Opinion: Taliban Ideology and Turkey Women's National Volleyball Team

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has added another restriction against women. Alongside barring girls from high school and university, they have now prohibited girls, who, through their own efforts, managed to study abroad, from travelling overseas. That marks the obliteration of the last opportunity for girls in Afghanistan to pursue secondary and higher education.

Outdated Mindset

In Afghanistan, the Taliban's chief preoccupation centres around curbing women's rights. They seek ways to confine women within their homes, isolating them from public life. If the Taliban directed even a fraction of their attention toward the country's pressing economic and social issues, there might have been progress in these areas.

This primitive, antiquated stance of the Taliban towards women stems from the most conservative, regressive, and irrational interpretation of Islam. Today, the Taliban stands as the most stringent exponent of this backward interpretation.

In contemporary times, many Muslim nations find themselves mired in backwardness and dependency on more advanced countries across various spheres. The backwardness of the Islamic world can be attributed to several factors, chief among them being the relegation of women to secondary status, depriving them of their right to education, training, and participation in social and public life. That ranks as the foremost cause of the stagnation of Muslim nations.

The Istanbul Convention

By confining women to their homes and excluding them from public life, Muslim nations harness only half the human potential needed for development. That squanders 50 per cent of the energy vested in women. With such a mindset, how can Muslim societies hope to catch up with their more developed counterparts?

In our era, the paramount duty of Muslim societies is to bestow upon women all the rights outlined in universal treaties and conventions. Despite being the most advanced Muslim nation, even our country may be susceptible to complacency. Our nation's accession to the Istanbul Convention was the correct move, but abandoning it under the pressure and imposition of bigoted factions was gravely misguided. That has led to an irrevocable setback in women's rights. As long as the resistance of bigoted factions against women's rights retains any currency or credibility, no Muslim society can hope to make strides and keep pace with the times.

Reactionist Assaults

Our women's volleyball team, rightfully celebrated as the "Sultans of the Net" for their prowess in their field, faces incessant taunts and threats from religious zealots. Why are they targeted with such taunts and threats? Because they don't adhere to a specific interpretation of dress while carrying out their duties. These individuals fail to recognize the effort exerted by the "Sultans of the Net" to achieve success, or the relentless dedication they invest in their work. Instead, they fixate on superficialities. That is emblematic of an undeveloped, if not regressive, outlook for this day and age.

The closing sentiment of our previous article in these columns, applicable across all times, remains as follows: "The most logical strategy for combating radical Islamist organizations in every Muslim society, unequivocally, is affording women the equality and freedom they rightfully deserve, without any stipulations, reservations, or exceptions."