“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.”
[May.12.2022] A couple of dozen women’s rights activists have protested a Taliban order making it mandatory for women to wear the all-covering burqa, including face veils. According to the Afghan media and foreign media including the Haama News Agency, the women protested in the capital, Kabul, on May 11 (local time) protesting against the Taliban’s measures.
Women shouted “justice” and said, “Burka is not our hit.” They also appealed for bread, jobs, and freedom. Most of the women who participated in the demonstration had shown their faces.
In general, a hijab refers to a scarf that covers only the head and neck of a Muslim woman, but sometimes it refers to an Islamic costume that is mixed with or includes burqas (a Muslim costume that covers the whole body except the eyes) and nikap (a Muslim costume that covers the whole body).
On the day, it appears that women used the word hijab to represent traditional Islamic women’s clothes. Some religious scholars and women activists have pointed out that the base of burqas cannot be found in Islamic traditions and that the Taliban use them as a means of oppressing women.
Earlier on the 7th, Hibatullah Akundzada, the top Taliban leader, said, “According to Sharia (Islamic law), women who are not very old or young should cover their faces except for their eyes,” stressing that if there is nothing important outside, women should stay home.
“We want to live like humans, not animals trapped in the corner of the house,” said demonstrator Sairam Alimiar. The demonstration was stopped immediately after Taliban members stopped it. According to witnesses, the Taliban tore up the protest signs and detained some protesters and reporters for hours before releasing them.
Earlier, during the period (1996-2001), the Taliban ruled with terror with Sharia at the forefront. At the time, the Taliban banned entertainment such as music and TV, cutting off the hands of thieves and stoning women caught in adultery to death. Women were obliged to wear burqas.
After the Taliban came to power in August of last year, they announced appeasement measures such as respect for women’s human rights, but this year, they are trying to strengthen the Islamic order as in the past(Source: Yonhap News).
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.(Psalms 146:7)
God, may Your mercy be on the Afghan women who protest against the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls by enforcing the New Burqa Decree. May You reveal Your majestic power to the Taliban that may they stop enforcing the Sharia law and oppress women and girls. May they humble before You and turn away from their wickedness. May the churches of the nations pray earnestly for the souls of Afghans as they are suffering under the harsh rulership of the Taliban. May Your protection and mercy be upon them, and may the Afghan people find true peace and freedom in Christ Jesus.
Prayer 24·365
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