The treatment of women in Afghanistan is a subject that
          the Western Media and Feminists have concentrated their
          ideological warfare efforts on. They have based their
          'reports' and analyses on a number of interviews with
          Communist women, whose idea of 'freedom' is similar to
          the freedom given to women in the West, i.e. that all
          women should make all parts of their bodies available to
          men to view and use; that in order to be good you must
          look good (thus creating an inferioriety complex and
          problems such as Anorexia eating disorders in young
          women who cannot accept that they do not look like
          beautiful models) and the use of naked and half-naked
          women to sell everything from cars to toilet paper. It
          is important to look at the policies of the Taliban as
          regards women and the facts in the country itself, as
          reported by independent journalists.
 

          Women's Life Conditions Presently and Under Rabbani
          Regime
 

          The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is fully committed to
          the social, cultural and economic development of women.
          The government has been able to protect the honor, life
          and property of Afghan women. Contrary to the situation
          under the Rabbani regime, women can now be outside their
          houses safely without the fear of being kidnaped, raped
          or looted. They no longer fear conditions that were
          common during the Rabbani regime. According to amnesty
          international reports of 1992-95, women in Afghanistan
          bore the brunt of the atrocities by the Rabbani regime
          and other armed factions. Irresponsible commanders and
          gunmen not only violated the honor of women by raping
          them but mutilated women's bodies and in many cases, cut
          their breasts etc. Similarly, common was murder, torture
          and execution of our people by the armed factions. Due
          to the intolerable atrocities, the Taleban Islamic
          Movement emerged to deliver the defenseless Afghan
          people from the cruel hands of the warlords. One should
          ask oneself, is women's freedom to be raped with their
          breasts cut, or is it to freely live their lives without
          fear of even comments being made at them.
 

          The former regime that did not serve the country had
          employed women in a number of sectors without any real
          need. Some of them were used just for the sexual
          entertainment of the bureaucracy. Due to the ineffective
          and immoral institutions, they have temporarily been
          relieved of their duties. The government pays them their
          salaries regularly. But women whose work is really
          needed, are still working in the health, education and
          security sectors. As conditions in the country improve,
          so will, doubtlessly, job opportunities for women.
 

          Restoration of Women's Safety, Dignity and Freedom
 

          Being highly concerned about the well-being of its
          female citizens, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,
          soon introduced measures to put a stop to the miserable
          living conditions under which the women lived in Kabul.
          After the communists took over in Kabul, they began to
          exploit women for the purpose of advancing their
          political and social agendas. In spite of war condition
          in the country and with no work in the offices, the
          communist regime forced a large number of women to
          attend government offices only for their amusement.
 

          The Islamic Emirate decided to pay the salaries of these
          women at their homes, so that they could stay home and
          take care of their families and children. The purpose of
          this policy is to help revive the Afghan family and
          household, as the foundation of the Afghan society, a
          foundation that was intentionally destroyed by the
          communist regime.
 

          The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is determined to
          provide educational and employment opportunities for the
          women of Afghanistan, as soon as the security and
          financial circumstances under which the Islamic Emirate
          operates allow such a step to be taken. In the meantime,
          the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will try to acquire
          the resources and build the facilities that would make
          the separate education of women possible.
 

          Observance of Islamic Hejab or the Veil
 

          The enforcement of the code of Islamic Hejab by the
          Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is fully consistent with
          the Islamic beliefs of Afghans and the traditions of the
          Afghan society. Wearing a veil is common among women all
          over Afghanistan. Islam and Afghan tradition attach the
          greatest importance to the honor and safety of women in
          the society.
 

          To comply with the Islamic code of Hejab, as well as to
          reduce the degree of threat to the personal safety of
          women, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is asking the
          women to observe the Islamic Hejab, and cover their
          faces in public. This is a measure that is undertaken
          for the simple reason of protecting the honor, dignity,
          and personal safety of the women in Afghanistan.
 

          Women's Education in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
 

          Based on the holy teachings of Islam, the Islamic
          Emirate of Afghanistan considers education as the pillar
          of a healthy and prosperous individual and social life.
          The Islamic Emirate is determined to provide educational
          opportunities for all Afghans irrespective of gender,
          race, tribe, language, or regional affiliations.
 

