Strayer University
Rockville Campus
Sociology of Undeveloped Country
SOC 300
First Movie Evaluation
OSAMA
Submitted to:
Dr. M. Nazer
Saba Kewani
05/01/2013
The Women of Afghanistan: Culture and Educational Suppression
In many parts of the world, the laws of a country are dictated by traditional customary practices and religious influence. Religion can heavily influence cultural practices, laws and in particular the extent of rights bestowed upon its citizenry. In Afghanistan religious beliefs dictate the way and the type of laws enforced upon men and women differently. Men are afforded a number of rights denied to women who include voting, driving, style of dress and education to name a few.
The movie, Osama, describes how women are treated and what they go through to ...view middle of the document...
Subsequent to Afghanistan’s independence from Great Britain, King Amanullah in 1919 adopted reforms to enhance women’s rights overall including women’s right to education.
This endeavor was short-lived as opposition to the women’s movement grew and King Amanullah was over-thrown in place of a government that brought about conservative reforms under new leader Nadir Shah. Despite the set back, women’s right to education maintained and moved slightly forward from 1933-1973 under the rule of King Mohammed Zahir. By the 1970’s, women represented nearly 60% of attendees at Kabul University and the women’s education movement appeared to be thriving.
However, this effort was severely compromised during the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan from 1979-1989. The country was war-torn and suffered both economically and socially. Moreover, it allowed for the formation and development of small religiously conservative factions within Afghanistan. Upon the conclusion of the Soviet occupation these same religious factions were left to scrap for political control and soon came to dictate laws and cultural practices under newly prescribed religious conservative policies.
By 1992, the Taliban emerged amongst the competing religious factions as the political leaders in Afghanistan. They enforced new prescribed reforms that significantly limited rights to women as a whole especially in education. This continued until the United States intervention in 2001 that led to the removal of the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan.
The end of the Taliban also meant the conclusion of an era that represented harsh legal practices of biased laws that prevented the advancement of women. It is a lesson learned not only for Afghanistan, yet the world.
Reference:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/flying-down-to-kabul/women-in-afghanistan/education/2200/
