In Afghanistan, a female news anchor interviews a Taliban spokesperson: Is this a shift in ideology?
On ToloNews today, a female news anchor was seen interviewing a Taliban spokesperson. Women have been absent from television screens since August 15, when the Taliban took control of Kabul. It is a departure from the Taliban’s previous regime, which prohibited women from working from 1996 to 2001.
Some female journalists were also seen on the streets of Kabul reporting.
ToloNews’ head of news, Miraqa Popal, took to Twitter to say, “Our female presenter is interviewing a Taliban media team member live in our studio.”
According to a Taliban spokesman, the Taliban will respect women’s rights and will not exact revenge.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a shadowy figure for years, stepped up the Taliban’s efforts to persuade the world that it has changed from the group that imposed a brutal rule on the country in the 1990s.
Our female presenter is interviewing a Taliban media team member live in our studio @TOLOnews #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/G6qq1KWKOH
— Miraqa Popal (@MiraqaPopal) August 17, 2021
Mujahid promised that the Taliban would respect women’s rights while adhering to Islamic law. He stated that the group wished for private media to ‘remain independent,’ but added that journalists ‘should not work against national values.’
TOLOnews and the Taliban making history again: Abdul Haq Hammad, senior Taliban rep, speaking to our (female) presenter Beheshta earlier this morning. Unthinkable two decades ago when they were last in charge @TOLOnews pic.twitter.com/XzREQ6ZJ1a
— Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) August 17, 2021
He promised that the insurgents would secure Afghanistan but would not seek retaliation against those who collaborated with the previous government.
“The Taliban are committed to granting women their Islamic-based rights. Women can work in the health care industry and other fields where they are needed. There will be no gender discrimination “TOLOnews quoted him as saying.