Ishmaeli Islam, is it Better For Women in Shughnan, Afghanistan?

Rabat – “In general life in Afghanistan is very hard for women,” said a young English teacher in the small town of Shughnan, Afghanistan, famous for its religious identity of Ishmaeli Islam.

We were sat in a small English school, nestled on the banks of a shallow river that marked the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Enormous majestic mountains rose above an emerald-colored river that snaked through the towering mountains.

I was in Afghanistan as part of my work on raising awareness about violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. A mission that has taken me to many corners of the earth to speak with men and women about this problem.

This time I had decided to visit Afghanistan, which has long been considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women.

Dangerous because of the deeply patriarchal and aggressive cultural values that deem women to have less value than men and permit men to engage in violence without repercussions. It is a country where women live in a context of extreme inequality, underdevelopment, and high levels of illiteracy.

According to Human Rights Watch, women and girls face numerous forms of discrimination, including authorities denying women the right to be recognized on their children’s identification and making children exclusively the property of the father.

Barriers to education and employment also remain a significant problem, especially for women living in rural areas of the country. According to UNICEF, 3.7 million Afghan girls still do not attend school.

Violence from families is a tremendous issue and a significant number of women across Afghanistan believe that it is acceptable for their husbands to abuse them. Discriminatory laws fail to protect women and girls from violence and give perpetrators free rein.

“But in Shughnan it is different,” explains one of the English teachers. “Here we’re are allowed to do what we want, we are allowed to study, we are allowed to go abroad, we are allowed to wear different clothes. In other parts of Afghanistan women can’t travel, they can’t study, they have to wear the Burka, it is forced on them.”

He attributed the better situation for women in Shughnan, to their more liberal interpretation of Islam called Ismalilism.

What is Ismaili Islam?

The Shia Ismaili Muslims live in more than 25 countries around the world. Their leader is Prince Karim Aga Khan, known by the Ismailis as Mawlana Hazar Imam, and is commonly referred to as the Aga Khan. Followers consider him to be the 49th hereditary Imam or spiritual leader, and the direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

According to Ismaili Islam, women are not required to wear the hijab and covering the head or face is discouraged. The Aga Khan has publicly stated that the hijab and the veil has nothing to do with Islam and that they are only cultural practices.

“The veil for women is a tradition which precedes Islam and was introduced as a sign of respect of women and not of submission for example, against the concept that woman is an object of the society of men,” he said.

Life in Shughnan

When walking around the small town of Shughnan, at least on appearance, women do seem to have more freedom. Women are more visible on the streets and while they are wearing scarves over their hair, they are not wearing the Burka.

A 19-year-old high school student also agreed that the situation for women and girls was better in Shughnan than other parts of Afghanistan. We sat in the small classroom alone together and while she had covered her hair and wore long clothing, she was not required to cover her face.

“Shughnan is the best place for women. They don’t pressure women and they can do everything that they want. Girls and boys can study together and girls can participate in all the parties and festivals and no one is wearing the Burka.

“They can study and do the same thing as men, they can work in offices, they are school leaders, they are teachers and they are working in foundations. They can dance with boys in parties. The families let them do everything.” she explained.

“Last night we had a party and men and women danced together.”

However, while the situation may be better for women and girls in Shughnan, the situation is far from perfect. The student continued:

“When I say free, women are more free than other provinces. But not as free as in other places because we are backwards and we are always in war. We are stuck like Taliban, ISIS and Al-Qaeda and there are other groups who don’t let women be free.

“In the bazar for example, it’s shameful for women to take off the scarf. Because there are some strange people from other parts of Afghanistan so they can’t take off their scarfs.”

Another 17-year-old student from the same school also said:

“In Shughnan it’s good for women because they can study and they have permission to go to other areas and other countries. But in other areas of Afghanistan, they can’t travel or go places,” she explained. “In some places women are not allowed to use phones or watch TV.

“I can use my phone and Facebook but some other families say that if she has a phone then maybe she has a boyfriend and so she’s not allowed to have one. She’s not allowed to be in love,” she added.

A male teacher at the local English schools said, “there is a big difference between different places in Afghanistan. The majority of the people here are literate.

“We can separate the good from the bad. But when you go to other provinces then there is a big difference. They say that they are following Islamic rules but these are not Islamic rules.”

He points to a picture of a woman with her nose cut off that he has brought to show me from another part of Afghanistan.

“They say that this is Islam,” he says. “But it’s not. We are more open minded and free here. There might be some people who will come here from Kandahar and they will see men and women walking together and they will say because of this we are not Islamic, but we are.”

The words of the Aga Khan portray the desire for freedom, in particular women’s freedom.

“I appeal to you not to plunge people into whimsical matters, denying women human values…. From now on, do not hide and cover women; educate them, do not pressure them and do not marry except one wife, the same as I only have one,” said Aga Khan.

“I have always sought to encourage the emancipation and education of women. In my grandfather’s and my father’s time the Ismailis were far ahead of any other Muslim sect in the matter of the abolition of the strict veil even in extremely conservative countries,” Expanding on this, Aga Khan said.

“I have absolutely abolished it, nowdays you will never find an Ismaili woman wearing the veil. Everywhere I have always encouraged girl’s schools, even in regions where otherwise they were completely unknown. I say with pride that my Ismaili followers are, in this matter of social welfare, far in advance of any other Muslim sect.”

In addition, the Aga Khan said that if a family is having economic problems and they have to choose between supporting the girl or the boy, then they should support the girl.

People can learn much from the Ishameli version of Islam and the Aga Khan’s promotion of women’s rights. It is a lesson to teach us that regardless of where we are in the world be it Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, that the very blatant forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls should never be excused by culture and religion.

Perhaps there is much to be learned by all around the world, that we can always make choices about what we find acceptable and what we do not. We can also always choose what we will accept in our lives and what we will not.