![Afghan women weave a carpet last year on March 2 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province. [Nasir Almas/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2024/07/02/47000-img_9466-739_416.webp)
MAZAR-E-SHARIF -- Families who have lost their breadwinners in "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) attacks in Afghanistan are now facing severe poverty and hunger.
In addition to losing their main source of income, these families also have to contend with increasing restrictions imposed on women over the past three years that prevent them from working outside the home.
Mazar-e-Sharif resident Masooma Nazari, 35, lost her husband in an ISIS attack on a mosque on April 21, 2022, which killed at least 30 people and injured 90 others.
"My husband was a laborer, but the bloodthirsty ISIS militants took him from us forever in a sacred place," she told Salaam Times.
Nazari now bakes bread and bolani (fried stuffed flat-bread) at home, which her 12-year-old son then sells at the daily bazaars in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Yet the family still faces serious economic challenges, she said.
"I always wonder what the future will hold for me and my children," Nazari said.
Rahima, 36, who only provided her first name for safety concerns, previously worked as a janitor in a government office in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Ever since her husband was killed in the same mosque attack and she was prohibited from working outside the home, she has faced numerous challenges.
"I have no other skills, and even if I did, I still can't work," she said. "Now, putting food on the table for my five children without any income or job opportunities is very difficult."
"Most days, we go without food," Rahima added.
Fear and anxiety
Afghan observers warn of increasing human rights violations by ISIS, especially against ethnic and religious minorities.
"Since August 2021, ISIS-affiliated fighters have carried out numerous attacks in Afghanistan," said Hamidullah Abidi, a political analyst based in Canada.
"Deliberate attacks on civilians constitute war crimes," Abidi said. "ISIS attacks on Hazaras and other religious minorities violate international laws that are also enforceable in Afghanistan."
Families face daily struggles due to fear and insecurity.
"We no longer send our children to school and close our shops before dark to avoid potential ISIS attacks," said Ezatullah, 42, a shopkeeper in Mazar-e-Sharif who lost his 28-year-old brother in the 2022 mosque attack.
"Education is the right of our children, who must go to school to learn, but we do not feel safe," he said.
Gilaman Wazir, a senior member of Pashtun Protection Movement in Pakistan, has died of injuries he has sustained in an attack in Islamabad earlier this week. Manzoor Pashteen, head of “Pashtun Protection Movement” confirmed his death in a speech to the supporters of this movement in front of the hospital where Mr. Wazir is staying. Gilaman Wazir was violently attacked by a group in Islamabad on the evening of Sunday, July 7. Following the attack, Mr. Wazir was admitted to a hospital in Islamabad in a critical condition. His death, who was also known for writing patriotic poems in Pashto language, has caused many reactions in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Pashtun Protection Movement, which calls itself an advocate for the rights of Pashtuns in Pakistan, has organized protests across the country and globally in response to what they describe as target attacks on their community. This movement has also condemned the actions of the Pakistani government in the tribal areas of the country and has described the military operations of the army in these areas as “genocide”.
Reply4 Comment
The only way out of our misfortunes is through education. When a society is educated, its awareness increases. A person can analyze the good, the bad, the past, the present, and the future with an open mind. They understand who their friends and enemies are. Most importantly, they learn how to deal with both friends and enemies. They learn how to prevent the past from repeating itself and ensure that tomorrow is not like today. They make thoughtful, rather than emotional, decisions. Unfortunately, until we educate ourselves, expose ourselves to different ideas, and strengthen our analytical abilities, this continuous scenario will keep repeating for us. Societies are built by both women and men. In any society where women are not educated and active, men also do not live well. A girl from Zabul who is deprived of schooling said she works twice as hard as her brother. She works a lot with him so that he can study. She says, "If I am deprived of education, at least he should reach somewhere." But believe me, no matter how hard this brother tries, he will still be a victim of the same misfortune in one way or another. We need human resources. We need intellectual production, education, and knowledge production. We need to redefine ourselves. We need to analyze ourselves, our society, and our history thoughtfully. We need to ask questions. We must be brave and ask what shortcomings and injustices others have inflicted upon us. Until we gain this courage and work on educati
Reply4 Comment
It should be prosecuted, so that people can live comfortably.
Reply4 Comment
Regarding the General University Entrance Examination (Konkor), Mullah Hibatullah's office reports indicate that only 1,880 candidates participated in this year's exam. Kandahar, which was the most insecure region during the past twenty-year conflict, had limited access to higher education for young people, especially girls, even during those times. However, the number of Kankor participants was several times higher than this year's count, and boys and girls had access to higher education. In this year's Kankor, the provinces with the fewest participants were Farah (473 candidates), Helmand (1,700 candidates), Khost (3,000 candidates), and Nangarhar (9,500 candidates). The statistics of the past four years clearly illustrate this change. In 1399 (2020), the number of Kankor participants was 179,000, in 1400 (2021) it was 179,000, in 1401 (2022) it was 145,000, in 1402 (2023) this number dropped to 84,000, and this year it has decreased to 50,000. The ban on girls' education, strict religious policies, and economic and political instability are factors that have deterred young people from pursuing higher education.
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