As the war in Afghanistan enters its ninth year, the need for an exit strategy weighs on the minds of U.S. policymakers. Such an outcome, it is assumed, would involve reconciliation with the Taliban. But Afghan women fear that in the quest for a quick peace, their progress may be sidelined. “Women’s rights must not be the sacrifice by which peace is achieved,” says parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi.
Yet that may be where negotiations are heading. The Taliban will be advocating a version of an Afghan state in line with their own conservative views, particularly on the issue of women’s rights. Already there is a growing acceptance that some concessions to the Taliban are inevitable if there is to be genuine reconciliation. “You have to be realistic,” says a diplomat in Kabul. “We are not going to be sending troops and spending money forever. There will have to be a compromise, and sacrifices will have to be made.”
For Afghanistan’s women, an early withdrawal of international forces could be disastrous.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007238,00.html#ixzz0vRrVD1LS
The comments to the article are fascinating.
Do Episcopal Church feminists like Susan Russell and Katherine Ragsdale care enough about these Muslim women to open their mouths in their defense? Do they lobby for a listening process for women who have been persecuted and are being persecuted this way? Do these so called feminists only consider one preferred segment of society worthy of their attention?