@
newjaninev2 Thanks for the link. I've been seeing some of the coverage. I don't believe in religion, but I also believe I don't have an answer to life's mystery, so I am not going to judge those who believe in religion, as long as they're not imposing it on others.
Some Afghan women genuinely believe it is their religious duty to wear the full coverage Burka. I've read the Qur'an, and while I know there is no explicit instruction to do so, it's a common belief. As in, trying to point out to someone that they're inventing something, relative to something that was invented itself (religion), would be somewhat ironic.
I don't believe the Taliban have changed their ways, but the restrictions they implemented in the past, are driven mostly by local customs, not religion itself. This goes for most of the country, but not necessarily Kabul. By that I mean women viewed as an accessory, whose role is limited to cooking and reproducing, not education or careers.
If the Taliban is willing to allow women to continue getting an education, though in separate facilities, then it would be no different from Saudi Arabia. Not ideal, but after 20 years, we have positive proof that we cannot socially engineer "progress" the way we envision it.
I understand the claim that some of the anti-Taliban make: this is a religion imposed on us by Arab invaders, but 1,000 years later, it's hard to make that argument stick.
