There seems to be no limitation on suffering caused by the Taliban’s use of terror tactics prevalent in places like Afghanistan and increasingly in Pakistan.
A New York Times article today reports that the Taliban’s most recent tool of terror in Afghani village life is voter intimidation in the upcoming presidential election.
How, you may ask, is the Taliban intimidating voters? With threats of heinous violence, of course.
The article reports that in a village called Taraki, Taliban fighters made the announcement that anyone caught voting in the upcoming election will have his finger cut off, the one that was inked for the ballot cards.
One farmer, named Hakmatullah, said, “We can’t vote. Everybody knows it. We are farmers, and we cannot do a thing against the Taliban.”
Afghanis are being forcefully withheld from exercising their right to determine the path of their nation.
And, as stated above, everyone is suffering.
But, one group of people may be suffering more than others: that group being women.
The Taliban is stripping Afghanis of their voices, and those left the most profoundly mute are women. Under the Taliban they are kept quiet, kept hidden, kept uneducated, and punished most severely if they dare to escape their abusive system.
What is going on in Afghanistan is a national security issue, a human rights issue, and a woman’s issue. It needs our attention, and, hopefully soon, an effective response.
