Afghanistan

A letter from Afghanistan about Palestine and Israel

We need to emphasize that a reactionary opposition cannot be liberating. The oppressed people of Palestine need to form a democratic opposition in the midst of this war... And if a people-centered and secular government comes to power in Israel, perhaps both sides could live peacefully alongside each other while respecting each country’s territorial integrity.

Afghanistan under the Taliban

On 3 October the Pakistani government ordered that all undocumented foreigners leave the country or face deportation, setting a deadline of 31 October. 25,000 Afghans crossed the border into Afghanistan on 1 November and Pakistani police began raids to remove others. Pakistan has a population of more than 4mn Afghans, of which, according to the Pakistani state, 1.7mn have no papers. Pakistan has received waves of Afghan refugees and migrants following the various political upheavals since the Russians invaded in 1979. Most recently, when the Islamist Taliban movement returned to power in...

Statement by the Anarchist Union of Afghanistan and Iran

This is a statement by the Anarchist Union of Afghanistan and Iran. It is reposted from their Twitter/X, and automatically translated from Persian. There may be errors in the translation. Workers' Liberty does not share or endorse all the views expressed in statements we repost. For our own statement on the war, click here . In recent days, we have witnessed a renewed conflict in the Palestinian region and the attack of the Islamist group Hamas on the lands under the control of the Israeli government, which was unprecedented in the past years or even decades. The incident that shows more than...

Afghanistan 15 months on

It is now 15 months since the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan and the chaotic final departure of Western military transport planes from Kabul airport. The American government under Donald Trump had made an agreement to leave, signed with the militarised, opposition Islamist organisation, the Taliban (and without the participation of the US-backed government of Afghanistan), in Doha, Qatar, in early 2020. Terrified people — many of whom who had worked for the Western militaries, NGOs or embassies — attempted to get out on the final planes. Tens of thousands were abandoned and...

Women's Fightback: Taliban ban women actors

The Taliban have banned dramas and soap operas which include women actors. This comes as part of newly announced directive from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The Taliban also called on women television journalists to wear the hijab when presenting. The Ministry called for banning films or programmes that were against Islamic and Afghan values, a vague formulation. “These are not rules but a religious guideline”, ministry spokesman Hakif Mohajir told AFP. Afghan television channels have offered a wide range of programmes — outside of news the most popular have...

Support Afghan women against the Taliban

Following the announcement that almost all foreign troops would leave Afghanistan by September, the Taliban has made rapid territorial gains. Within a month they had taken Kabul and on Saturday 11th September (at the time of writing), had raised their flag over the presidential palace to mark the beginning of the newly formed Islamic emirate. Tens of thousands of Afghans, who fear Taliban reprisals, have tried to flee the country and thousands have headed to the airport to get on flights out of the country. However, now, the borders are largely closed. Workers’ Liberty has never supported the...

A feminist speaks from inside Afghanistan

Mariam is an activist in the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), living in Afghanistan. Women’s demonstrations started in the first week of full Taliban rule, particularly in Herat and Kabul and other cities. In these cities at least, women previously had some basic rights, like having jobs and going to school and university. These were small demonstrations, mostly dozens rather than many hundreds or thousands. But they took place in a lot of places, and that showed the power and strength that women in Afghanistan have. Some were attacked by the Taliban. A lot of...

Afghan sportswomen abandoned

Kelly Lindsey, former head coach of the Afghanistan women’s football team — and before that, US international player — spoke to supporters before Lewes FC women’s home friendly against West Ham on 22 August. She has been working to secure safe evacuation of footballing women and girls from Afghanistan, along with the director of women’s football, a human rights lawyer and FIFPRO (the international professional footballers’ federation, their trade union body). “For seven days straight we’ve created a team in the US, a team in Australia, a team in Europe, we have passed the baton all day and all...

Run

A verse by Janine Booth Her cover drive and how she ran are now haram under the rule of the Taliban Can she stay in? For sure she can She can’t be out without a man in ancient, new Afghanistan She’d tackle assumptions and she’d score but won’t be playing any more She’s fallen foul of holy law Her parents murdered, house burned down She grabbed her sisters, fled the town and walked two hundred miles of ground To reach a place they might take flight to wait at the gate and hope despite the odds that there’s an end in sight While those who gave the battle orders to storm across a nation’s borders...

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