Women’s Rights Should not be Considered a Project

Some researchers believe that although women’s rights have become part of political and social literature, it is usually treated as a project.

In an interview with the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (hereafter referred to as “Network”), Mr. Dehzad said that fulfilling promises with regards to women’s rights should be a priority. He added that many organizations are established for protecting women’s rights, but have not been able to address women’s problems. The main reason is that these organizations have been treating women’s rights as projects rather than process.

Network: Given the ongoing peace talks and the issue of women, what issues should be addressed with regards to women?

Dehzad: First, the issue of the meaningful presence of women should be seriously considered. Second, if the issue of women’s rights and the implementation of commitments with regards to these rights are not discussed directly with the Taliban, discussions after the peace talks’ conclusion will be ineffective. The Taliban claim that they consider women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law, but one has to ask on what basis this framework is set. Is it based on the Quran or the behavior and beliefs of the Taliban? The Taliban have their interpretation of women’s rights which does not conform with any Islamic country. Therefore, these arguments should be presented clearly and explicitly, not in the form of general issues that need to be interpreted.

Network: What effect does the presence of women in the peace process have on the position of the Taliban?

Dehzad: There is no doubt that the presence of women in the peace process is influential. It is important for the Taliban to live up to their beliefs, and are not afraid of criticism and opposition from the people and the international community. Nevertheless, the presence of women certainly prevents the one-sided and anti-feminist plans and stances of this group. Of course, a number of women who have participated in these talks have a mission to defend the project of the Republican authorities, rather than defending the political status of women. On the other hand, the Taliban’s approach to women has a religious origin. I wish the majority of those who attended the Doha meeting had the ability to defend women’s rights through Islamic theology. But in any case, the presence of women in these talks is important, at least for women to face the Taliban and discuss their demands with the Taliban to show that Afghanistan has changed.

Network: What is your assessment of what has happened so far in the peace talks?

Dehzad: In my opinion, from the very beginning the talks started in the absence of the Afghan people and even the current rulers of the country. Even to this day efforts are made to conceal the details of negotiations, the reason being the United States, the Taliban, and the government of Afghanistan. Historical experience shows that any movement that has taken place in the absence of the Afghan people has not had a favorable, sustainable, and strategic outcome. Even today, the issue of the Doha talks is not clear to the people, some believe that these talks are the end of semi-democratic democracy, women’s freedom, freedom of speech, media, and some other achievements in Afghanistan. Some are worried about the return of the Talabani Emirate, but others believe that in the current era, the emergence of the Talabani Emirate with the approach of the past is impossible. I believe that the talks in Doha, like the war in Afghanistan from the past to the present, is a “project” and ultimately has nothing to do with the lives and peace of the Afghan people. Looking at the last fourteen years in Afghanistan, it can be seen that all systems of government have failed. One of the reasons for this failure was that these governmental systems were projects that came to power on behalf of the Afghan people and the same is true about peace talks. Additionally, the Taliban are an important part of the peace talks. They still do not believe in ethnic, linguistic, and religious pluralism and deny the realities of Afghanistan. The United States, too, is unconcerned with regards to the Afghanistan war and peace; their national interest is important for them. Therefore, the US supports any group in which it finds its interests, and the Taliban is an example of such a group. If the Taliban really wanted to bring peace to Afghanistan, they should have stopped killing people, but that their war machine has become more active.

Network: Do you think that the peace talks will entail any positive outcomes?

Dehzad: I think there will be no positive outcome, but the actors behind the scene will achieve their goals. The Afghan people either accept the injustice, insecurity, the daily killings of people, and empty promises or accept a peace in which at least the killing of the Afghan people and security forces stops. Given the government’s behavior, it seems that they are doing their best to prevent the peace talks from reaching the destination, but they will not succeed because of a lack of support from people. People want an end to the conflict, provided that the Taliban’s view of women changes. If the Taliban are to follow the same model of governance as in the past, Afghanistan is heading for civil war again.

Network: How can peace talks be used as an opportunity for women?

