By CALLIE WATSON
Staff Writer
If you paid any attention to U.S. news in the last year and a half, chances are you heard that U.S. military forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan by President Joe Biden. It was breaking news in mid-February of 2021 and there were mixed reactions. But why should you care about all of this? How does this impact you? It’s not your country that was occupied, so who cares, right? Wrong. Whether you acknowledge it or not, millions of Afghan women and girls are suffering under brutal Taliban rule. Christians are being actively persecuted and some ethnic minorities are suffering. This is your business because as an American citizen, it is your responsibility to petition and use your voice to speak up about the injustices in the world.
I think that the withdrawal from Afghanistan was a mistake on our President’s part and I know I am not alone in this line of thought. How can a President, who claims to care about and defend women’s rights, allow the anti-women Taliban to take over? Probably one of life’s many mysteries. Women have lost their education and basic human rights to the Taliban. The Taliban beat and sometimes even kill women for “stepping out of line.” Malala Yousafazi is just one of many victims of Taliban violence. I think if you care about equality for women and women’s rights, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan should be a concern of yours.