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Making Visible the Afghan Men Who Are Working for Women’s Rights and a Gender-Just Society

Despite a general tendency among Afghan men to view their female compatriots as overly entitled, many men are beginning to stand up and take action to support women’s rights and a more just model of society – for all.

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Dr Farooq Yousaf and Hareer Hashim
11 April 2022

Analyses on women’s rights and gender equality in Afghanistan have historically depicted a clear binary: patriarchal and conservative men resisting aspirational women. Neglected in these analyses are the many men who have spoken up for women’s rights and have worked for a gender-just society in Afghanistan. For instance, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in Afghanistan has had as many as 10,000 active members, out of which nearly 3000 have at times been men. These figures, for many, may come as a surprise. However, these numbers also suggest that while Afghan men are largely judged through the lens of militarised and rigidly patriarchal masculinities, very little attention is paid to the men who, while keeping a low profile, regularly work alongside women activists to achieve gender equality in their country.

Afghan men have historically been broadly portrayed as rugged, violence-condoning, and uncivilised individuals, whose cultural and religious values and norms stand in contradiction to “liberal (western) values”. Even when a recent study found that two-thirds of men in Afghanistan thought Afghan women had too many rights, the media failed to explore the opinions and attitudes of the other third who did not agree.

We should be curious about these men and what motivates them to hold more gender-equitable beliefs and recognise that their stories could encourage other men to stand up for women’s rights.

In the case of WILPF Afghanistan, at least 3000 Afghan men have chosen to join an organisation that has “the advancement of women’s rights” as its very raisons d’être. Therefore, to understand their personal stories and to counter major myths and stereotypes about Afghan men, WILPF spoke to some of its male allies to get a better understanding of their work and motivations. Our interviewees and allies – Dr Fazal Ghani Kakar, Firdous*, and Irshad* – all come from different backgrounds. Their responses, however, are indicative of how assumptions about the “typical Afghan man” can be wrong and why it is important to highlight both our allies’ personal stories and their struggle within a largely patriarchal society.

Dr Kakar is one of WILPF’s allies and co-founder of Nahdlatul Ulama Afghanistan (NUA). His life and work are a counter-narrative to how Islam and religiosity are perceived and how they are often bracketed with violence and extremism in the Global North. This is because his opinions and mission for gender equality are strongly rooted in the “teachings of Islam”. For him, “Islam means peace and stands for solidarity”. In his quest for gender equality in Afghanistan, Dr Kakar works with local youths to promote women’s rights, demilitarisation, and a commitment to peace and reconciliation in the country, and Dr Kakar is not alone. Irshad, whose professional career working in various government and non-government positions spans over two decades, argues powerfully that the Quran and Islam strongly advocate gender equality and education for all.

However, it is not only religion that inspires Afghan men to work for gender equality. Firdous recounts how during his university days in the 1990s, women were not allowed to pursue higher education during the first Taliban regime (1996-2001). He witnessed first-hand how devastating this ban was on his three sisters who were left disappointed and frustrated at not being able to continue their education. He knew instinctively the ban was unfair and it made him question why women, “who were mothers, sisters, wives and made-up half of Afghanistan’s population”, were systematically ignored and excluded by the regime. It was this introspection that played a crucial role in shaping his worldview and set him on the path to becoming a gender rights and gender equality advocate in Afghanistan. For Firdous, working with women activists was like “working with his own sisters”, as they struggled to gain access to financial security, health, and education in their homeland.

These men foresee difficult times ahead. Irshad wants to continue his support for gender equality, particularly “education for all” in Afghanistan. However, due to the current political situation, he is finding it incredibly difficult to pursue his work. Firdous, faces similar challenges as well as constant threats from the Taliban and its affiliates due to his beliefs and activism. Currently, his main focus is on relocating to a safer environment that will allow him to continue his work. Dr Kakar “hopes” that the Taliban’s near-total control of Afghanistan, unlike the previous governments, enables him to travel to other parts of the country and continue his work. His hopes are rooted in his religious network of male and female scholars, who may be in a better position to convince the Taliban, through Islamic teachings, on gender equality. He also encourages the international community to engage with moderate religious leaders, who are respected within their communities, to promote gender equality through Islamic teachings in Afghanistan.

Even though these male allies see the Taliban’s August 2021 takeover as a step back for gender equality in the country, they believe there is still hope and all is not yet lost. Firdous believes the Taliban’s victory should not be regarded as something that “ends all hope for gender equality in Afghanistan”. Instead, for him, it should signify a starting point, especially for young Afghans and human rights defenders working together towards achieving equal rights in the country. On the other hand, Dr Kakar believes that even though the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is extreme and harsh, for him, it is now the responsibility of the international community and civil society organisations to engage with the Taliban and induce a positive change with regard to gender equality. For Irshad, however, the situation is as dire as Firdous fears. Even though he is strong in his resolve to work for girls’ education even with the Taliban in power, he feels that the international community, especially the media, is not highlighting the difficulties male allies like him now face in Afghanistan. He, like many Afghans and particularly women, feels that the international community has abandoned them.

It is due to such feelings of abandonment that the valuable work of male allies for a gender-just society in Afghanistan becomes more important than ever. Women activists in Afghanistan are constantly harassed and detained, and the Taliban, so far, have indicated little flexibility in ensuring civil liberties for women. The international community, particularly Afghanistan’s European partners, have informally started their engagement with the Taliban representatives. This engagement should not come at the cost of a rollback of gains made in the last two decades towards gender equality, especially in education, healthcare, and financial security. Therefore, these gains, according to WILPF’s male allies, need to be consolidated. Finally, even though the country is on the cusp of a major humanitarian disaster, requiring some level of engagement and negotiation with the regime, international partners should not forget and abandon the male allies of feminist peace in Afghanistan. Through supporting these male allies for women’s rights and creating space for them at the negotiating table alongside women, civil society in Afghanistan can work towards a better and more equitable future for women in the country.

*Names anonymised due to the current political and security situation in Afghanistan

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Dr Farooq Yousaf and Hareer Hashim

Dr Farooq Yousaf grew up in Peshawar, Pakistan, and is currently based in Basel (Switzerland) working as a Senior Researcher at swisspeace (Basel). He focuses on Postcolonialism and Gender, Peace and Security in South Asia. He has previously completed his PhD in Politics from the University of Newcastle in Australia, and his book Pakistan, Regional Security and Conflict Resolution: The Pashtun ‘Tribal’ Areas examines peace and conflict resolution on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Hareer Hashim coordinates WILPF Afghanistan’s Countering Militarized Masculinities initiative, building alliances between women peacebuilders and men who work for gender equality. Hareer recently left Afghanistan in August 2021. Her work now focuses on advocating for the rights and protection of human and women rights defenders, whose lives are at stake, especially with the new political regime in Afghanistan. Hareer graduated with honours from the American University in Dubai (AUD), majoring in International Relations with a certificate in Middle Eastern Studies.

Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.