          The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers education
          to be obligatory equally for men and women according to
          the tenets of Islam. This is a clear verdict of our
          religion. However, currently the country is in shambles,
          its economic structure destroyed and education
          facilities turned to rubble like much else in the
          country. Afghanistan requires appropriate foreign
          assistance to rebuild every aspect of educational
          institutions. The present war situation imposed and
          fueled by foreign powers diverts from Afghanistan's
          already meager national resources that would be better
          allocated to opening more schools. Larger and more
          centrally-run schools in urban areas present the
          greatest challenge. Secondly, the Afghans do not trust
          the communist-style curriculum. We have to restore the
          trust of the common people in government-run education.
          We also need to compile a new curriculum that will
          answer to the needs of our society. Thirdly, the war has
          created a huge brain drain in all sectors including
          education. In order to successfully tackle restoration
          of educational, economic, political and social
          institutions, the government wants to attract Afghan
          professionals and intellectuals living abroad. We want
          them to take part in the reconstruction of their
          country. Without their full participation in the
          rehabilitation and development efforts, the Islamic
          Emirate will not be able to tackle these issues
          successfully.
 

          The conditions today for the implementation of a sound,
          effective, and Islamic educational program for the women
          of Afghanistan are nonexistent. Over ninety percent of
          school buildings have been ruined by the war. Qualified
          teachers have left the country. School books are full of
          communist propaganda and indoctrination material.
          Because of past abuses of the educational system for the
          purpose of propagating atheist ideology and ideas, the
          great majority of Afghan fathers and mothers have lost
          faith in schools and secular education. Last but not
          least, in spite of its deep desire to activate the
          schooling system in the country, the Islamic Emirate of
          Afghanistan has been facing great difficulties in
          securing the financial and physical resources needed to
          provide security for the schools, reconstruct school
          buildings, print new books, acquire the necessary
          materials and pay for qualified and dependable teachers.
 

          The limited amount of resources at the disposal of the
          Islamic Emirate are being used to finance a war that has
          been imposed on Afghanistan by the brazen and open
          intervention of countries such as Iran, Russia,
          Uzbekistan and India. Intervention by these countries,
          and the resulting terrorist activities launched against
          the innocent men and women of Afghanistan by groups
          affiliated to these countries, have made the task of
          providing security for schools and public buildings,
          particularly girl's schools, extremely difficult.
 

          Currently Operating Girls' Schools
 

          Despite the limited economic resources of the Islamic
          Emirate of Afghanistan to fund educational institutes,
          universities in Qandahar, Kabul and Nangrahar provinces
          are operating as usual. Several NGOs have been allowed
          to fund schools in Afghanistan, besides the schools
          funded by the government.
 

          Contrary to reports about girls education in the press,
          the figures obtained from the education sector in
          Afghanistan, reveal that girls education in rural
          Afghanistan is increasing. According to a survey
          conducted by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
          (SCA), almost 80 per cent of the girls schools located
          in rural areas under the administration of the Islamic
          Emirate of Afghanistan are operating in full swing. Ms.
          Pia Karlsson, education advisor at the Education
          Technical Support Unit (ETSU) of SCA, said in a recent
          interview published by the Frontier Post, a Peshawar
          based English daily that only in Ghazni province, where
          the Islamic Emirate under the leadership of TIMA has
          control for the last two years, approximately 85 per
          cent of the girls are still in schools. Ms. Karlsson
          says, "The picture outside the cities is totally
          different."
 

          The SCA which has been supporting elementary education
          in Afghanistan since 1984, currently supports 422 boys
          schools, 125 girls schools and 897 mixed schools
          (co-education) in the forms of primary schools and home
          schools. During the survey, she concentrated on 100 SCA
          supported girls schools in the nine provinces: Kabul,
          Kunar, Laghman, Ningarhar, Ghzani, Logar, Paktika,
          Paktya and Wardak. All these provinces are under the
          administration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
          According to the survey, female attendance was at 94 per
          cent and of the 7834 girls enrolled, 7341 were found
          present. More significantly, at least 170 female
          teachers were found teaching in these schools.
          Similarly, in Kunduz province, 122 schools are operating
          with 390 female teachers teaching at the schools. The
          Islamic Emirate is ready to open girls and boys schools
          with appropriate foreign assistance.
 

          Female Health Sector
 

          Health facilities for women have increased 200% during
          Taleban administration. Prior to the Taleban Islamic
          Movement's taking control of Kabul, there were 350 beds
          in all hospitals in Kabul. Currently, there are more
          than 950 beds for women in exclusive women's hospitals.
          Some hospitals which have specifically been allocated to
          women include Rabia Balkhi Hospital, Malali Hospital,
          Khair Khana Hospital, Indira Gandhi Child Health
          Hospital, Atta Turk Hospital, Kuwait Red Crescent
          Hospital, Contagious Disease Hospital and T.B. Hospital.
          Moreover, there are 32 mother and child health clinics.
          In addition to this, women receive treatment at ICRC and
          the Sandy Gal Orthopaedic Centers. In all these
          hospitals and clinics, women work as doctors and nurses
          to provide health services to female patients.
 

          Please also read Canadian Physician describes Healthcare
          in Afghanistan and American Journalists set the story
          straight on Afghanistan for further independent
          refutations on the ill treatment of women in
          Afghanistan.