Women Have No Need To Play Sport In the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
"In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this. It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it.""Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed."Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head, cultural commission, Taliban Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
 |
| The Afghanistan players will now train at exclusive female-only centres Afghanistan Cricket Board |
No playing cricket or any other sport in Afghanistan for women. Confirmed by the Taliban who will not permit such a moral outrage on their watch. How could it be otherwise when Taliban have been beating women protesters and reporters covering forbidden demonstrations against their rule, in Kabul. This is a movement that books no challenges. Rules are rules and if they're viewed as hard-line positions on women's rights well, surprise, they are!
Deputy head of the cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq was unequivocal; women must not play sports since they would ultimately be "exposing" their faces and bodies and in so doing breaching "Islamic dress code". "I don't think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket", he informed news sources, when asked specifically about the country's cricket team.
There are now twenty-five female Afghan cricketers who were awarded contracts by Afghanistan's own Cricket Board away back in another era altogether -- November of last year. As far as anyone knows, the women are continuing to receive pay as per their contract. This would be the female Afghan cricketers who are now forced to go into hiding, in Kabul.
But hold on: while the Taliban announced their permission for male cricket teams to carry on, a little wrinkle has surfaced in the smooth sailing they envisage: by banning women's sport, the future of Afghanistan's hugely popular men's teams may be in peril. The International Cricket Council granted Afghanistan full Test match status in 2017.
And this requires all 12 of its full members to ensure the existence of a national women's team. At this juncture, the ICC has plans to poll international bodies with respect to how best address Afghanistan's situation. What is certain is that internationally the broad consensus is that if men can play sport, so too can and should women, a widely accepted and timely nod to equality.
And while the Afghanistan men's team have a Test in Hobart against Australia in November and next month are due to compete at the T20 World Cup, their situation now appears to be rather tenuously uncertain. However, emphasized Mr. Wasiq, the Taliban has no intention of compromising its position. "Even for this, if we face challenges and problems, we have fought for our religion so that Islam is to be followed."
 |
| Afghan girls playing cricket on their school grounds in Kabul ... 2010 Photo |
Labels: Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Taliban, Women's Cricket
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, September 11, 2021
<< Home