Photo: AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Gett
To protest aTaliban-mandated dress codethat reportedly requires female students, teachers and school employees to cover up and wear black in the classroom and on campuses, Afghan women around the world are sharing photos of themselves in much more colorful garb.
It’s a social media-driven demonstration to show off another side of Afghan culture that the Taliban cannot so easily ignore, these women say.
Twitter searches for “#AfghanistanCulture” and"#DoNotTouchMyClothes" bring up hundreds of images of women donning bright colors in bold patterns.
“This is Afghan culture. I am wearing a traditional Afghan dress,” Dr. Bahar Jalaliwrote on Twitterto caption of photo of herself in a shiny green dress with colorful trim and flowery top. “I am wearing a traditional Afghan dress.”
Jalali, whose Twitter bio says she is a historian and “Founder of the First Gender Studies Program in Afghanistan,” also tweeted in response to a photo of a woman completely covered — including gloves on her hands — in all black.
According to CNN, the Twitter trend was sparked after a photo emerged of female students in all black waving Taliban flags in a classroom at a university in Kabul, the capital.
The Taliban returned to power last month as the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan —ending a 20-year war there on Aug. 31— prompting concerns that the regime would strip away freedoms of Afghans and especially women as they did from 1996 until 2001.
“Our women are Muslim. They will also be happy to be living within our frameworks of Sharia [Islamic law],” a Taliban spokesman said last month even as he insisted the group would be more moderate than feared.
Refugees have fled the country, with more than23,000 arriving in the U.S. alone.
“This is how we dress, period!” Fatima Murchalwrote on Twitteralongside a selfie that shows her long, intricately designed dress in black, red, gold and a green head scarf.
Dr. Fatima Kakkar, whose Twitter bio says she resides in Montreal,shared a photoof nine women and girls in brilliant, bright dresses and wrote, “Proudly wearing in our traditional, colourful, vibrant Afghan clothes.”
“THIS is traditional Afghan clothing NOT the niqab.”
source: people.com
