WORLD NEWS: Europe crosses a red line by talking to the Taliban | International
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I oppose any type of dialogue with the Taliban. This is not a political difference or a minor diplomatic disagreement. The Taliban are responsible for having imposed a system of gender apartheid in Afghanistan that has turned the lives of millions of women and girls into a prison without visible bars, but deeply real. The recent decision to host a Taliban delegation in Brussels, although presented as a “technical” meeting and limited to a single day, may seem to some in Europe a practical or diplomatic gesture. However, for me, as an Afghan woman and journalist, it has a much deeper and more disturbing meaning. It is not just a political meeting: it is the reflection of a dangerous normalization of those who have robbed Afghan women of their most basic rights. The question is inevitable: how can the European Union, which defines itself as a defender of human rights and equality between women and men, organize a meeting with representatives of the Taliban? How can Belgium decide to grant visas to members of a group responsible for systematic human rights violations? What message do Afghan women receive when they see that those who have expelled them from universities, work and public life are welcomed into the heart of Europe? To understand what this means, just think of Maria, a 19-year-old girl I spoke to recently. The day the university entrance exam was to be held, he confessed to me that his only wish was to feel that nerve, that mixture of fear and excitement that accompanies those who take an important test. “It’s my dream,” he repeated. But that dream has been taken away from him. For almost four years now, women in Afghanistan have been excluded from higher education, while men continue to attend classes and take exams. This is not just an obvious injustice: it is a wound that deepens every day. More than 20 million women and girls in Afghanistan today live under a system that excludes them from education, employment, political participation and social life. They cannot freely decide about their future. They cannot occupy public space without fear. They cannot study, work or live with the dignity that any human being deserves. This reality should not be forgotten or buried under the cold language of diplomacy. It is true that Europe faces complex challenges in migration matters and that governments are looking for operational solutions. It is also true that, in practice, those in power in Afghanistan control institutions, borders and administrative decisions. But recognizing that reality cannot mean accepting the political normalization of the Taliban. There is a fundamental difference between managing a crisis and opening the door to legitimizing a regime that systematically oppresses half of the population. The problem is not only in the content of the meeting, but in the message it transmits. Any meeting with the Taliban, under any name – technical, informal, humanitarian or migratory – can become a step towards its international legitimacy. And that legitimacy is granted while there has been no real change in the situation of Afghan women. Girls are still out of secondary schools. Young women are still out of universities. Women continue to be pushed out of work, public spaces and decision-making. For many people in Europe, a one-day meeting may seem like a small matter. For Afghan women, it is not. Every photograph, every visa, every table shared with the Taliban is interpreted as a sign that their suffering can be negotiated. As if their rights were secondary. As if his freedom could wait. Gathering in front of the European Parliament office in Madrid, on June 4, to protest against the EU meeting with the Taliban that finally took place this Tuesday.KA We are not talking about an abstract debate. After learning about the possibility of this meeting a little over a month ago, Afghan women—even within the country—rejected silence. Despite the risks, some organized discreet protests in their own homes. They are small actions, almost invisible, but deeply brave. In a country where raising your voice can have serious consequences, even a banner held inside a room is an act of resistance. At the same time, the Afghan diaspora also raised their voices. In cities such as Madrid, Berlin, London and other European capitals, Afghans living abroad took to the streets to express their rejection. With banners defending the right to education, work and freedom of Afghan women, they sent a clear message: no dialogue should lead to the normalization of the Taliban. Many of them insisted that they represent the voice of those within Afghanistan who cannot express themselves freely. This contrast—between the silent protests inside the country and the visible demonstrations outside—sums up the complexity of the Afghan reality. Voices may be repressed inside Afghanistan, but they resurface stronger outside. The diaspora does not speak in place of Afghan women: it amplifies a voice that the Taliban are trying to erase. Europe must ask itself what place these voices occupy in its decisions. Can you talk about human rights while opening spaces for dialogue with those who systematically violate them? Can you defend gender equality and, at the same time, sit down with those who have built a system based precisely on the exclusion of women? Can it manage its migration interests without sacrificing its fundamental principles? We do not ask that Europe ignore the political reality of Afghanistan. We ask that you do not forget the human reality of Afghan women. We ask that any decision related to Afghanistan center the rights of those who have been expelled from public life. We ask that those who have turned an entire country into a prison for their women not be rewarded with visas, meetings and symbolic recognition. Some may present this dialogue as a political necessity. But for millions of Afghan women it is a painful reminder that decisions about their lives are still being made without them being present. And that absence is precisely the problem. Europe must not normalize the Taliban. You must not forget the Afghan women. You must not allow pragmatism to become complicity.Khadija Amin is an Afghan journalist, a refugee in Spain since 2021.
What Happens Next:
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Source: This article was originally published by Internacional en EL PAÍS and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.