Part 2: Canada in Afghanistan – What Should Our Role Be?

1. Part 2: Canada in Afghanistan – What Should Our Role Be? Who Are Our Troops Struggling Against in Our Efforts to Help Afghanistan? Is this a fight worth fighting? Key Questions: What is an insurgency? Who are the Taliban?

2. Instructions: Who are the Taliban? • Fill in the following slides which ask questions about the Taliban in Afghanistan by clicking on the following Wikipedia link. • You will also be asked to find school appropriate photos to illustrate the information you will be asked to find. You will have to create hyperlinks to the pages where you found your photos. http://info-wars.org/2009/04/26/american-taxpayers-finance-the-taliban/

3. Who Are the Taliban? • Read the first paragraph on the Wikipedia page about the Taliban and then answer the following questions. • 1. What does the word Taliban actually mean? • The word Taliban stands for “students” in Arabic • 2. When did they form the government of Afghanistan and who forced them from power? • The government of Afghanistan formed in 1996 and continued their reign over Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for five years. After the attacks of 2011 the Taliban were overthrown by Operation Enduring Freedom. At this point the Taliban were forced to Pakistan. • 3. Click on the links for the following concepts and then define them in your own words: • Insurgency • An insurgency as an armed rebellion fighting against a constituted authority because the members of the rebellion were not thought of as belligerents . • Guerilla War • A form of unconstitutional warfare that refers to a conflict in which a small group of fighters including armed civilians uses military tactics to ambush a traditional army. • 4. The Taliban as a social and political “movement” (group) is made up of “volunteers” from which Afghan tribe and people of what neighboring countries to Afghanistan? • While fighting against the Afghanistan army the Taliban were supported by Pakistan, and the Taliban army is composed of members belonging to the Pashtun Tribes . • 5. Where does the US government believe that the Taliban’s headquarters is (city and country). • The US government believe that the Taliban’s headquarters is located in or near the city of Quetta located in the country Pakistan.

4. Taliban Leadership and Organization • 1. Who is considered by many as the current “leader” of the Taliban? • Mohammed Omar • 2. Follow the link to his page and then answer the following questions: • This man is on the US government’s most wanted list for what 3 activities? • Wanted for harboring Osama Bin Laden and the al-Qaeda prior to the September 11 attacks. • Directing the Taliban insurgency against NATO • Lastly he is wanted for the Karzai Administration in Afghanistan. • What is one of the only physical details really known about this man? • He is missing his right eye • How did he get this physical feature? • It is believed that Mohammed Omar lost his eye fighting the soviets as a deputy chief commander in the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i Islami party of Mohammad NabiMohammadi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Omar It is difficult to find pictures of Mohammed Omar because of his role in government. While in control of the Afghanistan government he outlawed cameras and said citizens were to not take pictures so now no one holds possession of a camera and those who do are unable to locate Mohammed long enough to take a picture of him.

5. Origins of the Taliban Scroll down the main Taliban Wikipedia page until you find the heading Origins in order to answer the following questions: • What are the two competing stories about the creation of the Taliban? • One story is that Mohammed Omar had travelled to the Mosque of the Cloak of the Prophet of Mohammed and had been chosen to attain the clock of Mohammed from the various chests under which it was locked. Legend decreed that whoever could retrieve the cloak from its safety inside the chest would be the great leader of the Muslims. • Another story is that Mohammed Omar had been visited by a beautiful lady one night during his dreams. In his dreams the woman had revealed a prophecy that Mohammed Omar must rise up and lead the Muslim people, and to have no fears as God would support him. • THINKING QUESTION: • Of the 2 stories a supporter would choose to believe which one? • A Supporter of the Taliban would choose to believe the story of Mohammed Omar being visited by a beautiful woman because they would see this gift as a prophecy being fulfilled in the eyes of god. • Of the 2 stories an opponent would probably choose to believe which one? • An opponent would also chose to believe the story of the beautiful woman within his dream, bearing of a prophecy, because it is the one that would appear to be less likely. http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/06/chuckie-jiohnson-the-blogger-taliban.html

6. Taliban Treatment of Women • For the following slides please follow this link • Taliban Treatment of Women • Read the very first paragraph and then summarize the Taliban’s quotation about its reasons for harsh treatment of women below: • Based off the Quote taken from a member of the Afghanistan Taliban it can be believed that their reason for treating woman the way they do is that they are trying to save the woman environments refraining the woman from sexual intercourse and to secure the dignity of woman so that they may remain sacred and inviolable. • Under the Gender Policies heading, summarize the 8 points about the treatment of women by the Taliban provided: • Women are not allowed to go out of their homes without a blood relative or a burqa. • Women cannot wear high heels because it may excite a man. • Women may not speak in public because no strangers may hear her voice. • All windows on the first floor of a women’s house must be painted over so that no one may see her from the streets. • Women may not photographed or filmed. • Any words or place references containing the word women were to be renamed. • Women cannot be on balconies of apartments or houses. • Women cannot be on radio, television or at public events.

