The pictures below are from Afghanistan in the 1970s, some of them from Kathleen Foster’s film “Afghan Women, a History of Struggle”.
The bottom picture is from 2013
If we are to believe current mythology, the U.S. and its willing helpers are busy rescuing Afghanistan from the dark ages. The truth is not far from the opposite: Afghans were on the way to rescuing themselves until the U.S. stepped in.
All but one of these photos are from 1978, when the People’s Democratic Party took power in a coup.
The women were celebrating shortly before president Carter brought them the mujihideen to defend their human rights (one of Carter’s favourite phrases). Carter ordered the funding of extremist groups, before the Soviet invasion, to counter the revolution. They were led by the likes of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who was fond of throwing acid in women’s faces. He and other medieval warlords were later (1985) invited by Thatcher to London, and Reagan to Washington, to be celebrated as ‘freedom fighters’ and bringers of democracy.
‘The United States spent millions of dollars to supply Afghan schoolchildren with textbooks filled with violent images and militant Islamic teachings….The primers, which were filled with talk of jihad and featured drawings of guns, bullets, soldiers and mines, have served since then as the Afghan school system’s core curriculum. Even the Taliban used the American-produced books…’ (from ‘U.S., the ABCs of Jihad’, Washington Post, 23 March 2002).
The secular Afghan government in 1978 had begun reforms to the health and educational systems…’controls on prices and profits, and strengthening of the public sector, as well as separation of church and state, eradication of illiteracy, legalization of trade unions, and the emancipation of women in a land almost entirely Muslim’ (William Blum). They declared that men and women are equal (already in the constitution of 1964, Article 25). The government began land reform (much of the land was in the hands of the clergy).
They had the support of the Soviet Union, which did not institute the revolution. But the Russians found the pace of reform too aggressive and murderous and, fearing destabilization, tried to rein it in. Brezhnev refused repeated requests from the Afghan government to send in troops to fight off the insurgency, on the grounds that it would play into the hands of ‘our enemies’. Finally in December 1979, amid worsening violence the USSR acceded to president Amin’s requests, and began the invasion. There is some evidence that Amin was a CIA agent. His violence certainly undermined the revolution. One of the first things the Russians did was to kill him. He was replaced by the more moderate Babrak Karmal, and reforms continued.
So did the US, UK and Saudi backed insurrection. As Brezhnev had feared the invasion fueled opposition, nationally and internationally. At least a million people died and 5 million became refugees.
‘The war was not between the Afghan people. The war was between America and Russia. But with the blood of the Afghan people.’ (Afghan woman, quoted in Kathleen Foster’s film).
Kabul, celebrating the revolution 1978
Afghan women demonstrating against violence to women, Feb 14 2013
——————
Trailer, “Afghan Women, A History of Struggle” by Kathleen Foster:
ZNetwork is funded solely through the generosity of its readers.
Donate