Dehzad: In this regard, there should be national and international pressures to prevent the status and rights of women in the country from falling victim to political games. These pressures should come from real institutions that defend women, political and civil activists, not some who see their political position and power in danger and use women as political leverage.

Network: What is your prediction of the outcome of the negotiations? What restrictions will women face in various areas, including politics and civic activities?

There is not a single woman among the members of the Taliban negotiating team, which shows their view of women. They define women’s rights within the framework of the Sharia, according to which women have no duty other than giving birth and cooking at home. They believe that women should be confined within the four walls of their houses. However, if the Taliban accept international law, they will have a specific definition of women’s rights. I believe that without using violence, they cannot put their dogmatic beliefs into practice. There is stronger evidence in the Quran beyond their argument about the limitation of women in the political and social spheres, which shows that the Taliban’s perception alone cannot represent religion, and there are other interpretations too.

Network: What will be the impact of the Taliban’s participation in power on the activities of civil society and women?

Dehzad: If the Taliban can create an inclusive government in collaboration with other political parties, there will be no negative impacts on civil society and women activists. The US might give this group complete control over the political destiny of Afghanistan which is concerning. In that case, since they consider themselves the winners of war against America, they will implement their plans and no one can stop them. Even if they do not openly obstruct the activities of human rights and civil society activists, there is a fear of systematic assassination. There have been experiences of such behaviors in many governments. However, if they create a national government with other constituent groups, it is natural that with the presence of media and civil society activists, they will integrate into such a society.

Network: What guarantees that the Taliban implement their commitments after the peace agreement?

Dehzad: There is no guarantee and the United States has no guarantees about Afghanistan’s internal affairs in the post-conflict government. The Taliban consider themselves the winner of the war and claim that they have forcibly expelled the American forces. When they consider America and its allies defeated, they will have no regard for other political parties within Afghanistan.

He said that the Taliban is an ideological group, and the activities of such groups are not based on political and moral commitment, but on religious duties. He adds that these groups are obliged to implement their beliefs and plans and never think about the consequences of their actions.

Some researchers believe that although women’s rights have become part of political and social literature, it is usually treated as a project.

In an interview with the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (hereafter referred to as “Network”), Mr. Dehzad said that fulfilling promises with regards to women’s rights should be a priority. He added that many organizations are established for protecting women’s rights, but have not been able to address women’s problems. The main reason is that these organizations have been treating women’s rights as projects rather than process.

Network: Given the ongoing peace talks and the issue of women, what issues should be addressed with regards to women?

Dehzad: First, the issue of the meaningful presence of women should be seriously considered. Second, if the issue of women’s rights and the implementation of commitments with regards to these rights are not discussed directly with the Taliban, discussions after the peace talks’ conclusion will be ineffective. The Taliban claim that they consider women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law, but one has to ask on what basis this framework is set. Is it based on the Quran or the behavior and beliefs of the Taliban? The Taliban have their interpretation of women’s rights which does not conform with any Islamic country. Therefore, these arguments should be presented clearly and explicitly, not in the form of general issues that need to be interpreted.

Network: What effect does the presence of women in the peace process have on the position of the Taliban?

Dehzad: There is no doubt that the presence of women in the peace process is influential. It is important for the Taliban to live up to their beliefs, and are not afraid of criticism and opposition from the people and the international community. Nevertheless, the presence of women certainly prevents the one-sided and anti-feminist plans and stances of this group. Of course, a number of women who have participated in these talks have a mission to defend the project of the Republican authorities, rather than defending the political status of women. On the other hand, the Taliban’s approach to women has a religious origin. I wish the majority of those who attended the Doha meeting had the ability to defend women’s rights through Islamic theology. But in any case, the presence of women in these talks is important, at least for women to face the Taliban and discuss their demands with the Taliban to show that Afghanistan has changed.

Network: What is your assessment of what has happened so far in the peace talks?

