Afghanistan remains a nation shaped by the long shadows of forty years of war, poverty, injustice, and intellectual decay. Each day, the blood-stained images of innocent women and children are imprinted on the faded walls of our homeland by the hands of soulless and conscience-dead killers. The recent brutal murder of a mother and her nine-year-old daughter, Sumayya, in the Omarabad area of Logar Province, has once again raised a haunting question:
Why has the life of a woman in our afflicted homeland become so tragically undervalued?
Why does the Afghan woman continue to be sacrificed under the names of “honor,” “dowry,” or “money”?
According to reports, this incident occurred in the Omarabad district near the provincial capital of Logar. An innocent woman and her nine-year-old daughter, Sumayya, were viciously murdered by their close relatives armed men driven by greed.
This flagrant violation of human dignity occurred when the perpetrators, after brutally torturing their victims to extract money, killed both mother and daughter for the mere sum of 200,000 Afghanis and 4,000 U.S. dollars, dismembered their bodies, and placed them in a box.
This was not a mere domestic crime; it was a symbol of the moral collapse of society, the death of justice, and the destruction of womanhood’s humanity.
Social and Cultural Impact
In Afghanistan, there still exist countless individuals who fail to see women as human beings rather, they perceive them as property. Our traditional mindset often views women as symbols of obedience, not as beings of intellect and independence. In a society where education and awareness are scarce, violence against women is not only tolerated but often celebrated as a symbol of masculinity and power.
The Omarabad tragedy is not an isolated incident it is a reflection of a deeper, systemic crisis. Its roots lie in the absence of education, the distortion of religious values, and the erosion of moral conscience. When a nation is deprived of knowledge, prejudice replaces reason, force replaces justice, and hatred replaces love.
The Absence of Knowledge and Enlightenment
Knowledge is the foundation of thought, ethics, and conscience in every society. Yet in Afghanistan, the absence of knowledge has become the most potent fuel for violence.
Had these murderers been enlightened by education, they would have recognized the sanctity of human life especially that of women and children. If they had known, they would have realized that no amount of money can outweigh the worth of human blood.
The Taliban regime has deepened this tragedy further. The closure of girls’ schools, the ban on women’s employment, and the suppression of intellectual freedom are the iron chains that deprive women of their rightful human status. When knowledge and awareness are extinguished, ignorance becomes the architecture of society and that ignorance devours the conscience of generations.
Political and Legal Realities
In a just state, every crime has a legal boundary and consequence. But under the shadow of the Taliban, there exists neither law nor justice nor any respect for the sanctity of life, especially that of women. In an environment where guns replace laws, impunity nourishes crime.
The killers fear no punishment because the system can no longer distinguish between guilt and innocence, between crime and justice. The Taliban claim to represent Sharia, but which divine law condones the killing of women, the desecration of their dignity, or the slaughter of children? Islam regards women as the gateway to paradise, yet in our land, her life has become a rehearsal for death.
The Global Stance and the Responsibility of the International Community
The international community including the European Union, human rights organizations, and the United Nations frequently proclaims its solidarity with Afghan women. Yet these declarations rarely transcend the realm of rhetoric. When the blood of a mother and her daughter is spilled, global voices remain silent.
Diplomacy awakens only when political interests are at stake. Such tragedies must not be treated merely as news headlines; they must be recognized as moral tests for humanity. The European Union, international institutions, and human rights commissions must treat these crimes as ethical imperatives demanding accountability and action. Mechanisms for the protection of women must be activated not confined to statements and resolutions.
The Current State of Afghan Women
The life of Afghan women has turned into a divine trial trapped between the cruelty of extremist ideologies and the indifference of the international community. The girls who should have been walking toward classrooms are now imprisoned in cages of fear, poverty, and helplessness.
Women have been erased from the social sphere denied the right to work, to study, to travel, and even to raise their voices. These deprivations perpetuate tragedies like that of Omarabad, because when a woman is stripped of her right to life, education, and dignity, the entire nation is stripped of its humanity.
Diplomacy, Strategy, and the Path Forward
Afghanistan does not merely need aid or declarations it requires a profound intellectual, educational, and social transformation. To ensure the protection and revival of Afghan women’s lives, the following strategic steps must be taken:
- Recognizing Education as a Universal Human Right:
The international community must exert coordinated and effective pressure on the Taliban to lift bans on girls’ education. Online education programs, global scholarships for Afghan women, and sustained support for Afghan students should be expanded. - Restoring the Rule of Law:
Injustice is the breeding ground for crime. Violence against women must be subject to international judicial oversight and accountability. - Diplomatic Pressure:
Nations maintaining relations with the Taliban must condition such relations on the protection of women’s rights. - Transformation of Mindset:
To restore respect for women and human dignity, a collaborative intellectual campaign must be initiated among scholars, educators, and civil society leaders.
Call from the Law and Justice Civil Movement
The Omarabad incident is not merely the tragedy of a mother and her daughter it is the tragedy of a nation’s conscience.
We are victims of the absence of knowledge, the absence of justice, and the death of moral integrity.
When knowledge dies, oppression rises.
When justice fades, cruelty reigns.
And when conscience sleeps, a nation perishes.
This tragedy must serve as a bell of awakening for every father, every brother, and every policymaker. We must accept that the killing of a woman is the killing of a nation, and the denial of education is the burial of our future.
We call upon the international community not to remember Afghanistan solely as a land of war, but to recognize it as a land yearning for justice, education, and the revival of women’s lives.
Unless knowledge, awareness, and justice are restored, the echo of Sumayya’s death cry will continue to haunt every mother’s embrace.
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