Four brave women chanted ‘we want our rights’ in front of Taliban fighters in Kabul, Afghanistan, however militants standing nearby did not appear to attempt to stop the protest
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Afghanistan: Women protest against Taliban in Kabul
A group of brave Afghan women took to the streets of Kabul today to protest against the Taliban.
Four women dressed in black abayas and hijabs were filmed holding up signs and chanting ‘we want our rights’ in the demonstration in Afghanistan’s capital.
In another video the fearless protesters held their signs in the face of Taliban fighters standing the street.
Despite the Taliban’s reputation for oppressing women, none of the militants appeared to attempt to stop the protest.
Translating the protester’s chants, Al Jazeera correspondent Hameed Mohammad Shah tweeted: “Taliban: We want our rights, here are women, we want social security, the ban on work, the right to education and the right to political participation.
“No force can ignore and stifle women. All our achievements over the years should not be compromised and our basic rights!”
It comes after the Taliban insisted women in Afghanistan had no reason to be afraid of them.
Earlier today, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News: “We are committed to women’s rights, to education, to work and to freedom of speech, in the light of our Islamic rules.
“All people should be equal… and there should not be discrimination in society.”
He added that although women are expected to wear the hijab, the burqa is not mandatory.
Mr Shaheen said: “These are not our rules, these are Islamic rules.”
However, the Taliban are reported to be marking the doors of prominent women in Afghanistan, as journalists say they now fear for their lives.
Several female anchors have been removed from state TV stations with fears growing they are being silenced, days after the terrorists seized control.
A female journalist in Kabul says her sisters and friends are being confronted by conservative men who shout: “The Taliban are here to discipline you!”
Now there are chilling claims doors at the homes of well-known women are being painted.
It is suggested Taliban officials have demanded a “huge search”, with militants already working on lists of women to target for future punishments.
Homira Rezai told the BBC: “I have received an update from Kabul where they are going house to house searching for women who were activists, women who were bloggers, YouTubers.
“Any women who had a role in the development of civil society in Afghanistan.
“They are going door-to-door targeting those women and marking the doors with bright pink or bright-coloured paint to ensure ‘this is the house we need to come back to and do something about them’.”
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Journalist Amie Ferris-Rotman said the Taliban were hunting door-to-door on Monday – and they are making lists.
Activists, journalists and government workers are being tracked, she explained.
She tweeted: “Over the past hour, several Afghan female friends in Kabul told me the Taliban are in their neighbourhoods, going house to house, looking for women in government and media, making lists.
“One sent me a photo from her living room showing armed Talibs outside. ‘I love you,’ she wrote.”
