With the Taliban and Andrew Tate, the world’s moving backwards

The list of things women can’t do is growing ever longer in Afghanistan, but there are a growing number of men in the West who are waging war on females too.

As if life could not get any worse for women in Afghanistan, the Taliban has introduced a new ban which is so bizarre it sounds like it has come straight out of a Monty Python sketch - although this is not funny at all.

Women were told this week - by the minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice (red flags right there) - women are no longer allowed to hear other women’s voices.

Human rights advocates fear it means women can no longer have a conversation.

This is just the latest sick rule to diminish Afghan women, since the Taliban took back power in 2021.

They’re also not allowed to speak loudly in their own homes in case they are heard by people passing by outside, or sing, or speak to a male in public, or tell a male GP the medical reason for their visit.

Taliban security personnel stand guard as an Afghan burqa-clad woman walks along a street at a market in the Baharak district of Badakhshan province. Picture: AFP

And they’re banned from showing their face in public, or looking at a man they don’t know, travelling alone, owning a smartphone, wearing bright clothes or high heels, going to high school or university, going to the gym or the park, going overseas, playing sport and driving a car.

It’s obvious the Taliban hate women. What’s next? Banning them from birthing girls?

The Minister behind it Khalid Hanafi says God will help implement the new rule, which was announced by audio broadcast, due to another weird ban on showing living beings on TV.

While we may condemn what is happening over there, we need to be taking a hard look at the rise of misogynistic behaviour here.

Andrew Tate, taken from Pinterest account of his online group.

A survey of Australian teachers by campaign group Collective Shout found teenage boys were threatening female teachers with rape, propositioning them for sex, mimicking sex acts, asking for nude photos and sexually grunting at them in class.

It also found kindy kids were sharing porn and molesting peers.

Meanwhile, the ‘manosphere’ - the name for men’s online communities that are anti-women on social media - is ballooning.

Chief protagonist and influencer, Andrew Tate, currently awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, which he denies, is a hero to millions of young boys. He believes women belong in the home, can’t drive, and are a man’s property.

Senator Jacqui Lambie spoke about the hatred of women online and the male trolls who leave comments on her social media posts.

“Back in ya Kennel”, “You ugly f****** bush pig!”, “Dressed like SATANS WHORE”.

She may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but that’s disgusting.

It’s 2024, but with abortion rights again an election issue, in the US and Queensland, it seems the world is moving backwards.

Originally published as With the Taliban and Andrew Tate, the world’s moving backwards