As I write, new messages and pictures come every minute. In the last few days there has been much hope that the Afghan army, outnumbered but worn down by corruption, will successfully oppose the Taliban. That the international troops turn around again, at least part of the country, at least protect Kabul from the Taliban, at least bring their citizens, allies and employees to safety. When Kabul fell and the Taliban were in the presidential palace, it was hoped that there would be no acts of revenge. When the first Bundeswehr machine landed in Kabul, one hoped for a little more. When it was said that there were only seven people on board because these hundreds of desperate people at the airport were not on the lists, one spit was gone. Still, hopes will continue. Many hope, I also hear that often,that the Taliban's tyranny will be milder than it used to be. Not because you believe their assurances, but to appease yourself because you feel guilty for having let people down.

This horrified hope reminds me of 2014: when ISIS brought region by region under its control and met with little resistance. How the megacity of Mosul fell without a fight, how the black spots on the map got bigger and bigger. How people fled, how Sharia law was proclaimed and massacres were carried out in the occupied territories. How women were no longer allowed to leave the house without a husband, brother or father and had to wear the niqab, this piece of anti-fashion that erases all individuality and that can no longer be called clothing because it does not clothe, but veils. Similar pictures now from Afghanistan.

It is true that one hears here and there that the Taliban of 2021 would no longer be the Taliban 20 years ago. You have changed, you want to be a political partner. But apart from lip service, nothing has been seen of these refined, progressive Taliban so far. It is also said that there are flogging, that women are prevented from working to go to university, that families with unmarried daughters must mark their houses with a red X, that these daughters are kidnapped and forcibly married to Taliban fighters. Pictures of women are painted over, torn down. The Taliban have not changed in the slightest, say Afghan human rights activists.

The Islamist terrorist Hamas congratulates the Taliban on their victory, as does the Haiat Tahrir asch-Scham terrorist militia in Idlib. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi sees the Taliban's takeover as an opportunity. NATO partner Turkey is using the time to unmolested bomb the Yazidi settlement area of ​​Shingal in Iraq, including a hospital, and is pleased about "the positive signals from the Taliban" from "fraternal Afghanistan". China has already started talks.

About 38 million people live in Afghanistan. These include ethnic and religious minorities, queer people, activists, aid workers and international troops who are now afraid for their lives. When the Taliban came to power, 19 million women and girls became prisoners and deprived of their freedom and rights. Nothing about Islamist ideology is feminist, emancipatory, nothing anti-colonial. On the contrary: it is the colonization of women, their extinction in public life. The disenfranchisement of women under Sharia law takes place on many levels. The burqa is not their only problem. Limited mobility, exclusion from education and health care, social isolation. In addition, there are draconian penalties for the slightest violation. When the Taliban was last in poweralready painted nails could lead to the amputation of the fingertips. That is totalitarian and not a cultural quirk. Women's rights are human rights and should not be sacrificed at the stake of cultural relativism and ignorance. Sentences like “We cannot impose our idea of ​​human rights on people” or “Afghans have no interest in democracy” are cynical and racist evergreens with which one tries above all to evade one's own responsibility. The West abandoned these women, betrayed them. Nevertheless, he is not solely to blame.Women's rights are human rights and should not be sacrificed at the stake of cultural relativism and ignorance. Sentences like “We cannot impose our idea of ​​human rights on people” or “Afghans have no interest in democracy” are cynical and racist evergreens with which one tries above all to evade one's own responsibility. The West abandoned these women, betrayed them. Nevertheless, he is not solely to blame.Women's rights are human rights and should not be sacrificed at the stake of cultural relativism and ignorance. Sentences like “We cannot impose our idea of ​​human rights on people” or “Afghans have no interest in democracy” are cynical and racist evergreens with which one tries above all to evade one's own responsibility. The West abandoned these women, betrayed them. Nevertheless, he is not solely to blame.Nevertheless, he is not solely to blame.Nevertheless, he is not solely to blame.

And now? Some insist on talks, but they did not lead to success in Doha. And under no circumstances should this tyranny be normalized through diplomatic relations. One must not resign oneself to only getting foreigners and a few local staff out when millions of women and girls remain and will have to live under this reign of terror. Women want to go for a walk, they want to work, study, go to a café with friends, smoke a cigarette on the balcony, paint their nails or read a book in peace. Whether in Mazar-e-Sharif, Raqqa, Gaza or Mosul, they must not be denied these rights.