There are precious few real feminists left in the western world. Fereshta, an Afghan-Canadian who lives in Vancouver, is one of them. She argues not just for the liberties and rights of women in the west, nor does she ignore the shamefully relativist apologism for gender apartheid in her country of birth. Rather she attacks the mentality of the Taliban unflinchingly, and declares them to be a poison that can be found anywhere in the world:
The Taliban are a state of mind. Taliban can be and are found anywhere in the world, anywhere where the ideology of misogyny spreads its seeds uninhibited. Being a Talib demands adherence to no particular faith, no ethnicity, no nationality.
When I was studying in a university outside of Afghanistan, I had a law professor who issued a statement decreeing that female students would not be allowed to join the Afghan Student’s Council because they cause immorality among the male students. For me, this professor was a Taliban.
The anti-interventionists argue that the Taliban are merely a domestic ethnic group in Afghanistan. Some even accept the Taliban and their way of thinking as endemic to the “culture” of the country. But the Taliban are neither unique to Afghanistan, nor are they an acceptable form of cultural diversity within the global multicultural mosaic.
The mentality of the gender segregationists can be found anywhere in the world, among any people, any faith, and any nationality. Canada prides itself as having been near the forefront of the western feminist push for women’s liberation, and the advancement of the female gender to full and equal status in all aspects of law, speech, and freedoms. Yet even among our people, we have those who view the Taliban as being acceptable partners in governance, even if not entirely endorsed or ideal.
As “Fereshta” writes, even some born in Canada are somehow able to think that the “abuse of women and a fundamentalist view of the world, are acceptable among Afghans, and so no intervention is required.” By even entertaining the prospect of a sharing of power with the misogynist, brutally repressive Taliban, we are complicit in the continued subjugation of women.
“By even entertaining the prospect of a sharing of power with the misogynist, brutally repressive Taliban, we are complicit in the continued subjugation of women.”
Why yes, *YOU* are.
To play the devil’s advocate, what about our trade with nations like Saudi Arabia? Does our trade with them (which provides their government money) make us complicit in the continued subjugation of women? Should we cut off all trade with those nations that woefully fall under our standards with respect to womens’ rights?
Couldn’t we apply the same standards to things like, freedom of religion, and cut off trade and aid with nations that do not meet our standards?
Eric,
It’s a good question, and I do think that certain moral considerations should be taken into account. But in a sense, the situation in Afghanistan is different, as it is a state in which we have a participatory say.
It’s one thing to take a position not to support continued aid to Afghanistan, and to want to pull troops out. That, as far as I’m concerned, is an acceptable political viewpoint.
What I find unacceptable is the continued call for “talks” with the Taliban, as though we can rationalize away the atrocities committed by the Taliban in order to appease our sense of accomplishment.
I’m not disagreeing with you that there are groups and people who are intensely hypocritical in calling for increased womens’ rights and yet calling on Canada to negotiate the Taliban into a position of power.
At the same time, our money props up governments like Saudi Arabia and allows them to exist and spread their ideology. We’ve already muddied our hands to a large extent and if we really want to clean them up, we need to look long and hard at the governments we support.
I agree. There is a certain level of hypocrisy in that regard.
“It’s one thing to take a position not to support continued aid to Afghanistan, and to want to pull troops out. That, as far as I’m concerned, is an acceptable political viewpoint.”
Well, at least you’re finally understanding the distinction between those who want to leave Afghanistan, and Taliban sympathizers. Careful there Adrian…you might accidentally start making sense on this point.
“The Taliban Are A State Of Mind”
So is stupidity. I can’t believe I missed the line:
“There are precious few real feminists left in the western world.”
I guess there’s little danger of you making sense about anything any time soon, RaphAdriander.