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Religious Factors that Contribute to Child Labor - K. Do

Religion has played an integral part in many important issues in history, such as the rise and falls of various empires. It also can influence many social issues, such as child labor. According to the CIA’s World Fact Book, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, or simply Afghanistan in the vernacular, is religiously 80% Sunni Muslim, 19% Shia, and a mere 1% other. Hence, the Afghan citizens generally follow a form of Islamic law, or sharia. The particular form that they are coerced to follow is a Taliban approved radical form, imposed during the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan. Puritanical Islam prohibits women from working out of the home and supports only religious education, contributing to the cycle of child labor.

Many Muslims believe that women should not be treated the same as men and this attitude has plagued Afghanistan for years. However, when the Taliban assumed power in 1996, they imposed a theocratic government based on their interpretation of the Koran, an interpretation that results in picking and choosing certain parts of the Koran to support it and ignoring the rest. This radical, or “puritanical” as El Fadl would say, sharia was forced on the country for roughly five years and plunged the plight of women further because it views empowering women as a western idea; the Taliban rejects all western influences. In fact, in El Fadl devotes many pages in his book, The Great Theft: Wresting Islam from the Extremists, to describing the various rules women are forced to follow under puritan law. According to Ritscher, “The veil became the law of the land, and women were forbidden from attending school or holding employment outside of the home.” By preventing women from working out of the home, the sharia limits the possible income they could make and forces them to resort to have their children work to get enough money to sustain themselves. Hence, the Taliban’s sharia has propagated the cycle of child labor in Afghanistan.

The current Afghani government under the Karzai administration does mandate schooling for children in religious institutions known as a “madrassah.”  Now, these madrassahs have been around since the seventh century and have always taught religious studies and today, they are supplemented with various modern subjects. However, according to Abdulbaqi, is quite substandard and fails to allow children to really understand anything they are learning. “these institutions cannot produce graduates who can provide effective guidance and leadership to society to address its current problems.” (Abdulbaqi) Additionally, the religious education children receive usually falls in line with Taliban beliefs, expanding the problem. Due to the fact that the children generally do not learn much in these religious madrassahs and that the curriculum is focused on Talibanic religious material, parents decide to send their children to work because at work, they can develop a useful skill that will better secure a stable future.

Additional Sources:

Abdulbaqui, Misbah. "Madrassah in Afghanistan: Evolution and Its Future." Madrassah in Afghanistan: Evolution and Its Future. Institute of Policy Studies, 2008. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.ips.org.pk/the-muslim-world/989-madrassah-in-afghanistan-evolution-and-its-future.html>.

"Central Intelligence Agency." CIA. Web. 14 May 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html>.

Ritscher, Adam. "Afghanistan History." Afghanistan History. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.afghangovernment.com/briefhistory.htm>.

Religion as both a contributor and a combatting force to the issue of child labor in Afghanistan - Cathlynne

Religion has played an incumbent role in the problem of child labor in Afghanistan today.  Although previous religious sects have made child labor at it’s complete worst, there have been instances in which other religious groups have tried to step in to eliminate the oppression of children, along with women.  As stated in the World Factbook, Afghanistan is consisted of eighty percent Sunni Muslim, nineteen percent Shia Muslim, and one percent other.  As Afghanistan is rooted in a highly Islamic state, many conflicts have risen after the Soviet withdrawal.  The Taliban immediately rose to power, claiming to be religiously affiliated with the true Islam.

When the Taliban asserted their power, they stayed true to the golden age of rule with the four caliphates.  The Taliban were, as El Fadl would say, puritanical Muslims, who did not adhere to any new Western ideas or any modernist perspectives.  The only type of education that was readily available for children during their rule were madrassas, which were religious schools that were run under the Taliban (Reihing).  These madrassas were biased for the Taliban to educate children in the way that they wanted them to think.  Many parents in Afghanistan chose for their children to be sent to work rather than receive this bad quality education provided by the Taliban.  This left many of the Afghan’s population illiterate and incapable of escaping poverty, which increased the cycle of child labor.

Also during the overbearing rule of the Taliban, they set strict laws regarding the roles of the women in Afghanistan.  In particular, women were not only banned from working outside of the home, but also unable to participate in any activities outside of the home unless accompanied by a close male relative.  Laws like this were exerted to the extremes as El Fadl mentions in the beginning of chapter twelve of The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists.  Back in 2002, extreme measures were taken when an all girls public school was accidentally set on fire.  The religious police prohibited these girls from exiting the building because they were not properly dressed.  Fourteen of the girls in that building did not make it alive (El Fadl 250-252).  The religious force would rather sacrifice human beings than having a girl seen in public without being covered by her veil, as the Taliban enforced.

