Opinions
Extreme Poverty in Afghanistan: Selling Girls to Survive
By Zulikha Akrami
A dowry or ‘bride price’ may supply a welcome income for a girl’s family in times of economic hardship. But what is the outcome of the dowry? The right to marry or not to marry is a human right. Despite the accepted international...
Buried Beneath the Taliban: Women's Struggle for Freedom under Taliban's Gender Apartheid
By: Mujtaba Haris
During the past 18 months, Afghanistan has faced an array of complex challenges following the ascension of the Taliban to power. Among these pressing issues that have gained national and international attention are grave human rights abuses, particular...
The Past, Present and Future of Afghanistan’s LGBTQI+ Community
By Nemat Sadat
When the Afghan government collapsed in August 2021, the world stumbled in disbelief as footage of the Taliban storming the Arg (presidential palace), as well as Afghan refugees falling off the wings of airborne planes emerged. People had not seen so...
Resisting the Shadow of Gender Apartheid: The Struggle for Women's Rights in Afghanistan
By Fatima Faizi
For decades, Afghanistan has been a challenging environment for women who are plagued by gender inequality and a deeply entrenched patriarchal system. The 1990s marked one of the darkest periods in the country's history, as the rise of the Talib...
Iran, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban; Close Relations between Shiite and Sunni Fundamentalists: A Strategic Move or a Matter of Expediency?
By Rahmatullah Nabil
In this commentary, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former Head of the National Directorate of Security of Afghanistan (2010-2015), discusses the relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
The appointment of two promi...