Afghanistan: Religious Leaders Call for International Recognition
Zabiullah Mujahid, left, Taliban government spokesman , speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 30, 2022.
After a massive Taliban-sponsored rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, thousands of religious and ethnic leaders on Saturday called on the international community to officially recognize their administration, but did not change course on the matter. of women's rights.
We call on countries, especially Islamic countries, to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, lift all sanctions, unfreeze [central bank] funds and support the development of Afghanistan. Afghanistan, the roughly 4,000 rally participants said in a statement. .
No country has yet recognized the government put in place by the Taliban.
Attendees were allowed to criticize the regime and address hot topics, such as girls' education, but Saturday's final statement merely repeated Taliban doctrine.
Since their return to the head of the country, the Taliban have largely returned to the ultra-rigorous interpretation of Islam which marked their first passage to power (1996-2001), very restricting strongly the rights of women.
They almost completely barred them from government jobs, restricted their right to move, and barred girls from secondary schools. Women were forced to wear full-face veils, covering their faces, when going out in public.
The Taliban also banned non-religious music, the depiction of human faces on advertisements, the broadcast on television of films or series showing unveiled women, and asked men to wear traditional clothing and to let their beards grow.
Saturday's statement makes no mention of girls' education, but calls on the government to pay particular attention to modern education, justice and minority rights, all in light of Islamic law. /p>
The highlight of the rally in Kabul was the Friday appearance of Hibatullah Akhundzada, who lives reclusively in Kandahar, the spiritual center of the Taliban.
< p class="e-p">Since the return of the Taliban, the country has been plunged into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis, as the international community has closed the floodgates of financial aid.
The United States and The Taliban this week continued talks in Doha on releasing aid after an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people in eastern Afghanistan, with Washington wanting to make sure that these funds will be used for humanitarian purposes.
On Friday in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet denounced the regime's systemic oppression of Afghan women and girls.
“Since the Taliban took power, women and girls have experienced the largest and fastest decline in the enjoyment of their rights [ …] for decades.
— Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms. Bachelet made this statement during an urgent debate to the Human Rights Council on this issue.
She urged the Taliban to engage with Muslim-dominated countries with experience in promoting human rights. rights of women and girls as guaranteed by international law.
With information from Agence France-Presse, and Reuters