Although the Taliban is not currently in power, the strict laws that were set on women were engraved into their cultures.  Women still have much insecurity from the previous laws and without them being able to work, children were relied on to work at young ages because many adult males have been incapacitated from the war.  This, in turn, increases child labor as well.

Ironically, however, moderate Muslims are the majority according to El Fadl.  The reason they cannot assert any power is because they do not have a set religious leader, but they have taken steps to minimize child labor.  In 2004, a workshop of religious leaders came together in Afghanistan to discuss ways to develop messages that could improve the opportunities for both women and children (Carwardine).  UNICEF works with the Afghan Ministry of Religious Affairs to help spread the promotion of the key rights of women and children.  One of the main topics that they work on is the role of education.  With education, the children would be able to learn understanding, tolerance, peace, stability, and prosperity and thus, possibly end the extreme child labor still present (Carwardine).

Therefore, as previous religious sects such as the puritanical Taliban has initiated the appalling child labor in Afghanistan, there are moderate Muslims that are trying to make things right again.  While the puritanical religious perspective greatly contributed to the growth of child labor in Afghanistan, the moderate religious sect is currently working to combat the great cycle of child labor.

http://awcungeneva.com/category/human-rights/

http://www.globalenvision.org/countries/afghanistan

Additional Sources: 

Abou, El Fadl, Khaled. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005. Print.

Carwardine, Edward. "Afghanistan's Religious Leaders Commit to Children's Rights." UNICEF, 25 Mar. 2004. Web. 12 May 2012. <http://www.unicef.org/media/media_20160.html>.

"Some of the Restrictions Imposed by Taliban in Afghanistan." Some of the Restrictions Imposed by Taliban in Afghanistan. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.rawa.org/rules.htm>.

"The World Factbook: Afghanistan." CIA. Web. 12 May 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html>.

The Relgious Factor in Afghan Child Labor - Aleksandra

      Afghanistan is a strongly Islamic nation, as evidenced by the country’s religious demographics: 80% are Sunni Muslim, 19% are Shia Muslim, and 1% are other religions. (World Fact Book) Hence, the country has been long rooted in the Islamic faith and, as a result, the Taliban was able to rise to power, filling the vacuum of authority incurred by the Soviet withdrawal in 1988. The Taliban legitimized their rule by claiming to be religiously affiliated and declaring that they followed true Islam.

      Mainstream knowledge classifies the Taliban as Muslim extremists; however, the correct term identifying them is Puritans, according to El Fadl. In The Great Theft, El Fadl explains how these Puritans, who claim to believe in a literalist point of view, actually choose which passages from the Qur’an to follow and reject many jurists’ interpretations in order to suit their self interest of staying in power. In seeing through such a narrow perspective, the Taliban passed very strict laws that ruled almost over every aspect of life.

      The Taliban deprived women of essentially all their human rights, resulting in total isolation of the female from the outside world. In doing so, the Taliban claimed to show their commitment to Islam (Foster) and imposed the idea that the female’s place is only within the four walls of the home. Clearly, they had also banned females from working, except for household chores. (RAWA.org) The resulting idea that women are not supposed to work outside the home became so ingrained in the population’s mindset, that women in Afghanistan today still suffer dire social consequences when they work to support the family. (Sim) Because of this strong and prevailing socio-religious worldview, children are sent to work in place of the mother, which clearly resulted in the drastic rise of child labor.

      Under Taliban rule, religious education was the only kind of education offered and was mandated. (Reihing) Although in theory religious schooling should not create any trouble, children in these religious schools –  madrassas – learned from the narrow Taliban point of view. In fact, madrassas that have remained open after Taliban rule are used as insurgent safe houses and support the violent activity of the Taliban. (Reihing) According to The National, Afghanistan has opened more state-run schools, but they are actually run under Taliban rules. The lack of good quality in Afghan education strongly contributes to child labor because, without good education, generations of Afghans are left illiterate and unable to release themselves from the cycle of poverty.

