Was Afghanistan Always Like This? Golden Era of Afghanistan.
Why is everyone talking so much about Afghanistan now? What are people’s thoughts on the recent news in Afghanistan? Why did Taliban manage to take over the country and what will be the consequences? Who is to blame for the disaster in Afghanistan? These and many other questions are asked by millions of people considering the situation in Afghanistan.
But was Afghanistan always like this? There were short skirts, smiles and freedom. What Afghanistan looked like in the 1970s? We are used to seeing Afghanistan as an ultra-conservative country where good news doesn't come from, but it hasn't always been that way. In the 60s and 70s, it was a completely modern country; women wore short skirts, received an education on an equal basis with men, and even were elected to parliament. That all changed with the outbreak of the Afghanistan civil war in 1979.
The Taliban movement began in the 1990s. Its ideology was based on the rejection of everything Western and modern. By the end of 2000, the Taliban had conquered almost the entire country. Later, in 2001, they were overthrown by the Americans. But on August 15, 2021, after the withdrawal of the American contingent from Afghanistan, the Taliban announced that they control the entire territory of the country again.
President Joe Biden said the US has spent over $1 trillion in 20 years to make Afghanistan a civilized and democratic country. This did not happen. After the withdrawal of the United States troops, the country instantly plunged into darkness.
Let’s look at what Afghanistan looked like before the arrival of the militants.
Elizabeth Gould, co-author of The Invisible Story: The Untold Story of Afghanistan, told CNN that the post-World War II era, in the 50s, 60s and early 70s, was golden for Afghanistan.
“At that time, there were more women in the local parliament than in the US Congress. We were moving towards democracy. People didn’t have much, but they were happy,” said Shorish-Shamli, now the founder and director of the Women's Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan.“ It was the 60s, and there was a wave of freedom.”
Also, being a Muslim, she could freely attend Jewish holidays. And Hindus, Sikhs, Shiites and Sunnis lived peacefully with each other.
According to residents of the Afghan capital of the 60s and 70s, there was practically no crime in the city, and the government was stable. The girls "did not wear a burqa, but mini-skirts." They could work freely. Many felt that Afghanistan was in some ways ahead of the United States when it came to empowering women.
Everyone could get an education. Afghan schoolgirls walked calmly down the street with the boys. They had the right to receive higher education. Now women in Afghanistan are required to wear a burqa, to appear in public only when accompanied by their husband or relatives, and education is not welcomed for them, Radio Liberty writes.
Before the Taliban, there were historical and religious monuments of cultural value in Afghanistan. It's about the Bamiyan Buddha statues dating back to the 6th century AD. They were blown up by the Taliban in 2001 because they were "offensive to Islam."
Peaceful life in Afghanistan began to decay in 1973 after the overthrow of King Mohammed Zahir Shah, who ruled the country since 1933. After that, Afghanistan became the "arena for the struggle between the USSR and the United States."
