(CNN) -- We watched in horror this week at the execution of an Afghan woman who was shot nine times while a crowd of roaring men who call themselves Muslim cheered and screamed. We were reminded of a similar tragedy that took place in 1999 in which a mother of five, clad in a blue burqa, was shot dead in a soccer stadium in Kabul. Both of these women were wrongfully accused of adultery, as there was no proof, evidence, fair trial, due process or justice.
The similarities between
the two slayings signaled to us that not much has changed in Afghanistan
in the decade since the United States first became involved there. When
we Americans ask why we have failed in Afghanistan, we blame the
Afghans' antiquated tribal practices and their hate of America's
freedom, and most of all, we blame their religion: Islam.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Daisy Khan
Though we have said it
over and over again, let us reiterate once more: The actions of these
men were in absolute and supreme violation of God's laws, and Islam does
not condone unmitigated violence of any kind. Period.
Though the U.S. declared
the promotion of women's rights, human rights and democracy as its
policy goals before invading Afghanistan, it would appear that all three
were lost in our efforts to establish a "secular" democracy in an
Islamic Republic.
When our government
deployed our troops intending to eliminate al Qaeda and the Taliban and
establish a new government in Afghanistan, we took responsibility for
the future of its people. Is it not tragic, after all the bloodshed and
the billions of taxpayers' dollars spent, that there could be a
resurgence of the Taliban and this kind of unimaginable violence? When
the U.S. leaves Afghanistan permanently, Afghan women will undoubtedly
suffer.
Throughout the past
decade, our policymakers have failed to take into account the important
role that religion held (and still holds) in the structure of Afghan
society. If we want to affect the way that Afghans conceptualize
important notions such as justice, we must understand the forces in
their lives that guide their decisions.
After 30 years of
constant warfare, unstable political, civil and governmental systems and
a dismal education system, many Afghans look to religious authorities
to guide their actions. The solution to fighting extremism and affecting
change in Afghanistan lies within the religious system; secular
ideologies that are imposed on Afghans are alien to them.
Having said this, Americans do not have to sacrifice our goals of spreading democracy and peace to the Afghan people.
Just as our Founding
Fathers established "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as
basic rights for all Americans, so too does Islam establish the
protection and preservation of life, religion, family, intellect,
property and dignity for all. We must look for ways in which such rights
can be realized, and ways in which we can work with Afghans to address
these injustices.
In 2006, Daisy founded
the Women's Islamic Initiative on Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a
social justice movement that works to reclaim women's rights in Islam.
Its Global Muslim Women's Shura Council of scholars and activists were
so compelled by the level of violence against women that they published "Jihad Against Violence," (PDF) a report that condemns both violent extremism and domestic violence.
The response to this
report, along with WISE's Imam Training Program to End Violence against
Women in Afghanistan, was overwhelming. Many Afghan imams confided in us
that the scriptural evidence that we provided helped them to realize
that they were propagating distorted and incorrect interpretations of
the Quran, unintentionally.
The value of these
religious literacy trainings were so transformative that we were told,
"The U.S. government should not have spent billions (on the war); they
should have spent millions and involved the imams (with regards to
women's rights), and everything would have been different today."
Similarly, an Afghan woman told us, "imams are our only shield against
the Taliban."
The Arab Spring has
forced U.S. policymakers to acknowledge the fundamental importance of
engaging with religious-political movements in the Middle East, and
efforts to include these movements are gradually making their way into
our foreign policy.
As Muslims, we know that
it is only in the religious sphere that we can achieve our vision of
peace, democracy, prosperity and the realization of human and women's
rights in Afghanistan, and prevent atrocities like public executions
from ever happening again.
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