      Many think that the Puritanical Muslims comprise the majority and represent the true beliefs of Islam; however, that is completely false because Moderates are the overwhelming majority that believes in the true Islamic teachings. (El Fadl) However, Moderates are unable to adequately react despite their majority because they have no authority or leader to support them. Back in 2004, fifty-two imams and other religious leaders gathered together in Kabul with UNICEF to commit themselves to children’s rights and discussed child labor. This shows that Moderates have taken some steps in order to combat Afghan child labor; however, they still lack a strong leader that would guide them. Ironically, religion has actually contributed to the rise of child labor in Afghanistan instead of combating it.



Boys Studying in a relgious school

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1581119,00.html

 

Women targeted by Taliban

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1581119,00.html





Women had to cover even their eyes during Taliban rule

http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=22351



Works Cited

"Afghanistan's Religious Leaders Commit to Children's Rights." UNICEF. 25 Mar. 2004. Web. <http://www.unicef.org/media/media_20160.html>.

El Fadl, Khaled Abou. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From the Extremists. New York, NY: Harper San Franscisco, 2005. Print.

Foster, Erin. "Afghanistan - Social Well-being: Women, Afghan Law, and Sharia." Civil-Military Fusion Centre 3/10 (2010): 1-7. Print.

Giustozzi, Antonio, and Claudio Franco. "Afghan Schools Open, but under the Taliban's Rules." The National. 5 Jan. 2012. Web. <http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/afghan-schools-open-but-under-the-talibans-rules>.

"The Plight of the Afghan Woman." Afghanistan Online. 09 Dec. 2010. Web. <http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/>.

Reihing, Alexandra. "Child Labor in Afghanistan." Policy Innovations. 20 June 2007. Web. <http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/briefings/data/afghan_child_labor>.

Sim, Amanda. "Confronting Child Labour in Afghanistan." Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (2009): 1-15. Print.

"Some of the Restrictions Imposed by Taliban on Women in Afghanistan." RAWA.org. Web. <http://www.rawa.org/rules.htm>.

"The World Fact Book: Afghanistan." Central Intelligence Agency. 8 May 2012. Web. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html>.



Religion and Child Labor- Christine

                The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the official name of the country commonly known as Afghanistan. From the name itself, it is evident that religion, specifically Islam, plays a significant role in the rule of the country and the decisions made by the government. Afghanistan is 80 percent Sunni Muslim, 19 percent Shia Muslim, and one percent other. (CIA) These striking statistics show that the Sunni sect of Islam is powerful, dominant and has a great influence on the state of Afghanistan as a country. Unfortunately, Sunni radical groups such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda are utilizing this power to cause violence and terror in Afghanistan. The immense influence that religion, particularly Sunni Islam, has on all affairs in Afghanistan has contributed to the growth of child labor because of the effects of the violence caused by radical Muslims and their misogynistic views in regards to education.   

                Taliban rule in Afghanistan before the interference of the United States resulted in drastic changes within Afghan society. Laws such as one that states that women were not allowed to leave their homes along with Islamic law which declares that, “if a woman has been widowed or her husband is unable to work due to injury or illness, support of the family falls to other male relatives” (Reihing), have resulted in an increase in child labor because women were unable to work, thus leaving the children to work. El Fadl’s book, The Great Theft, states, “since puritans believe that the empowerment of women is part of Western cultural invasion of Muslim lands, they seem to act as if political defeat can be compensated by a cultural victory—a supposed victory that comes at a great expense to women” (256). The Taliban, radicals or “puritans” as El Fadl describes them, have prevented young girls and women from leaving their homes and consequently attending school. “…Authorities there have been investigating a series of attacks by suspected Taliban sympathizers against girls' schools…near Kabul. Four schools were attacked in ...2002 in an attempt to stop parents sending their daughters to study. The attackers fired rockets into the schools, and raided them…The attackers left behind an unexploded grenade and several leaflets warning parents to keep their girls at home" (BBC). Events like this one leave young girls no choice but to work in order to support their families somehow and also prevent families from sending their children to school due to safety issues.    

Afghan girls attending class at a madrassa.
(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/5/17/1305629573922/madrasa-007.jpg )

                “Puritan” groups such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda are strict interpreters of the Islamic text, but only choose parts of the Qur’an that apply to their cause. Due to the fact that the “Puritan” Muslims believe their actions are justified by God, they are fervent and often engage in violence as demonstrated by the raid of the school. During Taliban rule, schools offering religious education known as madrassas were opened. Although these schools were positive in promoting education, the problem with them is that this narrow-minded, “Puritan” Sunni Muslim approach to Islam can mold the minds of young children who, unable to make logical decisions for themselves, may be inclined to join the al-Qaeda or Taliban forces. More madrassas can lead to an increase in insurgents and the additional problem of child soldiers alongside child labor.

