Today is International Women’s Day, a good time to reflect on the situation of women in Afghanistan. In 2021, Afghanistan came under the leadership of the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic movement that demands strict adherence to religious laws. Opponents receive corporal punishment such as stoning, whipping and public executions. Husna came to the Netherlands together with her mother Massouda Jalal, former Minister of Women’s Affairs, to flee this fundamentalist regime.
Women in particular have a hard time under the Taliban. They have no rights. They are not allowed to vote. They are not allowed to work. They are not allowed to go on the street without a full body and face covering and a male family member. Girls are not allowed to attend education beyond primary school. Parks and gyms are prohibited for women.
Why do you want to go back to a country where women are treated like slaves?
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘slave’, you have to understand that European Freedom is not possible in the context of Afghanistan. That is not realistic. Women in Afghanistan are not concerned with Western feminist freedoms. They ask for the most basic human rights such as the right to education and the right to work.”
“I regularly meet white men who want to explain all kinds of theories and policies about emancipation to me. But what works here doesn’t work there. History shows that. Maybe women in Afghanistan don’t want the same emancipation as women here. Right now, at this moment in time, they just want – and need – basic human rights.”
No culture is perfect. But here women are free to make their own choices, to learn, to work, and to go where they want. So, freedom here is indeed greater than in Afghanistan…
“Yes, of course. I also like that I can study here and drink coffee on a terrace. I can go outside without a man and no one stares at me. But I grew up in Afghanistan and things are different there. I respect my culture. It only becomes a problem when patriarchy oppresses women. We have to fight against that and that requires commitment and dedication. That works better from within.”
What would your reality look like if you return to Afghanistan?
“At this moment it’s impossible. But we don’t know what will happen in the future. Things happen every day quickly. I remain hopeful. I now work from here as an advocate and lobbyist for girls’ education and women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. I try in all kinds of ways to draw attention to the situation. I hope that a day will come when I can do more for the women there. But I cannot yet say how and what.”
Are you willing to live under Taliban rule?
“They are in power. That is the reality. Two years ago I thought it was impossible to work with the Taliban. But that was an emotional attitude. Now I look at things more realistically. You cannot ignore the Taliban. If we want to achieve something for the women in Afghanistan, we will have to sit down and talk with them. We must look for common ground so that we can live together in this country.”
That sounds very reasonable and democratic…
“The Taliban are conservative, but they are also smart. They want to be recognized as a government so they will have to work with the world. If the West does not accept that half of the population – women – are not allowed to participate in society, it can be a point of negotiation. In exchange for economic benefits, some basic things can be demanded such as education for girls and women’s participation in society.”
In the meantime, what can we do to help the oppressed people of Afghanistan?
“You can do a lot! You can support online education. You can be in contact with women over there. I am in contact via email, chat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Despite the difficult situation, they remain positive and combative. I am amazed of how brave and hopeful they still are. I’m so proud of those women.”
“You can also encourage your own government and politicians to speak out for the women of Afghanistan. I understand that a lot is happening in the world at the moment, but we were allies of the West, we worked together with them… They cannot forget women and girls of Afghanistan.”
“The people are innocent and have paid a very large price for this war. That is why it is important that humanitarian aid should not stop. If that happens, the people will have nothing left. They have no work, no income, no food.”
What was it like for you growing up in Afghanistan, before the Taliban?
“I was born during the first period under the Taliban in the 1990s. There was unrest throughout my childhood. There were all kinds of restrictions for women. Walking the streets as a woman was not pleasant. But I was used to it and it was better than now. Girls were allowed to go to school, women were allowed to work, and the burqa (full veil) was not mandatory.”
“I would like to make it clear that I had it a lot better than women in the countryside. My parents are liberal, democratic and moderate Muslims. In my home there was a free atmosphere. In that sense, I had a less difficult time than many other young women in Afghanistan. My father is very supportive. He has always supported my mother and us in everything we wanted. When I was 17, I went to India on my own to study. Something like that didn’t happen very often in Afghanistan.”
“In India I was more or less independent. The women in India are a lot freer than in Afghanistan. That was an important experience. But India also changed me on a deeper level. I delved into philosophy and the history of social changemakers in South Asia. I had a lot of time to reflect and think about what I wanted to do with my life.”
“I realized that materialistic things don’t bring me happiness. I want to make a difference for people who are less fortunate than I am. I’m not the most privileged person on earth, but I certainly don’t have it bad either. I’m in a position in which I can help others. I want to help the girls in Afghanistan to realize their dreams, to spread their wings and fly.”
You are 27 years old. In Afghan culture you should have been married for a long time. Is there pressure from your family?
“All my friends from school are indeed now married and have three or four children! Also, my Indian friends, I am the only one who is still single. I am happy about it and there is no pressure from my family. If I could find a partner who supports me as much as my father has supported my mom, then I would consider it.”
Your mother is Massouda Jalal, former Minister of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan. Did she spark activism in you?
“Absolutely! When my mother was captured by the Taliban in 1996, I ended up in prison with her. I was a child and she was still breastfeeding. We were held for three days. We often joke that my activism started then and there!”
“My mother was a doctor but was not allowed to work under the Taliban rule. She then started working for the United Nations from home. She entered politics in 2001. She was a candidate three times (in 2002, 2004 and 2018). ) for president but was pushed aside by male politicians. Unfortunately, the government of Afghanistan was very corrupt. Politicians enriched themselves and did nothing for the people.”
Do you think a revolution in Afghanistan is possible? A popular uprising that will bring down the regime and bring about real, fundamental change?
“I don’t know if the regime can be brought down. But the revolution is already underway. Women in Afghanistan demonstrate and offer non-violent resistance. Without men and without weapons. You see this in Afghanistan and in Iran.”
“But women can’t do it alone. The men have to change too. The ideology that women can only be mothers and housewives has to change. That’s the reality. I know Afghan men who were born and raised in the west, who still think like men from the Afghan countryside! The culture runs very deep. It will take a long time to break the bubble in which these people live…”
Can you separate conservatism from religion?
“At first glance, conservatism seems to go hand in hand with religion. I used to think that too. But now I think these men are using religion to oppress women. It is not a problem of religion or of Islam, the problem is the ideology of these men. And their hunger for power.”
“I don’t know exactly where conservatism comes from in Afghanistan. It has to do with a lack of education, but it goes further than that. I know many highly educated men who are very conservative… Open-mindedness also has to do with upbringing and individual characteristics such as humanity and wisdom.”
“Also, for a large group of people, conservatism is not a conscious choice. There are supporters of the Taliban who know exactly what they are doing. But many men and women have been following this ideology for generations. They simply don’t know any better.”
Your father lives in Germany, your sister in America, your mother travels back and forth. Do you feel displaced here in the Netherlands?
“It doesn’t matter to me where I live. All European countries are the same to me. They are not Afghanistan…”
You study at the University of Leiden, you live alone in your own apartment. In Afghanistan that would be impossible. How do you like it?
“I like it, but I don’t think about it much. I’m so busy with my work, my research and my studies… I am also very busy with the Young Afghan Women’s Movement digital platform that I have set up. We organize online English lessons. There is a lot of administrative and coordinating work. In Afghanistan it was my purpose to resist the restrictions on women. It was my daily fight. I still have that same purpose and i hope someday I can do more.”
Husna Jalal on Linkedin – linkedin.com/in/husnajalal
Young Afghanistan Womens Movement – youngafghanwomenmovement.com
Photo: private property
