Women’s rights activists want England to pull out of the cricket match against Afghanistan
The England men’s cricket team will face Afghanistan on February 26 in the group stage of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy.
However, women’s rights activists have called for England to forfeit the match due to Afghanistan’s ongoing complaints of human rights abuses. The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) issued a statement on Monday, calling for the forfeiture of not only the February tournament, but also any sports tournament that will feature the Afghanistan national team.
“The Women’s Rights Network is calling on England to win. In fact, we are calling on our politicians and sports governing bodies to step up. We are asking: [UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer has ordered a boycott of all Afghanistan matches in any sport, i [England Cricket Team] to be deprived of all matches with the Afghanistan men’s cricket team in any tournament, players and coaches to examine their conscience – the women in your families are free to dress as they like, study, take jobs, travel, have bank accounts, speak and sing. . How can you play with a conscience in a country that denies women their basic rights?” the group wrote.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to members of the Labor Party Conference in Liverpool, England on Tuesday. (AP)
“Being proud of the team’s shirt includes being proud of your country’s record of human rights and resistance to dictators who enjoy success in sports. What is happening to the women of Afghanistan is appalling. Any player with a conscience should do the right thing : Play Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan has been under the control of the Taliban since August 2021, after President Biden ordered the withdrawal of American troops. The withdrawal led to the death of 13 members of the American military, and the immediate capture of the country’s capital Kabul by Taliban forces. Another 45 US soldiers were injured, and more than 170 Afghan civilians were killed.
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After the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, 2021, the country’s economy “collapsed,” according to the UNDP, in large part because international funding through government donor schemes, such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, was cut off.
The Taliban takeover has led to the mistreatment of women in the country.
Under Sharia Law, women are not allowed to walk around in public unless accompanied by a male relative. Generally, they are only allowed to leave their house for urgent matters and must wear full veils when they do.
In August, the Taliban rulers issued a ban on women’s voices and naked faces in public under new laws approved by the supreme leader in an effort to combat immorality and promote virtue.
Women are obligated to cover themselves in front of non-Muslim men and women to avoid disfigurement. A woman’s voice is considered intimate so she should not be heard singing, speaking, or reading aloud in public. It is not permissible for women to look at men who are not related to them by blood or marriage and vice versa.
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Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq celebrates with his teammates after being dismissed during the second T20I cricket match between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on December 13, 2024. (Jekesai NJIZANA/AFP)
Women in Afghanistan are also banned from attending secondary school and, as of 2022, banned from studying at all. There are courses available for women through online teaching, but female students are not allowed to take the exams.
In July, a United Nations report He said that this ministry contributes to the situation of fear and intimidation in the Afghan people by using the instructions and methods used to follow them.
“Given the many issues presented in the report, the position expressed by the authorities that this control will increase and increase causes great concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, head of the People’s Organization. rights service of the UN mission in Afghanistan.
The Taliban rejected the UN report.
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