8am: Many residents of Kabul say that to stay safe from Taliban scrutiny and to gain the favor of their forces, they have been forced to wear the Kandahari hat, grow beards, and adopt traditional clothing. While some view this change as a return to traditional values, public accounts indicate that for many, this shift
8am: Sources say that employees of the Herat Provincial Environmental Protection Directorate, under Taliban control, are deeply concerned about pressure from Abdulali Muttaqi, the Taliban’s newly appointed head of the department. According to the sources, this Taliban official exerts pressure on staff under various pretexts to force them to resign so that he can replace
8am: Some residents of Rustaq say that since the Taliban came to power, women have been prevented from watching ceremonies and festivals in the district. They say that, according to Taliban orders, women are not allowed to watch buzkashi matches, traditional wrestling, or other local games that are held consecutively for three days, even from
Amu: Former President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday warned that continued restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment are weakening the country, as a new academic year begins. “Depriving girls of education and banning women from work confronts our people each day with greater weakness,” he said, adding that the continuation of such policies would have
Amu: The new school year in Afghanistan kicked off on Monday but without girls above the sixth grade for the fifth consecutive year as the Taliban ban on secondary education continues. Many female students have described the past four years “nightmare and challenging,” saying they have spent each and every minute with the hope that
Ariana: Afghanistan has once again been ranked the least happy country in the world, according to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report. The report, which measures people’s overall life satisfaction across 147 countries, placed Afghanistan at the bottom of the global ranking for another year, with a score 1.4 out of 10. Researchers
8am: Several citizens of Afghanistan say that Nowruz symbolizes renewal, solidarity, and hope for them. They add that following the Taliban’s takeover, Nowruz traditions and customs among the people have faded. According to these citizens, Nowruz, which was once one of the most important traditional celebrations, has now turned into an ordinary day. Click here
Afghanistan International: Local sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban prevented Shia Muslims from holding Eid al-Fitr prayers in some areas of Kabul. According to the sources, most Shia Muslims observed Eid on Saturday, but Taliban forces were deployed at the entrances of Shia mosques, including in western Kabul, to block the prayers. Click here
The Guardian (UK): The shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban’s new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of
NPR: Girls dressed as boys has been documented for centuries in the patriarchal society of Afghanistan. It even has a term: a girl who disguises her gender is called a bacha posh — literally “dressing like a boy.” Bacha posh girls have long captured the imaginations of Westerners in Afghanistan. It was addressed in the