Afghan boys studying at a madrassa.
(http://www.worldpress.org/images/20090211-madrassa.jpg)

                Child labor in Afghanistan occurs partially as a result of the effects of radical Muslims instituting laws preventing women from educating themselves and prospering in addition to raiding schools, causing them to be places of danger rather than learning. One last point that must be mentioned is the fact that the Taliban, although suppressed by US forces, is still powerful due to the opium trade among other interests. However, the large amount of money made by the Taliban is in their hands rather than in the hands of the  population of Afghanistan where it is needed and could be most beneficial. Reihing stated that education dramatically increased after the Taliban were quelled, a sneak peek of the future without the Taliban. It is ironic how religion, a fount of nonviolence and assistance, is actually causing the issue of child labor due to puritanism rather than battling it head on. 

Sources:

El Fadl, Khaled Abou. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005. Print.

"CIA The World Factbook: Afghanistan." The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html>.

Reihing, Alexandra. "Child Labor in Afghanistan." Policy Innovations. 20 June 2007. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/briefings/data/afghan_child_labor>.

"Case Study: Education In Afghanistan." BBC World Service. BBC. Web. 08 May 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ihavearightto/four_b/casestudy_art26.shtml>.

How has religion in Afghanistan contributed to the growth in child labor as opposed to battling the problem?

The Never Ending Cycle Of Child Labor in Afghanistan - Cathlynne

Afghanistan has been stuck in depression and poverty due to decades of oppression by the overbearing rule of the Taliban and the war with the Soviet Union.  These issues lead to the overall problem that Afghanistan is facing today with child labor.  Many parents have to choose whether or not to allow their children to get a sufficient education or to work for their families.  Although education would spur the economic growth and development in Afghanistan, which suffers from poverty and insecurity, many children work and support their families as the main source of income.

The lasting effects of the war with the Soviet Invasion in 1979 and the power of the Taliban has not only been on the issue of child labor, but the overall issue of education in Afghanistan (Reihing).  Over three million children are denied an education because they are being pressured to work for their family’s well being (Reihing).  After losing many of the men from the war, more pressure was placed on the children especially because women are banned from working outside of their homes.  The sole source of income for most, if not all, families in Afghanistan comes from the children who make up more than fifty percent of the population (Reihing).

From Bricks for Bread and Milk by Kavyan Farzaneh and Andrew Swift

Economically, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, where one fourth of the children die before the age of five and the average life expectancy is only forty-four years old (Nichols).  Nichols stated that the average annual income for families is 370 dollars a year, therefore, children have no other choice but to provide for their families.  Although the Afghan Constitution of 1964 mandates education, it was not enforced due to the civil war between 1992 and 1996 and the Taliban rule (Reihing).  Later on in 1994, Afghanistan signed at the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stated in Article 28 that education must be enforced (Reihing). Nichols states that children are allowed to work in non-hazardous jobs up to thirty-five hours a week from the age of fourteen but the jobs of many of the children include heavy labor.  While Afghanistan still suffers from debt from the war, child labor is better implemented than education.  It has been decades that this problem has existed, but children are still seen as the “breadwinners” for their families (Nichols).  The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission “reported that nearly 43% of children under the age of 12 and 35% of children aged 12-15 years old fit the description of child labourers…” (Foster 2). 

Photographed by Kedar Pavgi

The current situation creates a cycle that further inhibits the economic growth of Afghanistan.  The families of Afghanistan are in poverty and thus must force their children to work instead of getting an education.  Since the children of Afghanistan are not being educated, they are not acquiring the knowledge and economic skills needed to further expand the economy of Afghanistan.  Without an improving economy, the families remain in poverty and thus, they are forced to compel their children to work, restarting this cycle of child labor.

Many organizations have stepped in to try to help Afghanistan in their time of need.  For example, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) does research on specific issues in Afghanistan and predominantly focuses on finding results and promoting a new culture of learning (Sim).  Another organization that offers help is the UNICEF program.  Their goal is to prevent families from ever having to send their children away from home to work (Ayari).

- Children being denied an education because they have to work to pay off the debt of their families.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9puaIvIKqg

Additional Source:

Ayari, Farida. "Children Carrying the Burden of Work in Afghanistan." UNICEF. 2009. Web. 07 May 2012.
  Foster, Erin. "Afghanistan - Social Well-Being." 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 6 May 2012.