Afghan Women’s History

Young love if you do not fall in the battle of Maiwand;
By God someone is saving you as a token of shame;

When the Afghan flag bearer was shot dead, Malalai used her veil as a banner to encourage the Afghan soldiers who were fighting the British. Her words revitalized the Afghan fighters and as a result, the battle of Maiwand ended in defeat for the British Army and victory for the Afghans, who were led by Ayub Khan. Sadly, Malalai was killed during this battle, but she was not forgotten. Many schools and hospitals have been named after her, and she is considered Afghanistan’s greatest heroine – she is viewed as Afghanistan’s version of Joan of Arc.

• 1899 (November 24th): Soraya Tarzi, daughter of Afghan intellectual Mahmud Tarzi, wife of King Amanullah and future Queen of Afghanistan was born.  As Queen, she worked hard for women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan. She became one of the most influential women in the Muslim world at the time, and she helped her husband in his modernization efforts – despite major resistance from the conservative elements of Afghan society.

Religion does not require women to veil their hands, feet and
faces or enjoin any special type of veil. Tribal custom must
not impose itself on the free will of the individual.

Early 1920s: King Amanullah’s sister, Kobra, created Anjuman-E-Himayat-E-Niswan (Organization for Women’s Protection). Her organization encouraged women to voice their complaints, as well as pushed for women unity, and fought against injustices and oppression. Another sister of King Amanullah established a hospital for Afghan women.

Also, during this time, Queen Soraya founded the first magazine for women called, Ershad-E-Niswan (Guidance for Women).

1928: Various conservative tribal leaders organized and fought against the freedoms King Amanullah pushed for women in Kabul.  They pushed against women’s education and personal freedoms.

• 1941: First secondary female school was established in Kabul.
• 1959: Women were allowed to unveil, and the wives of the ruling family, and senior government officials appeared unveiled at public functions, and soon others followed.  No revolts in Kabul occurred over this, however, a revolt did occur in Kandahar, and roughly 60 people were killed as a result.  The revolt was eventually suppressed by the government.
• 1964: The constitution gave women the right to vote, and allowed them to enter politics.
• 1965: The Democratic Organization of Afghan Women (DOAW) was formed. DOAW worked against illiteracy, forced marriages and bride prices.
• 1968 (April 20th): Queen Soraya passed away in exile in Rome, Italy.
• 1972: Zohra Yusuf Daoud was crowned as the first Miss Afghanistan. There was no swimsuit competition, however, there was an evening gown competition.

• 1977: An Afghan woman activist named Meena Keshwar Kamal laid the foundation of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan). Later, when the Mujahideen defeated the Soviets and freed Afghanistan from communist rule, RAWA became critical of them, and even accused them of war crimes. RAWA wishes to establish a secular government in Afghanistan, and are against an Islamic government.

• October: Decree was issued. Compulsory education for girls. Bride price was abolished.  Minimum legal age for marriage for girls was set at 16.

Alongside the rapid modernization and reform agendas, the communist ideology was also forced down on people, many times using brutal violence. There was very little tolerance for tribal and religious customs. In rural areas, PDPA was seen as disregarding sensitive tribal values and traditions, and thus caused resentment and backlash. The PDPA responded with brutal violence – killing scores of innocent people.

• 1980 (April 29th): A high school student named Nahid helped organize and participated in a massive demonstration protesting the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. She was able to organize girls from different schools around Kabul. She was killed and became a martyr and a symbol of patriotism in Afghanistan still till today.
• 1984: Khatol Mohammadzai became Afghanistan’s first woman paratrooper.  She later becomes a General in the Afghan National Army.
• 1987 (February 4th) – Meena Keshwar Kamal, the founder of RAWA was assassinated.

• 1991: Latifa Nabizada and her sister Lailuma Nabizada graduated from helicopter flight school and became Afghanistan’s first-ever female pilots.

• 1993: Suraya Sadeed established “Help the Afghan Children, Inc.” The organization’s goal is to improve the lives of children in Afghanistan.

• December 5th: At the Bonn meeting, Dr. Sima Samar was chosen to be the first Deputy Chair and Minister of Women’s Affairs in the Interim Administration of Afghanistan under President Hamid Karzai. Later she was appointed as Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).

December 17th: Malalai Joya gained international attention when as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga convened to ratify Afghanistan’s constitution, made a brief speech in which she criticized her “compatriots” as to why they were bringing the legitimacy of the Loya Jirga into question by including the presence of criminals, and that they instead should be put on trial for their crimes. By criminals she was referring to the former Mujahideen leaders who fought against the Soviets, and were also present in and participating in the Loya Jirga.

The citizens of Afghanistan – whether man or woman –
have equal rights and duties before the law.

The constitution also requires 50% of the members of the Meshrano Jirga that the President appoints must be women.

Summer Olympics in Athens: Female athletes Friba Razayee and Robina Muqim Yaar represented Afghanistan for the first time in the country’s history.

September 5th: Malalai Joya became the youngest female member of the Wolesi Jirga, when she received the second highest number of votes in Farah province.

November 7th: For the first time, a female boxing federation was established by Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee.

December 29th: Bodybuilding club for women was inaugurated in Parwan province.

April 10th: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education stated that more than 5.4 million children have been enrolled in schools, nearly 35% of them girls.  However, attacks on schools, especially in the east and south are still very common.  The attacks were done by the Taliban, and others who supported their views against education for girls.

November 12th: Two Taliban supporters sprayed acid on the faces of school girls in Kandahar. Over a dozen girls were injured – the girls were left with permanent facial scars. Parents were afraid to send their girls to school because of fear they may be attacked by Taliban supporters.

July 27: A controversial Shia personal status law was published in the country’s official Gazette (Gazette 988); this brought the law into force. The law regulated the personal affairs of Afghanistan’s Shia population. It regulated divorce and separation, inheritance, and age of marriage. The law was regarded as being very repressive towards women.  Many human rights activists believe it violated Article 22 of Afghanistan’s constitution which states: The citizens of Afghanistan – whether man or woman – have equal rights and duties before the law. According to Human Rights Watch, “the law gives a husband the right to withdraw basic maintenance from his wife, including food, if she refuses to obey his sexual demands. It grants guardianship of children exclusively to their fathers and grandfathers. It requires women to get permission from their husbands to work. It also effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying “blood money” to a girl who was injured when he raped her.”  A much more repressive version of the law was signed by President Hamid Karzai in March, however, widespread international condemnation caused the government to place the implementation of the law on hold until further review. Many activists were upset because the law required Shia women to obtain permission from their husbands before leaving the house (except on urgent business), and it also required wives to have sex with her husbands at least once every 4 days.