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>.
Cathlynne correctly describes how the Taliban established laws that were degrading to women and to education. They severely limited the actions of women and thus, forced the idea onto the population that the woman’s place is only in the home. This idea became so engraved into the mindset of the people, that women still suffer social consequences for working today. As a result, more children are sent to work and gain more income in order to help their families survive. Education provided by the Taliban was also very narrow in perspective, causing the rise of more religious insurgents instead of breaking the cycle of illiteracy. Although the percentage of children going to school has increased since the stringent religious rule, the Taliban actually runs the schools according to The National. The government has legally allowed this in exchange for the lessening of puritanical attacks on schools. This seems to be a double whammy; instead of physically assaulting children, the Taliban is now free to mold the youth’s minds, which can cause the rise of insurgents. Because the quality of education is so narrow, the levels of child labor will only grow because of this recent political move.
ReplyDeleteWhen Cathlynne states that the Taliban “stayed true to the golden age of rule with the four caliphates”, it is not clear what she means. One cannot remain true to an ideal when he is committing actions opposite of the ideal, just as the Taliban is doing. Otherwise, she describes how religion relates to child labor in a concise manner.
The above comment was written by Aleksandra.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Cathlynne by Kevin
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cathlynne that the Taliban has further restricted women's roles in society and corrupts the education of the youth. However she does confuse a few details. For example, she states that madrassahs were only available during the Taliban's reign. These madrassahs are indeed religious schools, but have been present since the founding of Islam and, under the current Karzai government, the curriculum has been expanded to include modern subjects. What she says about the religious education coinciding with the Taliban's agenda is true. (Abdulbaqi) Furthermore, according to Abdulbaqi "in their present mode, these institutions [madrassahs] cannot produce graduates who can provide effective guidance and leadership to society to address its current problems." I agree with her comments that by restricting women's roles in society, the cycle of child labor is perpetuated.
Response to Cathlynne by Christine:
ReplyDeleteCathlynne’s depiction of the religious background behind the increase in child labor in Afghanistan is undeniably correct. The Taliban’s adherence to the Muslim golden age has resulted in their outdated and strict rules. They refuse to adapt to modern society and thus remove all rights from the Afghan women who had just been granted the right to vote in “the 1920s; and as early as the 1960s, the Afghan constitution provided for equality" for them (state.gov). During Taliban rule women’s rights became extremely limited and this societal turnaround became the social norm which, as Cathlynne stated, “became engraved into their culture”. Cathlynne offers a truly feasible solution to the issues in Afghanistan—the rise of a Moderate Muslim leader. She also substantiates this idea with steps that have already been taken to promote this such as the meeting in 2004. Women’s rights, education, and child labor are all intertwined and if a Moderate leader comes to power, each problem can be combated one by one.
Conclusion:
ReplyDeleteIn response to Aleksandra, El Fadh states that puritans believe that they must recreate a replica system of government created by the first four caliphs. He mentions from this that the type of rule that they try to create is one that would be involved in a "golden age". Now, as to what Kevin says about the madrassas, they were present before the rule of the Taliban as well. But in the current situation that I was explaining was during the rule of the Taliban and that during their rule, the madrassas were one of the very few schools available for the children. Even in the present, the Taliban still runs institutions like madrassas in Afghanistan in hopes to regain more followers and power. To conclude, as Christine mentions from my initial post, moderates could help to decrease child labor. With the rise of a moderate Muslim leader, they can combat the rights of women and children one by one in hopes to eliminate child labor for good.