heir god. The Muslim faith also tells us that “individuals should not be judged according to gender, beauty, wealth or privilege” (Mustafa 480). The Taliban believes that woman belong in seclusion in the home, where no man may see them and lust after them. They believe that God has dictated they should remain secluded to gain religious enlightenment. The Taliban Governor of Herat was quoted by Peter Marsden as saying: “It is a matter of pride for all Afghanistan that we have kept our women at home...no other country gives women the rights we have given them...[they] have the rights that God and his messenger have instructed, that is to stay in their homes and gain 3religious instruction in seclusion” (98). Critics of the Taliban however refute the idea that the Qur’an supports such ideals. The representative of the Jamaat-i-Islami political party gave the viewpoint of his party by saying that contrary to what the Taliban believes, the Muslim faith demand that women be educated, and that they ought to be allowed to work provided they observe the Islamic norms of dress and conduct (Marsden 99). The role of women in the Muslim faith changes according to what political party is in question. The Taliban believes that women should be out of sight as much as possible, and when it is necessary that they be in public, that they be shrouded completely. According to the Taliban, women should exist only as shadows, never speaking, rarely seen. Other less fundament groups who follow the Muslim faith say that the education of women id mandatory according to the Qur’an and that woman are equal to men, but ought to retain modesty.Up until the Taliban came to power, women in Afghanistan were active members of the workforce and attended school. Journalist, Jan Goodwin noted that “until the Taliban took over, 70% of the teachers and the students at Kabul University had been female” (110). Female st...
