The Taliban closed high schools, then universities, as well as parks and gyms to women.
It wasn’t strange. Screams of Afghan women Last February, when they called on the international community not to recognize the Taliban unless it lifted restrictions on women and girls, they warned that the Taliban’s record on women’s rights showed that it could not be trusted to improve the current situation.
Because of this worrying situation and the tight restrictions, Sana joins a group of women from her neighborhood in the Afghan capital, Kabul, most mornings after prayers to walk along the main road before it gets crowded with pedestrians. They do not jog or get too close to the many Taliban checkpoints.
Afghan women have called on the international community not to recognize the Taliban unless it lifts restrictions on women and girls. AFP
Women exercise secretly, not for the purpose of competition, but for comfort and tranquility, as the Islamic Movement government prevents women from exercising.
“We cannot approach a checkpoint,” says Sanaa, 25, who uses a pseudonym for fear of being persecuted, like other women. Taliban Because the agents ask why are you out so early? Where are you going? What do you need to exercise for? You don’t have to.”
Since returning to power in August 2021, the movement has been implementing its strict interpretation of Sharia law, particularly restrictions on women, while the United Nations denounces policies that perpetuate discrimination and “gender-based segregation.”
The movement authorities closed high schools and then universities to women, as well as parks, gyms and baths.
Sports clubs previously provided time slots for women, and women-only clubs still exist informally, but they are rare and inconspicuous.
Sanaa and a friend named Latifa were walking around the city’s large, tree-filled parks. The last time Latifa went to the park near her home after it was permanently closed to women, she says she was forcibly removed from it. “Latifa sheds tears as she recalls the incident.”
“The doctor asked me to exercise more because I have high cholesterol and fatty liver, but the Taliban don’t allow us to exercise, go to the gym or walk (freely) outside,” she explains.
Sanaa dreams of becoming a yoga teacher and guides women with her through some light aerobic exercise and meditation after walking.
secret boxing
Forced away from the gym, Ryan and a few fellow boxers visit a friend’s house, using what little equipment they have to train in a society that has traditionally been reluctant to let women play sports.
“We train less, but we never stop,” the 19-year-old says.
Ryan watches a video on her phone of herself training her fists for punches and hooks, reminding her of the avid boxer she used to be.
Bahar, who boxs with her, removes her headscarf in a private garden because of the Kabul heat, and says the restrictions have left her and other Afghan women stressed, exhausted and demoralized.
“When we box, it makes us forget all that for a moment,” adds the 20-year-old, whose husband doesn’t know she still plays the sport.
“Even if we only practice for a few minutes, it makes a big difference,” she continues.
Many female athletes fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power. Several have competed on the international stage, including at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. But they come from outside the country. No country recognizes the Taliban government.
“In Afghanistan, women’s sports have been stopped,” said Atal Mashwani, spokesman for the Taliban government’s sports directorate. “When women don’t play sports, how can they join the national team?”
Banafsha, who holds a black belt in the Chinese martial art of Wushu, expressed mixed feelings about Afghan women’s participation in the Olympics.
The Afghan delegation in Paris included three men and three women, while Afghan women participated under the banner of the refugee team.
“I am happy that the women have not given up yet, they are committed to their goals (…) but I was also sad,” Banafsha said.
“Why can’t they go to the Olympics from within their own country?” she asked.
Banafsha says she burned her gym uniform after the Taliban took power. She can barely leave the house these days, and struggles to motivate herself to train despite “despair and sadness.”
For her part, Hasina Hosseinzadeh, who works at Free to Run, an organization that focuses on empowering women through sports, believes that although there are a number of online training videos and lessons, they do not replace personal training, being part of a team, or exercising outdoors.
Husseinzada, 28, fled to Canada after the Taliban took power.
The young woman has been working with the non-profit since 2018, which continues to support women in Afghanistan to exercise indoors, albeit “carefully and discreetly.”
“No need to think about the Taliban and the rules,” she adds. “Just look at it like it was the Covid era when everyone was doing their exercises at home.”
“We are trying to change their mentality, and we are trying to give them hope,” she says.
