CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — A woman who grew up under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the 1990s says it was like being held hostage in her own home.
Weeda Mehran was deprived of an education in her childhood under the Taliban’s strict laws. She said what’s happening now in the country is “frightening” — especially for women.
“We could not leave our homes as women without being accompanied by a male member of the family” Mehran said on NewsNation Prime. “Many women did not have a male member of the family who could accompany them outside. So it’s the feeling of being imprisoned inside your own home.”
Older generations remember the Taliban’s previous rule, when they largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music, and held public executions.
The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists as part of a publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population.
Mehran said she wants to believe what the Taliban says, that their views on women have evolved since the ’90s, but she’s still nervous.
“I want to believe that it’s true,” she said. “And I want to believe that the Taliban have changed.”