Video of the Deputy Head of Taliban’s Cultural Commission saying women would not be allowed to play cricket or other sports where they are exposed has sent alarm bells ringing.
Photo: AFP
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Zahra Hussaini is a community advocate, based in Christchurch, who finds this latest development very concerning.
Zahra Hussaini, community advocate, Christchurch Photo: Rami Bahaeldin
"It's heart-breaking for me to see that," she said. "I believe sports play an integral part in women's, or any human's, well-being, whether it's physical or mental."
"[banning sport would] have a very negative impact on women. It's disempowering. I can not imagine what those women are feeling."
Ahmadullah Wasiq, Deputy Head of Taliban’s Cultural Commission, told Australia’s SBS network that Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or the kinds of sports where they get exposed.
"Even if we face challenges and problems, we have fought for our religion so that Islam is followed,” he said.
Cricket Australia responded saying it would cancel an up-coming men's test if the women were banned, but the Afghan Cricket Board says there was a misunderstanding and women would be allowed to play as long as they abide by Islamic dress code.
At this stage, New Zealand Cricket isn’t taking a position on the possible ban, but White Fern Katey Martin expressed her hopes that the Afghanistan women’s team would continue to take part in International Cricket competitions.
Katey Martin Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Many female athletes are not waiting to see what sort of restrictions will be imposed. The national youth football teams evacuated to Pakistan last week.
Amina Hassanpour was already concerned about the changes she was seeing before she was evacuated from Afghanistan and brought to New Zealand.
"The women have not allowed to go to a school even. The women are not allowed to go to bazaar for shopping without a Mahram. We have lost most of our achievements for women," she said.
Amina Hassanpoorin Kabul at a conference and women and peace, 2020 Photo: Subject's own
The Taliban regime has not yet suggested girls will be banned from school, but it has announced some changes to how women will be able to access tertiary education.
Zahra Hussaini isn't sure what to think about it all.
"To be honest, that's a really difficult question to answer for me right now," she said, "because given that what the Taliban stance is currently, claiming that they're going to be supportive of women's rights and everything, but but I think it's far from truth."
Zahra has been involved with organising various Afghani sports teams in Christchurch, through the Christchurch Resilience Foundation, and she studied fashion design at Canterbury University.
"Having to live in a society where you don't have that choice of what you practice or how you dress up as a woman is quite suffocating. And I don't want any Afghan woman to have to go through that wherever they may live."
Children playing football at a Canterbury Resilience Foundation event Photo: Supplied
She’s already hearing very concerning reports about how girls are being treated at schools.
"Even even before this, we had one of the one of the Afghan Hazara girls who had scored the highest mark in Concourse last year. As soon as she got international media attention, she started receiving threats because she's seeking higher education. So imagine what's going to happen now in the current, you know, with the current government coming into power."
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