One of the most iconic, most romanticized, aspects of Taliban Afghanistan is the infamous blue burqa. The covering was on the front page of newspapers as a cry for help in the country; the oppression of Afghan women under Taliban rule became a tool by media to gain favoritism for a war in the Middle East. It became a sign of tyranny as it was mandatory for women to wear these pale blue veils that covered the wearer from head to toe. Western media turned these women into passive damsels in distress that needed the aid of foreign power to save them from the oppressions of Islam. What the example of the mandatory burqas should have highlighted is how an interpretation of holy text that is glorified to the point of inaccuracy can lead to a dangerous status quo. It isn't the clothing.
In pre-Islamic Afghanistan, the burqa was worn to showcase respectability and modesty. The idea of covering oneself is seen in any holy text, and in Islam, head or body coverings are personal choices of women as a form of empowerment through their religious interpretations. In Afghanistan, prior to Taliban control, burqas were not common in cities but were still worn around the country, but when the organization rose to power burqas were made mandatory with beatings as punishment to those not abiding. Religious power and freedom, along with women's, was ripped away in hopes of protecting their dignity along with preventing men's promiscuity. Women were not allowed to wear heels for their clicking noises could tempt men. Cosmetics were banned, and if a women were caught wearing nail polish she could risk having her fingers cut from her hand.
Fashion is used as a tool to express oneself and present one's identity, but under Taliban rule it was twisted into a system of rights and wrongs. If a woman wears 'A' she is disgraceful, shameful, unholy. If she does 'B' she is dignified; respectable in the eyes of Allah. This ideology of dictating the fashion and external appearance of women has remained within Afghan society despite the Taliban no longer being predominantly in control. In some regions of the country, women are still forced to wear a burqa and abide to old rules as a means to protect themselves.
There is a fight in modern Afghanistan of traditionalism versus modern westernism. The Taliban may no longer be in power after years of controlling and distributing ideas amongst the Afghan people the influence remains. A war stirs between men and women, old and young, in the hopes of personal interpretation of both scripture and identity becoming a right of women and part of the status quo as opposed to a demand of those in charge.
In pre-Islamic Afghanistan, the burqa was worn to showcase respectability and modesty. The idea of covering oneself is seen in any holy text, and in Islam, head or body coverings are personal choices of women as a form of empowerment through their religious interpretations. In Afghanistan, prior to Taliban control, burqas were not common in cities but were still worn around the country, but when the organization rose to power burqas were made mandatory with beatings as punishment to those not abiding. Religious power and freedom, along with women's, was ripped away in hopes of protecting their dignity along with preventing men's promiscuity. Women were not allowed to wear heels for their clicking noises could tempt men. Cosmetics were banned, and if a women were caught wearing nail polish she could risk having her fingers cut from her hand.
Fashion is used as a tool to express oneself and present one's identity, but under Taliban rule it was twisted into a system of rights and wrongs. If a woman wears 'A' she is disgraceful, shameful, unholy. If she does 'B' she is dignified; respectable in the eyes of Allah. This ideology of dictating the fashion and external appearance of women has remained within Afghan society despite the Taliban no longer being predominantly in control. In some regions of the country, women are still forced to wear a burqa and abide to old rules as a means to protect themselves.
There is a fight in modern Afghanistan of traditionalism versus modern westernism. The Taliban may no longer be in power after years of controlling and distributing ideas amongst the Afghan people the influence remains. A war stirs between men and women, old and young, in the hopes of personal interpretation of both scripture and identity becoming a right of women and part of the status quo as opposed to a demand of those in charge.
It's interesting how, across the globe, external presentation and fashion are used to enforce certain roles of women. Many people (especially in the West) oppose modesty garb tied to the Islamic faith because, such as the Taliban enforced in Afghanistan or the religious police enforce in Saudi Arabia, it it seen as a means of oppression. However, although this idea of modesty is associated with Islamic ideals, even Western cultures tie clothing to ideas of dignity vs. shame. Much of what you mentioned about dress being turned into a system of rights and wrongs was very reminiscent, at least to me, of rhetoric used in the United States by rape apologists. Just as women under Taliban rule choosing to wear makeup or "revealing" clothing could expect to be beaten or lose appendages, so too can a woman in the US who wears a "too-short" skirt be later blamed for someone sexually assaulting her.
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