Ben Pearson - Kabul 24: The Story of a Taliban Kidnapping and Unwavering Faith in the Face of True Terror

T he thick, blue cotton fabric was little protection from the sting of the whips and the blunt strikes from the wooden rods on her body as she stumbled along the dusty streets of Kabul. Covering her from the crown of her head down to the tips of her bare toes, the burka was designed by law for her protectionprotection from the roving, lustful eyes of other men, protection from the evil influences of the outside world. She could never enter that expansive outside world; it would always remain a mystery, although sometimes she allowed herself to imagine it. Inside the burka, she was anonymous to all who might care to know her; anonymous to those she might care to know toono physical marks made visible to distinguish her beauty, no bright smile to share with others, no voice to speak to her character. She was simply a burkaa living, vibrant human being reduced to an animated sack, a tented Cyclopsand today nothing could protect her. No one came to her rescue. No one offered to hold her blistered, swollen hands or bathe her bloody, raw feet. Alone, contained by her burka and herded through the street, she did not bother to cry for mercy. She knew such cries were meaningless to hearts hardened by the strict adherence to brutal sharia law.

Only young girls and old women were exempt from the law of the burka. Women bound by the law wore the burka outside the home at all times to conceal identity and make recognition impossible. The nameless, faceless burka was never to wander the streets alone. If she were married, then the husband would accompany her; if single, a male member of her family would escort her. Her brief public forays outside the house were to the market or the home of another burka. The religious foibles of her husband kept the burka on edge. If she did anything to displease him, her position was in jeopardy. If the burka committed any infraction against sharia law and thus brought shame upon her family, she faced possible expulsion from her home. There were no educational opportunities for her, either. A Taliban fatwa cited the education of women as a source of seduction and depravity. The burkas place in society was that of property, totally dependent upon the interpretation of the law by the whim of the dominant male in her life. For those unmarried or widowed, the rules of the Taliban could be fatal. They had no means, no way to take care of themselves, and sharia law kept them in perpetual house arrest. It was no wonder that frequently a