English men cricket team will face Afghanistan in the group stage of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy on February 26.
However, women’s rights activists have called on Britain to forfeit its glory in protest against continued human rights abuses in Afghanistan. The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) has made an appeal a statement on Tuesday, calling for not only the forfeiture of February’s championship match, but also any sporting competition against an Afghan national team.
“Women’s Rights Network is calling on England to abandon the match. In fact, we are calling on our politicians and sports governing bodies to go further. We are calling on: (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer to order a boycott of all matches in Afghanistan in any sport, the (England Cricket Team) to forfeit all matches against the Afghan men’s cricket team in any tournament, players and coaches to examine their conscience – the women in your families are free to dress however they want, get an education, take jobs, travel, have bank accounts, speak and sing. How can you in good conscience play a country that denies women their basic human rights?’ the group wrote.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses members at the Labor Party conference in Liverpool, England, on Tuesday. (AP)
“Pride in the team jersey includes pride in your country’s record of standing up for human rights and against dictators who bask in the glory of sporting success. What is happening to women in Afghanistan is horrible. Every conscientious athlete must do what is right. : Boycott Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan has been under Taliban control since August 2021, after President Biden ordered the withdrawal of the US military. The withdrawal resulted in the deaths of thirteen members of the US armed forces and the almost immediate takeover of the capital Kabul by Taliban forces. Another 45 American soldiers were injured, and more than 170 Afghan civilians were also killed.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15, 2021, the country’s economy “basically collapsed,” according to the UNDP, largely because international financing through government donor schemes such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund was cut off.
The Taliban’s takeover has led to particularly abhorrent treatment of women in the country.
According to Sharia law, women are not allowed to move in public spaces unless they are in the company of a male relative. In general, they are only allowed to leave their homes for urgent matters and must wear a full veil.
In August the Taliban rulers has issued a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public under new laws approved by the supreme leader in efforts to combat vice and promote virtue.
Women are required to cover themselves in the presence of non-Muslim men and women to avoid being corrupted. A woman’s voice is considered intimate and therefore should not be heard in public while singing, reciting or reading. Women are prohibited from looking at men to whom they are not related by blood or marriage, and vice versa.
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Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq celebrates with teammates after a dismissal during the second T20 international cricket match between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on December 13, 2024. (Jekesai Njikizana/AFP)
Women in Afghanistan are also no longer allowed to attend secondary school, and since 2022 they have not been allowed to study at all. There are some courses available for women through online education, but the female students are not allowed to take exams.
In July a United Nations Report said the ministry has contributed to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through edicts and the methods used to enforce them.
“Given the many issues outlined in the report, the de facto authorities’ position that this surveillance will increase and expand is a cause for grave concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, the head of the Humanitarian organization. rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan.
The Taliban rejected the UN report.
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