Dehzad: In my opinion, from the very beginning the talks started in the absence of the Afghan people and even the current rulers of the country. Even to this day efforts are made to conceal the details of negotiations, the reason being the United States, the Taliban, and the government of Afghanistan. Historical experience shows that any movement that has taken place in the absence of the Afghan people has not had a favorable, sustainable, and strategic outcome. Even today, the issue of the Doha talks is not clear to the people, some believe that these talks are the end of semi-democratic democracy, women’s freedom, freedom of speech, media, and some other achievements in Afghanistan. Some are worried about the return of the Talabani Emirate, but others believe that in the current era, the emergence of the Talabani Emirate with the approach of the past is impossible. I believe that the talks in Doha, like the war in Afghanistan from the past to the present, is a “project” and ultimately has nothing to do with the lives and peace of the Afghan people. Looking at the last fourteen years in Afghanistan, it can be seen that all systems of government have failed. One of the reasons for this failure was that these governmental systems were projects that came to power on behalf of the Afghan people and the same is true about peace talks. Additionally, the Taliban are an important part of the peace talks. They still do not believe in ethnic, linguistic, and religious pluralism and deny the realities of Afghanistan. The United States, too, is unconcerned with regards to the Afghanistan war and peace; their national interest is important for them. Therefore, the US supports any group in which it finds its interests, and the Taliban is an example of such a group. If the Taliban really wanted to bring peace to Afghanistan, they should have stopped killing people, but that their war machine has become more active.

Network: Do you think that the peace talks will entail any positive outcomes?

Dehzad: I think there will be no positive outcome, but the actors behind the scene will achieve their goals. The Afghan people either accept the injustice, insecurity, the daily killings of people, and empty promises or accept a peace in which at least the killing of the Afghan people and security forces stops. Given the government’s behavior, it seems that they are doing their best to prevent the peace talks from reaching the destination, but they will not succeed because of a lack of support from people. People want an end to the conflict, provided that the Taliban’s view of women changes. If the Taliban are to follow the same model of governance as in the past, Afghanistan is heading for civil war again.

Network: How can peace talks be used as an opportunity for women?

Dehzad: In this regard, there should be national and international pressures to prevent the status and rights of women in the country from falling victim to political games. These pressures should come from real institutions that defend women, political and civil activists, not some who see their political position and power in danger and use women as political leverage.

Network: What is your prediction of the outcome of the negotiations? What restrictions will women face in various areas, including politics and civic activities?

There is not a single woman among the members of the Taliban negotiating team, which shows their view of women. They define women’s rights within the framework of the Sharia, according to which women have no duty other than giving birth and cooking at home. They believe that women should be confined within the four walls of their houses. However, if the Taliban accept international law, they will have a specific definition of women’s rights. I believe that without using violence, they cannot put their dogmatic beliefs into practice. There is stronger evidence in the Quran beyond their argument about the limitation of women in the political and social spheres, which shows that the Taliban’s perception alone cannot represent religion, and there are other interpretations too.

Network: What will be the impact of the Taliban’s participation in power on the activities of civil society and women?

Dehzad: If the Taliban can create an inclusive government in collaboration with other political parties, there will be no negative impacts on civil society and women activists. The US might give this group complete control over the political destiny of Afghanistan which is concerning. In that case, since they consider themselves the winners of war against America, they will implement their plans and no one can stop them. Even if they do not openly obstruct the activities of human rights and civil society activists, there is a fear of systematic assassination. There have been experiences of such behaviors in many governments. However, if they create a national government with other constituent groups, it is natural that with the presence of media and civil society activists, they will integrate into such a society.

Network: What guarantees that the Taliban implement their commitments after the peace agreement?

Dehzad: There is no guarantee and the United States has no guarantees about Afghanistan’s internal affairs in the post-conflict government. The Taliban consider themselves the winner of the war and claim that they have forcibly expelled the American forces. When they consider America and its allies defeated, they will have no regard for other political parties within Afghanistan.

He said that the Taliban is an ideological group, and the activities of such groups are not based on political and moral commitment, but on religious duties. He adds that these groups are obliged to implement their beliefs and plans and never think about the consequences of their actions.