HERAT_ Afghan women’s rights activists in Herat staged a powerful protest against the Taliban’s latest decree mandating the burqa (chadar) for all women. Afghan women condemned this rule as a violation of human dignity and Islamic principles.
“I Am a Woman, Not a Shadow”
Defying Taliban restrictions, several women gathered secretly in Herat, where they set burqas on fire in a symbolic act of defiance. Holding placards and chanting slogans, they demanded recognition of their identity and freedom.
“I am a woman, not a shadow, don’t silence my voice.”
“Breathing is our right.”
“Blue is not the color of compulsion.”
“The burqa is a cage for a bird that still sings.”
“The sky and I are both blue, but the sky is free.”
Their chants and visuals spread rapidly across Afghan social media, igniting online solidarity campaigns under hashtags like #LetAfghanWomenLive and #StopGenderApartheid.
Civil Society Condemns Taliban’s Misogynistic Order
Afghanistan’s civil society organizations jointly condemned the Taliban’s order as “misogynistic, un-Islamic, and inhumane.” Forcing women to wear the burqa is against Islamic, human, and moral values. Afghan women deserve to live freely, participate in society, and express their identity without fear.”
The organizations urged the Taliban to stop using religion as a pretext for controlling women’s bodies and to align governance with the principles of justice and equality.
Calls for Global Action
Protesters appealed to the United Nations, international human rights bodies, and global feminist movements to take urgent steps against the Taliban’s systemic oppression of women.
“The voices of Afghan women cannot be silenced,” the statement said.
“No decree can extinguish the hope that burns in our hearts.”
They urged world leaders to move beyond symbolic condemnations and impose accountability measures on the Taliban regime for violating international human rights conventions.
Escalating Restrictions on Afghan Women
Since 2021, the Taliban have rolled back two decades of progress by enforcing bans on women’s education, employment, and public participation. Travel without a male guardian and strict dress codes have become new tools of social control. The Herat protest, despite security risks, marks one of the strongest public challenges to the Taliban’s authority by Afghan women since their return to power.
