4/15 blog

A new law was signed in Afghanistan taking away many of women’s rights, and reminding the country of the oppression of the Taliban. The bill that was recently passed through congress and signed by the president is extremely controversial, making things like marital rape legal and not letting women go to school without their husband’s permission. Afghani women staged a protest demanding their rights.
The protest, staged in Kabul, was somewhat successful in creating more discussion about the law. President Karzai has received a lot of resentment from the US and other countries for signing the law, and has said he is considering changing some of the most controversial parts. Some people believe the president only signed the bill to win the favor of the Shiite clergy, as Mr. Karzai is up for re-election this year. The women who participated in the rally, though, are adamant about gaining their right. Men gathered to call them whores, and support the bill, saying they do not want NATO and other countries affecting how they treat their women.
I think the laws are disgusting. It is obviously a very different culture, but I don’t think we should be supporting a country who makes marital rape legal, and gives the husband all control over his wife. I think the Afghani president is in a tough spot- if he changes the bill, many men in his country will be outraged, but on the other hand, much of the world is again what he is doing.

The American military in Afghanistan is working hard to recruit Afghani men in fighting against the Taliban. They are convincing men to take up arms and defend their own villages against Taliban attacks. The US did something similar in Iraq in enlisting militia men to support their efforts over insurgents, and were very successful. However, some elders of certain villages in Afghanistan are not cooperating like the US wishes.
When the tactic first started, many men enthusiastically joined the US to patrol their villages. The US armed them, since they have been very supportive of the American military’s efforts. However, “The trouble came from the Pashtun enclave of Zayawalat, one of five large villages in Jalrez.” The elders of this enclave have met with American military officials many times, but cannot decide whether to send men or not because of the fear of the Taliban coming after them. The Taliban has been known to kill men and their families who have turned against them.
This is a huge risk for the US. To arm average Afghanis and trust them to do the right thing and fight the Taliban shows a great deal of faith in the militia. It seems to be working though, and hopefully it will really help fight of the Taliban. I think it is time Afghans start taking more action instead of just the Afghani and US militaries, which obviously cannot do it all themselves.

A young couple looking to elope was killed by the Taliban. The man and woman tried to escape because the woman was being forced to marry a man she did not like. The two young people intended to elope, but Taliban officials found out and hunted them down. They were both shot to death publicly in Kash Rud. NATO officials say this was a rural area and not in their region to cover. The officlal said NATO was not responsible for that area and that they have very limited presence there.
Apparently killings like this are very common in the Taliban. I think it is a very twisted, backward way of thinking to kill two people in love because the woman was being forced to marry another man. I find it odd to think no troops were aware of the very public shooting, but it was a very rural area so it is true NATO’s presence there was very limited.