Joshua Nazario

Professor Hambrick

COM 3540

February 17th, 2024

Main Points Of Mavis Leno:

-A rapid influx of radical Islam by Taliban forces in 1996 was backed by the CIA as a

countermeasure against the Soviet-backed government. Soviet forces withdrew and capitulated

in 1989 allowing the Taliban to usurp power, overthrow ordinances, and ultimately install a

“theocracy”.

-This theocracy brought severe oppression and subjugation of women; professional jobs such as

being teachers, physicians, and lawyers were stripped almost entirely. Many women with

renowned titles and authority were kiboshed from government positions and tossed back into

homes (in their so-called, “rightful place”.)

- Fundamentalists radicalized the Islamic religious practice of the burqa and desecrated the

moratorium on work for women; women were constrained to their homes, denied to venture out

of their homes, and restricted access to various public forums and places of worship. Soon,

women’s rights became a vestige of the past.

-Women were coerced to wear soft-soled shoes, restrained from practicing anatomy, and were

reduced to using primitive tools to do medical tasks.

- Recognizing the bedlam occurring in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, journalist Saira Shah was

deployed into the “thicket” on behalf of the RAWA [Revolutionary Association Women in

Afghanistan] to secretly record the dehumanization of women. This audacious and brave act by

Shah may have seemed small-scale at first but, in actuality, it became a pivotal piece of
educational material for the CIA to study Taliban activities. From this, the CIA had ample

evidence to justify an intervention in this onslaught of dehumanization.

-Shortly thereafter, in 1998, the United States launched a missile assault on alleged terrorist

outposts. Consequently, the United Nations followed off the coattails of the United States and

began to impose an air embargo that would freeze Taliban assets—enough to allow the Taliban to

succumb to the demands of the United States and the United Nations to submit Osama Bin Laden

for trial.

- March 2001 hallmarked a pinnacle international crisis whereby the Taliban destroyed

2,000-year-old Buddhist statues on a cliff above Bamian. Critics from Humanitarian

organizations viewed this as the Taliban’s arrant attempt to wage war on religious minorities.

-The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) established that the Taliban’s outrageous acts against

women are characterized as a clear infraction/violation of women’s God-ordained rights, safety,

and health. The FMF utilized research that aimed to curb any detrimental attacks against women

economically, politically, and socially.