Fears Grow for LGBTQ+ Afghans After Taliban Victory
Despite US estimates that Afghanistan would remain stable for at least 3 months after its official withdrawal from the country on September 11th, this week the Taliban – a radical fundamentalist Islamist group who advocate a return to a strict interpretation of the sharia – have recaptured the country and begun a transition of power.
This has spiked a flurry of concerns for women's rights, the safety of people who worked with the last government or western forces, and the LGBTQ+ community. Under Article 130 of the Afghan constitution, the implementation of sharia – Quranical Arabic literally for 'law' or the way that Muslims should live in accordance with the Quran – is permitted, and punishes homosexuality with a maximum penalty of death.
Heartbreaking scenes from Kabul Airport, one of the last routes out of the country, have invoked feelings of helplessness as the world watched desperate Afghans clinging to US planes as they took off and rushing to get onto planes to avoid the incoming regime. The response from Western governments has been lackluster – some even refusing to organize extraction for the Afghans who helped translate for coalition forces. One US official said, "We didn't force them to work for us."
Across the Internet, funding pots have popped up to pay to get LGBTQ+ people out of the country, towards Turkey, to start the process of applying for asylum in Europe and beyond. Canada has already pledged to take 20,000 refugees.
This comes after Taliban judge Gul Rahim said in an interview that, "for homosexuals, there can only be two punishments: either stoning or he must stand behind a wall that will fall down on him. The wall must be 2.5 to 3 meters high (8–10 ft).”
The situation continues to develop.
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