-past-72-hours-violence-escalates
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/05/interview-why-now-time-support-womens-rights-afghanistan
- https://www.golocalprov.com/news/this-woman-created-a-program-to-educate-afghanistan-women-now-she-is-heartb
- https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/aug/17/international-community-gave-taliban-platform-situation-for-women-scary-afghan-women-network-2345894.html
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/05/crucial-moment-womens-rights-afghanistan
- https://anjana-prewitt.blogspot.com/2012/04/us-in-afghanistan.html
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