Former Afghan Intelligence Chief Criticizes Taliban’s Contradictory Stance on Dress and Women’s Rights
Rahmatullah Nabil, former head of Afghanistan’s National Security, has sharply questioned the Taliban’s logic regarding religious interpretation and their treatment of women. In his recent remarks, Nabil stated that over the past years, the Taliban have permitted themselves to change clothing and conceal their identities in order to advance their war efforts and claim lives. However, they deem such behavior unacceptable when it comes to women’s survival.
Nabil cited the example of an Afghan girl who was forced to wear male clothing and work outside her home solely to provide for and support her family. According to him, this decision was not a matter of choice, but rather a consequence of poverty, vulnerability, and a lack of alternative options available to women.
The former intelligence chief emphasized that, in the Taliban’s logic, changing attire to take lives is considered “permissible,” whereas a girl’s attempt to protect herself and her family is deemed “impermissible.” He identified this contradiction as evidence of a selective and inhumane approach to religious principles.
These statements come amid recent reports of the Taliban detaining an Afghan girl for wearing boys’ clothing—a garment she had to wear to assume responsibility for her impoverished family and earn their livelihood.
The arrest has sparked widespread outrage on social media. Many users view the incident as emblematic of the severe restrictions imposed on women, a disregard for the realities of life, and ignorance of poverty and coercion prevailing in present-day Afghanistan. Critics argue that the Taliban administration bears direct responsibility for these oppressive constraints.
