Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 02:53:45
We should be glad that we were not born in Afganistan,
especially for women...rgs
The Taliban is well on its way to making Afghanistan one of
the most fundamentalist Islamic regimes in the world. In the process,
many activities have been forbidden. Bans include:
No television, music or movies unless they have a religious
theme. No whistling or clapping or cheering in celebrations. You can
only chant Allah-o-Akbar (God is Great). No dancing.
No shorts -- only long pants. Even for athletes.
No photography.
No smoking.
No pork consumption.
No recycling the Koran.
No paper bags (because it might be a recycled Koran.)
No flying kites or playing with pigeons -- it distracts children from
their religious studies.
No Labor Day (May 1). It's a Communist holiday.
No converting from Islam under penalty of death. And there are
special laws, depending on your gender.
Only for men:
No men with clean-shaven faces.
Facial hair has to be long enough that it protrudes from a
fist clasped at the point of the chin -- or you get jail until it grows
back.
No working outside the home, except in limited circumstances like
medicine.
No men without head coverings.
Boys without head coverings are refused access to schools. No
leaving home without a body-covering burqa, or without being
accompanied by a close male relative.
Only for women
No dealing with male shopkeepers.
No formal schooling.
No revealing your ankles.
No treatment by male doctors. (Separate hospitals for men and
women.)
No make-up.
No brightly colored clothes.
No associating with foreign men.
No sex outside marriage under penalty of stoning.
No laughing loudly.
A stranger should not be able to hear your voice.
No wearing high heels, or anything that makes sound when
you're walking.
No driving, if you're foreign.
No performing on TV, radio, or appearing at public gatherings.
No riding bicycles or motorcycles, even when accompanied by a
male relative.
No washing clothes next to a river or any public place.
No going to male tailors.
No transparent windows in houses that have female occupants;
they must be painted over.
No white socks (because they are considered a sexual lure, or
because Afghanistan's flag is a simple white sheet).
