APSN | Women lose out in Afghan clerics' rule

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Women lose out in Afghan clerics' rule

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Emma Graham-Harrison – Women are subordinate to men, should not mix in work or education and must always have a male guardian when they travel, according to new guidelines from Afghanistan's top clerics that critics say are dangerously reminiscent of the Taliban era.

The guidelines appeared in a statement that also encouraged insurgents to join peace talks, fuelling fears that efforts to negotiate an end to a decade of war, now gathering pace after years of false starts and dead ends, will come at a high cost to women.

"There is a link with what is happening all over the country with peace talks and the restrictions they want to put on women's rights," said Afghan MP Fawzia Koofi, who warned the guidelines were a "green light for Talibanisation".

The points agreed to at a meeting of the Ulema Council of clerics are not legally binding. But the statement detailing them was published by the office of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, with no further comment, a move that has been taken as a tacit seal of approval.

"Ultimately, I don't see a way you can read it as not coming from Karzai," said Heather Barr, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It's probably not an extreme position for the Ulema Council, but it's an extreme position for Karzai, and not compatible with the constitution, or Afghanistan's obligations under international law."

The statement drew criticism in parliament, where some politicians took it as a direct assault on the constitution and the wider government.

There were some positive points in the list of women's rights, Ms Barr said. Most notably it denounces forced marriage and the practice of exchanging women to settle family disputes.

But overall, the statement marks a disturbing return to the language and ideology of the Taliban, said Nader Nadery, a former commissioner on Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission.