On 21 August 2024 the Afghanistan Ministry of Justice issued a new law The Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law. This law takes women back to the Middle Ages. Such laws against women have no place in this century, or any century. I urge the brave women of Afghanistan to resist these unjust and discriminatory laws. Women should be able to receive an education, and speak and sing freely. This law misses the point---women are not the problem for speaking or singing in public, and not covering their bodies from head to toe---it is the men who are the problem.

There is a beautiful allegory I once heard that is relevant. Humanity is like a dove. The two wings of the dove represent gender. The males are one wing, and females the other wing. The dove cannot fly properly without both wings working together, equally.

You can learn more about the status of women in Afghanistan and support positive action for women in Afghanistan by checking out and supporting the Malala Fund.