Afghanistan was on the road to redemption before the tipping point diverted it. Where Biden’s rushed and chaotic decision to withdraw from Afghanistan has unleashed a series of debates over the decision and the future of Afghanistan, it also has brought certain consequences for the Afghan people, among which, massive human rights violations under state oppression is on the top. A number of human rights violations under Taliban rule, since the departure of US forces from Afghanistan have been reported by domestic and International human rights organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations.
Semantically, the word oppression is defined as “a system of interrelated barriers and forces that ‘reduce, immobilize and mould’ people of a group and subordinate them to another group.” In the opinion of feminist theorist Marilyn Frye, oppression is a systematic and pervasive problem, which is not just a result of individual acts of discrimination or bias, but rather a complex and interconnected set of social structures and practices that work to maintain the dominance of men over women. To illustrate the mechanism in which oppression operates, she introduced the framework of the “Four I’s of Oppression,” as Ideological, Institutional, Interpersonal and Internalised oppressions, in her essay published in “The Politics of Reality” by the Crossing Press in 1983. A brief account of this feminist theory is equally workable generally in a political context and particularly in analyzing and understanding the systematic oppression in Afghanistan under the present Taliban rule.
Ideological oppression refers to the ways in which dominant cultural beliefs and values are used to justify and maintain oppression. Today in Afghanistan, ideological oppression is evident more than ever before, which the government is justifying through the strict interpretation of Islamic laws. The Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic laws is highly conservative and restrictive, which is described as an extreme form of Sunni Islam. Taliban government is using fatwa (religious verdict) to target the opposition by declaring them Khawarij and false sect. One of the key ways in which ideological oppression is being enforced is through the restriction of women’s rights and freedoms. All kinds of activities from leaving home without mahram (male guardian) and education for women have been prohibited. Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has enforced a ban on all activities that are believed to be non-religious.
Institutional oppression includes the ways in which social institutions, such as the legal system, the economy, and the media work systematically to marginalize certain groups of people. Journalism and freedom of speech have become nonexistent in Afghanistan due to the Taliban’s 11 rules for journalists, threats and intimidation. According to an estimate, more than 50 percent of media houses including print and electronic, have been shut down and journalists have fled to other countries. The Taliban’s bias towards women in all regards is known since ever. For more than 600 days schools are closed for girls. Since the Taliban took over, the doors to educational institutes, health care, politics and jobs for women have been closed, which has left millions of women and girls largely unprivileged. The Taliban have exercised a range of discriminatory policies in areas of employment and politics, which has closed opportunities for ethnic groups, especially for Tajiks. A political expert, Vanda Brown says that under Pashtun-centered Taliban rule, a few job opportunities and decision-making roles have been left for minorities and people who were hired by the former Afghan Republic government. Through institutional oppression, indiscriminatory all segments of society have become vulnerable in Afghanistan in terms of poverty, illiteracy, and health.
Interpersonal oppression under Taliban can be characterized by violence, discrimination, and harassment towards women, minorities, opposition and dissenting voices. Interpersonal oppression means the ways in which individuals perpetuate oppression through their biased actions and attitudes towards others. The Taliban government has enforced a strict code of conduct for men and women, which includes restrictions on dress, behaviour, and social interaction. Those who violate these codes are subjected to harsh punishments, including physical violence, imprisonment, stoning or even death. Women in particular have become target of interpersonal oppression. The Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law is being used to justify extreme forms of gender-based violence, including forced marriages, rape, and domestic abuse. Women who protest against these abuses are being subjected to further violence and harassment. The Taliban also are targeting religious and ethnic minorities through discrimination, harassment, and violence. Dissenting voices such as journalists, activists, opposition and critics of the Taliban are subjecting to interpersonal oppression, through intimidation, violence, and imprisonment, extra judicial killing. This has had a chilling effect on freedom of expression and has limited the ability of people in Afghanistan to speak out against oppression and human rights abuses.
Internalised oppression is the state in which individuals who are members of oppressed groups, internalise the messages they receive from oppressors about their inferiority and worthlessness. In Afghanistan, the prevalence of depression is particularly high among women, health workers and youth. According to study published by WHO, 80% of total suicide attempts in Afghanistan have been made by women, which speaks of their mental state under Taliban oppression. Wahid Nourzad, head of the mental health department at Herat District Hospital mentioned that ex-government employees, journalists, and women who were employed by former Afghan governments, have lost jobs are suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder. Afghan people are internalising oppression which is contributing to the culture of fear, self-doubt, silence and submissiveness that they have no choice but to accept their fate and not to challenge the status quo of Taliban government.
The well-being and democratic values which were guaranteed by the US-backed governments to some extent in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, have been reversed during merely one and a half years of the Taliban government. Overall, the Four I’s of oppression are widespread in Afghanistan, as under various ways oppression is being carried out by the Taliban government. All human beings are born equal, but repressive societies tend to treat people unfairly; among such societies, Afghan society is facing the direct burn of oppression and will continue to suffer if not addressed in a timely manner by the international community.
*This research attempts to analyze the nature of political oppression in the post-US withdrawal Afghanistan through the lens of the framework ‘Four I’s Oppression’ given by Feminist Marilyn Frye.
(Authors’ Bio: Commander Hamid Saifi is a former Afghan National Army member and currently serving as NRF commander and Dr Aroosa Fatima is an independent researcher and Associate IEF; can be reached at ahmadhamid.saifi@gmail.com aroosafatima91@gmail.com)