Democracy, tradition collide as Afghan women try to vote

[acmavm]

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9879393.htmjjg

<Snip>

ISTALEF, Afghanistan - Samerra said she wanted to vote for Masoda Jalal, the only Afghan woman running in Saturday's historic presidential elections, because she "would fight for more rights for women."


But Samerra's father didn't agree with her choice. He ordered her to vote for Yunus Qanooni, an ethnic Tajik like him. Samerra's protests went unheard.


In Istalef, a hazy village nestled in the oatmeal-colored mountains of the Shomali Plain, north of the capital Kabul, male-dominated traditions, high illiteracy rates and tribal allegiances conspired to silence the voices of thousands of Afghans, especially women, who'd been eager to vote.


<snip>

Other women couldn't step out of the doors of their homes. In conservative families that believe little in a woman's freedom, to go to a public place to vote would be dishonorable, even unholy.


"We don't allow our women to vote," said Mohammad Aslan, 20, over hot tea and bread in his two-story mud-walled house. "The Quran (Islam's holy book) doesn't allow women to vote. I have five uncles, and they don't allow their women to vote."
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This sounds like an election George would be proud of, doesn't it?

[Heyo]

1. Th repression of women...

..is still so ingrained in that society.. it will take a long time and a lot of effort for that to go away. The Taliban did a huge amount of damage in that regard.

Heyo

[acmavm]

2. Not according to george.

.

[Djinn]

3. the Taliban were able to

enforce "laws" that were so repressive to women BECAUSE the general population agreed with it. It's not like institutionalised misogyny came to Afghanistan on the back of the Taliban - they simply codified what was part of life in the vast majority of Afghanistan anyway - the only time women have been treated equally under the law was under Najibullah and was only really the case in Kabul.