The forgotten struggle of Muslim women under the Taliban
The global apathy and lack of international outcry against recent Taliban laws reinforces gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
When the Taliban—the Islamic fundamentalist political group—gained control of Afghanistan in 2021, many of us held our breath, waiting for a prompt and firm response from the international community to protect Afghan women’s rights.
We anticipated a global outcry, substantial sanctions, and on-the-ground intervention. Instead, we’ve seen a disconcerting and discouraging silence. Diplomatic efforts have stalled, humanitarian aid has decreased, and Afghan women’s voices have been effectively stifled.
Since taking power, the Taliban continues to enact regressive laws that ensure women live constrained lives: girls are prevented from attending school after the sixth grade, women are banned from working in most fields, and even simple recreational activities like park visits are prohibited. They are prisoners in their own homes, denied the civil right to exist outside of the domestic sphere.
This is nothing short of gender apartheid. Girls and women are made invisible, outcast, and eventually erased by the Taliban’s system. This is not a cultural or religious issue; it is widespread gender persecution. The phrase “gender apartheid” has already been used to characterize the Taliban’s conduct, but the international response is shamefully inadequate. If the Taliban were targeting people based on race or another creed, the entire world would be appalled. However, because the victims are women—particularly Muslim women—the world turns a blind eye.
So, what has the world said? Almost nothing. The international response, specifically from the Western powers, have acted as if the diplomatic and political rights of Afghan women are not worthy of protection.
One of the most obvious failings in this disaster has been Western feminists’ near-complete silence. We often hear about the significance of intersectionality and fighting for all women’s rights, but where is that passion when it comes to Afghan women? Many of the same Western feminists who are quick to rally around domestic issues seem to fall short when it comes to some of the human rights violations against Muslim women. Global feminism has overlooked Muslim women living under oppressive regimes.
What we are witnessing from world leaders is not passive indifference, but complicity. The unwillingness to confront the Taliban or impose meaningful sanctions constitutes tacit approval of what is happening.
We have tools at our disposal—diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and legal accountability through international courts—but none of them have been fully implemented.
Why? Because it is easier to look away than to confront this challenge head-on.
While some countries and organizations have imposed symbolic sanctions, these are insufficient to combat the widespread gender-based persecution of Afghan women. Similarly, while various feminist and international organizations have released condemnatory statements, the overall response has been inadequate and uneven when compared to other serious human rights issues.
Holding the Taliban accountable for “gender apartheid” and other atrocities is difficult due to a lack of political will and a weak international legal framework. These meager efforts demonstrate how the world continues to disregard the systematic erasure of Afghan women. The international community must work harder to support Afghan women. Global leaders must prioritize Afghan women’s rights in diplomatic conversations, and we need action, not just words. Gender apartheid must be taken as seriously as racial apartheid. If not, Afghan women will continue to suffer. Until the international community takes significant action, the message will be clear: under Taliban rule, Muslim women are not worth defending.
