Mona Tajali Gives Commentary on Current Situation in Afghanistan
Professor Mona Tajali has recently been featured on Sky News giving her expertise on the developing fall of Afghanistan once more to Taliban forces. Dr. Tajali is an Associate Professor of International Relations and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and warned of reversals to women’s rights that are already happening, despite promises by the Taliban. The transcript of this segment is below:
“Sky News spoke to Mona Tajali this morning. She’s director of the Human Rights and the Middle East studies programme at Agnes Scott College in Georgia.
Niall Paterson asked her what chance there is of women’s rights being respected under the Taliban, after they promised to safeguard the human rights of all Afghans.
She said: “Women’s rights activists that we’ve spoken to are absolutely concerned and very worried about lays ahead.”
Ms Tajali explained that in the run-up to the Taliban takeover in Kabul, women have already seen their rights revoked elsewhere in the country.
“We’ve been seeing reversals on women’s rights – schools being burned down, journalists and professors being asked to go back home,” she said.
“The most concerning are the forced marriages taking place, which is the same as sexual slavery.
“We saw this with ISIS but unfortunately we are seeing this in some areas of Afghanistan.”
She said that Taliban plans to establish an Islamic Emirate would “not be inclusive of different sections of society, especially women and minority groups”.
Dr. Tajali was also featured in Sky News’ daily podcast as well as The Quicky podcast, out of Australia. Professor Tajali’s research and teaching interests fall in the fields of Comparative Politics, Middle East Studies, and Women’s Studies. Coming from an interdisciplinary background, she teaches courses in women and politics, Middle East politics and society, human rights, and international relations. She is the current director of Agnes Scott’s Human Rights program, as well as the newly formed Middle Eastern Studies Program.
