When a brave Afghanistan female cricket goes to war with Taliban

A female cricket team from Afghanistan! Is this a kind of joke? Or an example of a contradiction contradiction? A country where women are not allowed in public places can allow more fair sex members to participate in sports that thousands of people are directly and millions of people watching through television. Is it more? Mobility and flexibility requirements are faced with restrictions, from the clothes to be worn to wearing the fields of sports that are more priority over the social norms of dress wear and skin exposure. Is it possible for a woman?

However, the miracle of this aspect, composed of Afghanistan women, operated by Taliban, a fundamentalist group of Islam, played cricket in Melbourne on January 30. Beyond the reins of Kabul’s power, it gathered to form a nucleus on the side following the withdrawal of troops from the United States. They played T20 games with the “Cricket without boundaries” on the junction oval ground. The game was held by Cricket Australia, cricket -free borders and Australian governments.

By the way, Cricket Offering Borders (CWOB) is an organization established in Australia, which focuses on the cause of the game promoting games among women. This was born early in the 20th year of the century. They have cricked them and sent their side to other countries to promote their cause.

The story of a female cricket player who participated in this game is a rare courage and determination. The Afghanistan’s Cricket Committee has handed over a contract with 25 female cricket players by the end of 2020, three years after being recognized by the “complete member” status by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The woman was preparing for a game with Oman when Kabul fell to Taliban in September 2021. Taliban had gained strength, but the collapse of the previous administration in a quick and sudden way was completely unexpected. Women’s cricket players had to stop their training and save their lives, considering the Taliban and their leaders’ intolerance history of women’s participation in sports and related activities.

The cricket players could escape from Afghanistan and move to Australia through the efforts of the famous sports journalist India, Sharda Ugra. Ugura knew that Afghan’s women’s football team had fled before the Taliban was acquired. She talked to the former Australian player, Mel Jones, talked to the player, and asked her to arrange a visa using her good office. Jones touched the base with Benfsha Hashimi and asked if she or her colleague was eager to get out of Afghanistan. Hashimi jumped eagerly to the offer to prepare a list of players, coaches, officials, and close relatives that Jones wanted to move. Hashimi provided a big list. The Australian government is working to issue a visa. It is presumed that nearly 130 people from this list could escape from Afghanistan.

It was more difficult to get out of the country than to adjust with Cricket Australia and Australian government authorities to issue a visa. Many of them had to travel to Pakistan in a quoted reason, but some chose to keep the border secret. They had a cricket kit and all the clothes that could cause suspicion, and had to go through a Pakistan for a compulsory period before taking a flight to Melbourne. After arriving in Australia, they had to learn most of the languages ​​from zero while they were trying to rebuild their lives by playing cricket, finding a job, and studying English.

After settling in Australia, these brave crickets demanded the ICC to allow refugees to be allowed to participate in international tournaments. ICC did not respond to their demands, but it was a big disappointment. However, Cricket Australia has expanded the support of Afghanistan’s cricket players in Afghanistan by refusing to play the two -country series to the country, but both are inherited by ICC tournaments. Masu.

The role of ICC is a sharp focus here. The ICC charter requires that all full members need to secure a satisfactory woman’s advanced path. It is clear that Afghanistan does not introduce such a structure, but also banned women in the game. This is a clear violation of the ICC’s Charter and guarantees powerful actions. However, ICC has refused to act on the side. This is due to the fact that the pause of the side only succeeds in allowing cricket players in the country to participate in international crickets, and is unlikely to affect the Taliban administration. This leads to an increase in the isolation that the country has suffered, which helps to increase the hostility in other regions in the world. Therefore, ICC is carefully stepping on it, and the Taliban can take a more positive approach to sports, hoping that their success will lead to the rapid increase in the pride and happiness of the people on the Afghanistan state. I am expecting. , Generally, reduces gender -based discrimination. This may not be a perfect recipe for successful organizations like Taliban, but otherwise it provides the only hope for a problematic landscape.

A straight comparison between Afghanistan’s situation and a situation that won in South Africa before 1991 may not be fair. Prohibiting the participation of South Africa from major sporting events is one of the factors that the former administration gave up on the “apartheit” policy, gave up the form of discrimination based on the skin color, and spread it in the country. That’s a fact. South Africa’s sports people must miss out of international competition for this ban. However, the ground reality of the current Afghanistan has been completely different from those that have spread in South Africa, where the economy has prospered for abundant natural resources, until the economy is sacrificed.

At an Olympic event where individuals participate, there is an option to allow refugee athletes to participate under the flag of the participating countries. This option cannot be used immediately in team sports. Furthermore, it is very difficult for domestic game control institutions to nominate the side for political reasons, and it is very difficult for a group of outside players to allow the country to represent the country. In addition to the Taliban administration looking at red and stopping traveling abroad, there is no possibility that such a situation occurs, even if the International Cricket will forced the withdrawal of the male.

Cricket Australia’s actions, which stand up for Afghanistan’s brave female cricket players, are very noble and worth a healthy praise. Such measures may not cause immediate results, but contribute to the intolerance and discrimination reduction based on the gender implemented in Afghanistan. There are more battles before this war wins, but each small step is the right way to dismantle the structure that hurdles most of the population of the war. I have enjoyed very small peace for decades.