Muslim world first female governor

[Ace Pace]

Afghanistan's first woman governor

By Paul Anderson
BBC News, Bamiyan

Afghanistan's former women's minister is settling into her new job as the country's first female governor.

Habiba Sarabi was appointed by President Karzai to run the province of Bamiyan. Many observers argue the move was to demonstrate his country's commitment to women's rights.

For many Afghans used to men running the structures of power, the appointment has required a huge leap of faith and imagination.

Bamiyan is well-known for the destruction of two giant statues of Buddha, but the new governor faces a host of other big challenges.

Opportunities for women

Carrying to the provinces the reforms she initiated as women's minister in the capital is at the heart of her mission.

Woman eyes the governor's job

When she visited the village of Ishteran, all its residents had gathered for a rare exercise in democracy - the election of new village councils or shuras, both male and female.

In this forgotten pocket of rural Afghanistan, a visit by the governor is a first and elders at the village extended their fullest welcome.

"This is a kind of good opportunity for women, and people will not say no for women, that you can't do this job or that job," she said in the car on the way there.

"Women will be encouraged to work in any position."

The mechanics of the election in Ishteran were not immediately clear to all, but villagers applied themselves with purpose. There is $60,000 in development aid at stake.

Traditionally women in such communities have very little say in running their own affairs, all the more so when large amounts of aid are involved.

But today, with the support of Bamiyan's new governor, women in Ishteran and villages like it are voting in new councils.

That will give them the right to influence the decisions which are taken.

On schools, water, animal husbandry, on job start-up schemes, the basics which will give the villagers a future.

"We're very happy," says one villager, a woman. "We're illiterate and backward. We've never had a shura before.

"Usually it is the men who take all the decisions, but this makes us more equal and gives us new opportunities."

Tourism

But the responsibilities of governor stretch beyond that - to opportunities for all.

Her challenge is to harness the province's natural beauty and turn that into income.

"Bamiyan has the biggest potential for tourism - the historical heritage, the nature," Habiba Sarabi says.

I ask her if she thinks the Buddhist civilisation is the biggest attraction?

"Definitely."

When the Taleban destroyed Bamiyan's two giant Buddhas, they destroyed one of the few reasons people have to travel to the province. Not, though, for one French tourist, Michel.

"The dangers do exist," he says, "but you follow the advice of friends scrupulously and it is worth coming.

"Honestly, I really don't feel the dangers here are any greater than say going out and buying bread."

But the presence of foreign troops testifies to the potential for trouble in the months and years ahead.

Members of Bamiyan's foreign security and reconstruction force from New Zealand say the greatest threat to security in the province has been criminal activity - not anti-coalition militias such as the Taleban, although they are prepared for any such threat.

In a country of continuing turbulence, Bamiyan sits in its own political and security microclimate.

Afghanistan's explosion in opium production and associated crime, militant activity, even political instability have largely passed it by.

And for that, the people here are grateful.

But so too has large-scale reconstruction and that, they say here, is storing up problems for the future.

"We don't have roads. We don't have electricity," one man said.

"They don't have any projects for us to work on. There is no work here because it is a peaceful place. In Kandahar, a lot of construction is going on, but not with us."

'Tough and difficult'

Back at the governor's residence, supplicants line the corridors with an awesome range of requests and complaints.

This is how business is done in Afghanistan.

Only the governor has the clout to make things happen, from acquiring land for returning refugees to sorting out identity papers and resolving often violent disputes between neighbours.

The honeymoon for Afghanistan's first female governor is over, so how has it been so far?

"It was very difficult. It is tough and difficult, but we have to go ahead," Habiba Sarabi says.

Does she feel the weight of responsibility as Afghanistan's first female governor?

"Yeah, if someone in my position would be a man it would be more easy for them to be accepted as a governor."

There are mountains to climb, higher than they would be for men, but there are gifted women in Afghanistan emerging from the destruction and intolerance that is all around.

Habiba Sarabi seems to be one of them.

This, along with Kuwait, gives me hope for the Muslim world.

[Robert Walper]

The change is coming slowly...but at least it's coming. I agree Ace, it's a step in the right direction, so long as those there realize just how quickly things can fall back if not kept up.

[Josh]

Pakistan had a woman PM, if you'll recall.

A lot of the biases in the practice of religion come from cultural practices in the area where it is practiced.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Pakistan had a woman PM, if you'll recall.

Indonesia had woman President as well. Technically it's not an Islamic country, but it has the largest moslem population in SE Asia (not to mention the most fanatic fundie around).

A lot of the biases in the practice of religion come from cultural practices in the area where it is practiced.

It's a popular urban legend that female babies were buried alive during the pre-moslem era. It seems that they viewed women as "liabilities". I have no idea why, though. In certain parts of India (like calcutta) women are viewed as liability due to the amount of mahar need to be paid by the family of the bride; thus men become "profit center" while women are the opposite. I don't know what caused such things in ancient Arabian culture. Anyone?

However, the Western Sumatra Province of Indonesia (commonly called Padangese culture) probably represents an unique combination between Islam and the local culture. The traditional Padangese culture views women in high regard; they're also matrilinear (sic?). Women are always the head of the family. In fact, men are nothing but "breeding steed". When a child is born, by default she/he belongs to the mother and the uncle. It is the uncle who bear all the responsibilities and authority of a father.

Women are also "cost center" in Padangese culture, since it is the family of the bride who has to pay money to the groom. But unlike the Indian culture, Padangese respects women. In fact, men are viewed like "commodities" which can be "purchased" by paying the money (would you marry my daughter? How much do you cost?).

Since the arrival of Islam, the Padangese has been adopting a strong Islamic culture. However, women are still respected and highly regarded until now. Although the breadwinner is the husband, the wife is still the leader of the family. Husband is only concerned in providing financial support, yet it is usually the wife who has the final word in the family.

PS: I know such things because my latest ex is 3/4 Padangese, 1/8 Sundanese, 1/8 Dutch.

[Ra]

It's good to see things changing for the better over there. One can only hope that this will inspire more change, not only in Afghanistan but in other countries as well.
- Ra

[frigidmagi]

It's a popular urban legend that female babies were buried alive during the pre-moslem era. It seems that they viewed women as "liabilities". I have no idea why, though.

This could take awhile. It all goes back to pre-Roman times. Back in those days life was literially short, hard and brutal, rivals constantly raided you, natural disaters could destory the tribe, deseases were unstoppable waves of death sweeping through the population and 1 in 4 women would die in child birth (unlike most mammals child birth is difficult and dangerous at for our specis, without proper care) and the average human being was unlikely to see 30.

Without young "military age" males you were screwed. There would be no one to hunt, or fight (studies suggest that females in alot of soceities did the farming) and with no fighters your neighbors would be along to kidnap and steal. A lady of breeding age was a target (to be honest so were young childern) and the only way to protect that target was to have a warrior around.

Because of this many societies from the anicent Arabs to the Japanese had chosen to kill female childern that they viewed has excess. Ironically, this only help continue the cycle of behavior that made women targets to begin with. And like people world wide they even after the condaintions that bred the traditions cease to exist, they still cling to them like childern to candy.

[Cpl Kendall]

I don't actually hold out much hope that this is an indicator for the future of Afghanistan. Warlords still control the country outside of Kabul and you can bet Karzai had to get their approval for this move. Either that or the US and him threatened them with the removal of aid unless they ok'd it. Either way I doubt this was an easy appointment and it may have cost Karzai alot politically.