Afghan Widow and Daughter Stoned To Death For Adultery

Nothing has changed much in Afghanistan. Women are still severely oppressed, and as long as the Taliban remain there, life will continue to be hell for them. 

The latest atrocity:  According to Bilal Sarwary of the BBC, a young widow and her daughter were stoned and then shot to death after the mother was accused of "moral deviation and adultery"  in Ghazni province. And this all happened within earshot of

..  the governor's office, the police chief's office and a Western-backed Provincial Reconstruction Team.

According to an official, the woman and her daughter were dragged into the yard, but no-one bothered to help or call the police in time to save them. That's probably because the neighbours were either too afraid to intervene, or the ones who reported the woman to the Taliban in the first place; since there have been fatwas issued by the Taliban asking people to tattle on adulterers. But was she even guilty of adultery? With Shariah law, all it takes is a jealous neighbour to falsely claim someone has done something wrong and they can end up dead. That's justice Shariah-style. And how could she be guilty of adultery if she was a widow?

And what about the daughter- what did that young girl do to deserve to die?

Even though the Taliban is not in control of the Afghan government, they still hold sway over much of the country.  Sarwary says of Ghazni:

There are 18 districts in Ghazni. Seven are in government control. In 11 the government only exists inside the district headquarters.


In much of the region, the Taliban are taxing people and banning girls from schools. Joint weddings have been banned - the bride and groom are not allowed to be together as it is thought the woman makes too much noise walking to the wedding hall, disturbing the men.


The Taliban are killing and imprisoning people who work for the government. They control all of the major roads. Drivers are regularly beaten. There are instances where district officials have been beheaded. The Taliban have banned mobile phones, video cameras and music apart from Taliban radio stations playing hypnotic chants.

I don't hold much hope for that country, especially when we pull out.