(CNS) The Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan has thrust the issue of “shari’a” back into the public discourse, and a senior official in the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Tuesday the concept was being misunderstood and incorrectly portrayed.
When the fundamentalist militia ruled most of Afghanistan until it was toppled in 2001, its treatment of minorities, especially women, horrified the outside world.
Women and girls were denied education, strict dress codes were enforced, the vast majority of women were prohibited from working outside the home, and women were “subjected to rape, kidnapping, and forced marriage,” the State Department reported at the time.
Many fear the Taliban’s return will mean a comeback of such policies, which aligned with the Taliban’s interpretation of shari’a.
