Set the women free
Anna Barbour
Get a Life
I was just listening to J-Lo and thinking, I do live my life to the limit and I love it. In a few days, I will be on vacation. I will fly in a plane to another state, another city in the continental United States. I will put on my vacation clothes — my warm weather clothes. While I am at the airport, I will probably stop and get a Cinnabon before I get on the plane and most likely on my way back, I will get another delicious cinnamon pastry. I will also pick up some gum and a Cosmo magazine for my reading pleasure and catch up on relationship dynamics and clothing styles. If I go to the beach, I will wear a skimpy bathing suit so I can get tan enough to outlast South Bend's marathon winter. I will sleep as much as possible. Perhaps I will just sleep the whole week. No. I will have to take my car and go out once in awhile to see what's happening. I will talk on the phone and listen to music; go to movies and restaurants; buy new items from malls and stores; exercise outside, jogging without having to wear sweatshirts and sweatpants.
Whatever I do over my glorious fall break, whatever I am able to accomplish will be because it is what I want to do on my vacation in the United States of America.
And how unbelievably fortunate and lucky am I? Not one item, you see, not one place or outfit or song or clothing style or food or book choice that I make, will a woman under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan ever be able to accomplish. How many American citizens knew before the events of Sept. 11 what was occurring in Afghanistan to women under Taliban control?
When I read of professional doctors, lawyers and teachers forced to end their careers and put in Purdah in the attempt to control man's sexuality, I try to remember what century I am living in. They are cloistered in homes out of the public eye where one's world becomes about as big as a prisoner's world. Where am I that people still treat other people in such an unjust fashion under the guise of religious orthodoxy? How is it that America, the sleeping giant that it is, took so long to awaken to this mass inhumanity to womankind? It is unimaginable to not be able to attend school. How would I learn to read, write and do arithmetic? Would I have to learn in secret? It is hard enough to do homework out in the open let alone to do homework in fugitive ways. And then what use is learning anyway? I would not be able to do a thing besides cooking, cleaning and caring for children — lots of children, at least seven children. I wonder what I would talk about all day long? It is a shocking situation. If I wanted to listen to music while I cleaned, this would be unlawful. If I wanted to go to the market by myself for cooking necessities, this would not be possible. If my children asked me questions about how this or that works, I do not think I would ever know the answer.
It is a life I cannot contemplate very well. It is a life I would not wish upon my worst enemy. There will be good and bad consequences for this War on Terrorism. If the liberation of Afghani women from under Taliban control is an outcome, though, it might easily be worth the many sacrifices and struggles on the part of those who live in the land of freedom. Something very much worth fighting for is the chance to realize one's humanity to its fullest extent. Hurray for the United States if we succeed in setting those women free.
Anna Barbour is finally a senior theology and pre-med major with four days left to go until fall break.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, October 16, 2001