7. Dress Code and Mobility • 1. Scroll back up the page to find the definition of “mahram”. • A Mahram is an unmarriageable relative with whom sexual intercourse would be considered incestuous and a punishable taboo. • What are some other restrictions that women faced regarding moving around the cities and countryside in Afghanistan under the Taliban? (3) • Women are not allowed to ride on bicycles or motorcycles, regardless if they are with their mahram. • Women may not ride in taxi’s without a mahram. • Buses were segregated to prevent woman and men from traveling on the same bus. • Why would an all girls’ orphanage be practically a prison under this system? • The girls’ in the orphanage would not have access to a mahram so they would not be able to leave the house, ever see a man or show any skin. • Dress code stuff: • What is the name for the traditional outfit that women had to wear in Taliban Afghanistan? • Hijab • Burqa • What was the main reason for this strict control of women's’ dress? • The men did not want other men to be able to see the women so they had to cover their bodies from head to toe in fear that sight of the woman would excite other men. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban_treatment_of_women#Gender_policies

8. Employment and Education • Were women allowed to work at all under the Taliban rules (tricky question)? • The Taliban banned women from being able to work in almost every division of work. Some women were allowed to stay and work at hospitals, were they could treat other woman and only as necessary. Many women quit their jobs because of fear of the Taliban and the segregated transportation. Few women were also allowed to continue work with the humanitarian workers but did not stay because they would be beaten if they walked by a man. • What industries were particularly hit hard by the Taliban’s work policies for women? Pick 2. • First the education employment was hit hard because almost every school had employed women. • Healthcare suffered significantly as they also lost a majority of their work force and it became a significant obstacle to the work of the male doctors and Taliban. • Were women allowed to be educated under Taliban law? What age did they have to stop going to school? • They were only allowed to be educated under Taliban law until they were the age of 8. After that age women could no longer receive an education. • Find the quote that illustrates that the Taliban actually thought that they had increased women’s rights in Afghanistan. • Iranian interview “no other country has given women the rights we have given them. We have given women the rights that God and His Messenger have instructed, that is to stay in their homes and to gain religious instruction in hijab.”

9. Health Care and Forced Confinement • Give 2 reasons it was really tough for women to receive health care when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. • Women were unable to receive health care because they could not have a male doctor and after the Taliban had implemented its laws against women employment finding a female doctor was virtually impossible. • Women were also unable to easily access healthcare because they had to travel long distances in order to access a ante-natal clinics, the number of which were actively declining. • A study done in 1991 concluded that roughly what percentage of Afghan women they surveyed were showing signs of mental distress and depression? • 97% of women had severe depression. • 71% of women had a decline in their physical well being. • Describe 3 other cultural prohibitions that were imposed on women or about women if Taliban ruled Afghanistan • Any place names including the word women had to be changed. • Women were forbidden to laugh as strangers should not hear her voice. • Women were also prohibited from participating in sports or sports clubs.

10. Punishments for Breaking Taliban Laws • Read the information about the types of punishments women (and men) were subjected to in Afghanistan during the Taliban’s rule and summarize 2 extreme examples below: • In 1999 a mother was executed in front of 30,000 spectators in Kabul’s Ghazi stadium, the punishment was in retaliation to her allegedly murdering her abusive husband, she did not claim innocent to protect her daughter. • Bibi Aisha was thrown into a tribal group known as baad. When Bibi attempted to flee from baad the Taliban officer who found her cut off her ears and nose, leaving her in the mountains to die to show an example to any girls who may also attempt to flee. • Who is the woman in the photo on this part of the web-page? • Zarmina • What is happening to her? • Publicly executed in from of 30,000 people • Where is it happening? • Kabul’s Ghazi Stadium • What crime is she accused of? • Murdering her Abusive husband. • What happened to her for 3 years before this event? • She had been imprisoned and extensively tortured . • What organization took the film this photo is a screenshot from? • RAWA

11. Women’s Resistance to the Taliban • Explain what the Golden Needle Sewing School was. • It was an underground school for women in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. • How did women “sneak in” 2 details. • Women would bring bags of fabric and sewing materials with books underneath claiming that they were learning to sew. • They would have children playing outside who would come and alert them if the Taliban’s religious police were to be close. • Why was the area that this school was in one of the most oppressed by the Taliban? 2 reasons. • Herat was a cultured city so the Taliban continually kept close watch on it. • Also because the Shi’a resided there and they oppressed the Taliban. • What is RAWA? • Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. • Who was the founder of RAWA and what happened to her? • Meena Keshwar Kamal was the founder of the RAWA • She was assassinated on February 4, 1987 • What does RAWA work for? 3 main things. • They aim to involve the women of Afghanistan in political and social activities aimed at gaining human rights. • They also promote secular democracy. • RAWA also strives for multilateral disarmament.

12. Now that you know … • Write a personal reaction on this slide (3-4 sentences) in which you express your opinion about the treatment of women in Afghanistan by the Taliban. How does it make you feel? Why? • I believe that the treatment of women in Afghanistan is a disgusting and unjustifiable way to treat a human being. Based off my knowledge of the Taliban’s laws I am revolted and angered because women are people just as much as men are and should be able to significantly contribute to the society not be treated like a baby producing machine. The Taliban is a terrorist group with illogical explanations for the reasons they treat women how they do and I believe they should all be lined up an shot.

13. Do we … • As citizens of a country in which we are relatively free, safe, and equal do we have the responsibility to help places like Afghanistan become more like us? Why or why not? Explain your answer in 3 – 4 sentences. • As a member of the United Nations, a group that supports the access of basic human rights to all individuals I believe it is our responsibility to appeal and reach out to the countries such as Afghanistan that have women who are unjustly treated. Canada is a peace keeping country and part of keeping the peace is our responsibility to have all individuals treated fairly and equal, although it is the Taliban’s religious belief that they are helping women we should do our best to educate them in women’s rights and do what we can to help the Afghanistan women.