MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan: The fall of the Taliban has brought an unexpected windfall to stall-holders in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, sales of burqas are sky-rocketing.
The burqa, an all-encompassing garment women were forced to wear by the Taliban, was seen as a symbol of the oppression exerted by the fundamentalist regime. But now the Taliban have been driven from power, sales could not be better,said a delighted Udut Qarizada at his stall in the Mandavi market in central Mazar-i-Sharif, the main city on the northern plains.
"Under the Taliban, I sold approximately 50 per day, now it's up to 120-140," he said, as the generator providing electricity to the market stopped and started in a sign that not everything was perfect. Mondays and Thursdays are best for sales when villagers descend from the surrounding mountains to do their shopping in this city of about 200,000 people.
I sell much more burqas than before because the women are now free to go out alone and choose their clothing for themselves," another stall-holder Karim Wahid, 28, said. He carries a stock of 1,000 burqas, in blue and in white, and said he was selling "100-120 a week compared to 10 in the time of the Taliban," who were driven out of the city by Northern Alliance ground forces on November 7.
With the lifting of the strictly enforced Taliban laws, which banned women from working and from going outside unless accompanied by a male relative, Wahid finds he has "more sales and thus more money."
In his office several blocks away, city mayor and former fighter Ishaq Raeguzar said one of the first directives after the Taliban fled was "to give women permission to work everywhere, including in official organisations."
This order, plus the arrival of international aid, the presence of many humanitarian organisations and the return of refugees from Iran and Pakistan gave a small boost to the economy. Schools for girls, music and kites, all prohibited under the Taliban's puritanical interpretation of Islam, have reappeared in the rejuvenated city but the burqa remains essential for most women at present.
"Give me security, then I will remove my burqa," said 40-year-old Nasrim. Hidden beneath her white garment, with a small mesh area in front of the eyes to look through, she told of crimes by the soldiers now in control of the city after the Taliban left and before the arrival of foreign troops.
One thing the Taliban didn't take into account: Women like to shop!! Take away their right to work and you're asking to cripple the economy. It wasn't necessarily the clothing that made them feel oppressed, it was the law that said they had no choice but to wear that clothing. That feeling of freedom is a basic human right, and when Islam is not forced down our throats, the vast majority of us will follow the sharia and sunnah, because we know it's the best for us.
One thing the Taliban didn't take into account: Women like to shop!! Take away their right to work and you're asking to cripple the economy. It wasn't necessarily the clothing that made them feel oppressed, it was the law that said they had no choice but to wear that clothing. That feeling of freedom is a basic human right, and when Islam is not forced down our throats, the vast majority of us will follow the sharia and sunnah, because we know it's the best for us.
Actually Women Were Working According to various Western CBS Producer Eyewitnesses and Other Officials who had visited Afghanistan under the Taliban Era,
"Give me security, then I will remove my burqa," said 40-year-old Nasrim.
It’s sad that we have to hear this from a Muslimah.
“Even if it was not imposed by the Shari’ah, Hijab is a natural demand. Honour dictates that women adopt Hijab. Everyday we hear of the increasing evil consequences of non-observance of Hijab, but people refuse to come to their sense. Shame and honour have taken flight from people. It is indeed an act of mercy that the Shari’ah has commanded the observance of Hijab.” (Saying of Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Saheb Thanvi (ra))
The ejection of a Canadian Muslim girl from a soccer game for wearing hijab has triggered a heated debate in Quebec with the provincial government defending the red card and Muslims and teammates backing the girl, The Gazette daily reported on Tuesday, February 27.
"What it does, tragically, is it allows for a lot of anti-Muslim sentiment to rise again," said Alia Hogben, head of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
Muslims make up nearly two percent of Canada's some 32.8 million people and Islam has become the number one non-Christian faith in the country.
A recent poll showed that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are proud to be Canadian and that they are integrated and more educated than the general population.
Christ will never be proud to reject to be a slave to God .....holy Quran, chapter Women , 4: 172
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks