“Islam, Women and Democracy, Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News”

Under the Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, Afghan women had very little voice and numerous restrictions were placed on their rights and freedoms. These included a ban on women, including women teachers, working outside the home, unless accompanied by a close male relative (brother, father or husband); a requirement that they wear burqa, a traditional dress covering the entire body except for a small screen to see out of; a ban on attending school or any other kind of learning institute, with the exception of pesantren; and a ban on being treated by male doctors and on using contraception.

Their restricted existence began to change with the end of Taliban rule following US military attacks in 2001, and presidential and parliamentary elections in 2004 and 2005.

Since then, the position of Afghan women has improved, and they are able to exercise rights previously denied them. In the 2004 Afghan constitution, women are recognized as equal citizens and are allowed to act freely in public. Afghanistan has also signed the Convention against All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which means that the country has a responsibility to involve women and respect women’s views on law, policy and the day-to-day running of the country. The 2005 general election allocated women representatives 71 of the 241 seats in the Wolesi Jirga (parliament). The constitution says that that the number of women’s seats in parliament must be double the number of provinces in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai has appointed three women cabinet members.

The government has also provided girls and women broader access to the education previously denied them. In this less restricted environment, women are working across the spectrum, as journalists, producers, managers, writers, photographers, film makers, human rights activists, and members of parliament, to name a few.

Some of the remarkable work being done by these women is celebrated in the photo exhibition Women, Islam and Democracy, Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News, which was held at Galeri Lontar, Utankayu 68H Jakarta, on 15 - 24 August 2008.

Yet these women’s lives are not easy, Cultural and religious constraints, and continuing bloody conflict are major problems even today. Women continue to juggle newly-found freedoms with traditional responsibilities at home, and all the while, struggling with the ghosts of their country’s harrowing past and its on-going conflicts.

The very real danger faced by women in Afghanistan who have made names for themselves in their chosen professions is also highlighted in the exhibition. One woman featured is Zakia Zaki, director of Radio Sohl (Radio Peace) in Jabal Saraj, in the north of Kabul. Sohl was the first independent radio station in Afghanistan to go on air after the fall of the Taliban. Zakia was also head of a local girl’s school, and in 2005 nominated herself as a Member of Parliament. The same year, local leaders issued a warning against the station’s broadcasts and, in June 2007, 35-year-old Zakia was killed.

As part of the photo exhibition at Galeri Lontar, Utankayu 68H, Jakarta, from 15 - 24 August 2008, a discussion forum was held about  how Afghan women are finding their voices, and the challenges they face today.

Speakers :

Safia Siddiqi Member of the Afghanistan parliament from the South Eastern province of Nangahar and a former deputy chair of the constitutional Loya Jirga that ratified the Afghan constitution. Ms. Siddiqi has also held high-ranking positions in the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs and as a gender advisor at the Ministry for Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

Najiba Ayubi, writer, journalist, and director of The Killid Group (TKG), which owns five radio stations and two of the most popular magazines in Afghanistan. While Shukria focuses on women in politics, Najiba will look at the lives of women in the media and the challenges that presents. It was   to hear what Najiba, a champion of press freedom, had to say on the challenges facing the Afghan media, particularly in terms addressing issues that affect the day-to-day lives of women.

Siti Musdah Mulia, Indonesian Muslim scholar and human rights activist, Chair of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP), and recipient of the 2007 International Women of Courage Award. Musdah  compared the situation of Afghan women with that of women in Indonesia. She  addressed the challenges they faced and offer insights into how religious leaders in Indonesia (such as those with a pesantren background) are able to conceive ideas and find equal space for women to move in the public eye.

Moderator

Rebecca Henschke is the Editor of KBR68Hs regional current affairs radio program, Asia Calling. From Australia, Rebecca has worked in the broadcast media for over a decade. Before moving to Indonesia, she presented and produced SBS radio’s daily flagship current affairs radio program World View. Rebecca received a United Nations Peace Award for her coverage of the Bougainville peace process and the 2007 radio award from the Alliance of Independent Journalists for her coverage of the impact of palm oil plantations in Kalimantan.

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The photo exhibition was opened to the public from 16-25 August, 10am-5pm, except weekends and public holidays, at Galeri Lontar, Jalan Utan Kayu 68H, Jakarta 13120.

The photo exhibition and discussion are part of the Asia Calling Forum, Jakarta, 13-24 August 2008, organized by radio news agency KBR68H’s regional current affairs radio program, Asia Calling, and the Indonesian Association for Media Development (Perhimpunan Pengembangan Media Nusantara, PPMN).