WASHINGTON: Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan represents one of the darkest examples of misogyny and extremism in the modern world, warning that its policies pose a threat not only to Afghan women but also to global democracy. In a new analysis published in the magazine Foreign Affairs, Clinton wrote that the Taliban’s primary objective is not the promotion of Islam but the systematic removal of women from society. In the article, titled “Women’s Rights Are Democratic Rights,” Clinton said the Taliban moved swiftly after returning to power to exclude women from public life, education and employment. She rejected the Taliban’s claim that restrictions on women are rooted in Islamic values, noting that many Muslim-majority countries around the world have demonstrated that Islam and democracy can coexist and thrive together. Clinton warned that authoritarian leaders elsewhere are closely watching Afghanistan to learn how suppressing half of society, women, can be used to entrench power indefinitely. She also criticised Iran’s religious leadership, saying women there are imprisoned and beaten over the enforcement of compulsory hijab laws. In her view, secular and religious dictators alike are united in their hostility toward women. The former U.S. diplomat argued that the erosion of women’s rights directly accelerates the collapse of democracy, saying that when women are stripped of political influence, education and income, institutions weaken and power becomes concentrated in the hands of a small, unaccountable elite. Her remarks come a day after a Taliban communications minister claimed that male doctors could be considered “mahram” for female patients and are religiously permitted to touch women’s bodies, including requiring them to remove clothing during medical treatment.
