Afghan women under old Taliban

The burqa or hijab has returned to Afghanistan as the Taliban are back in power.

From 1997 to 2001, when the Taliban had ruled Afghanistan, there were strict rules that were laid down for women, rules that were specific to the female sex that the Taliban claimed was according to Sharia Muslim law. When the Taliban took power in 1996-97, they had immediately shut down all education centres for women including the women's university.

Women breaking rules/laws were punished on the spot with floggings and executions. Studying, working, leaving the house without a male chaperone - almost everything was banned for girls and women in Afghanistan under the Taliban then. Women were treated like cattle and did not have access to adequate healthcare forget participating in decision-making in any capacity.