A council of Afghan clerics recommended restrictive guidelines for Afghan women to not work together with men or mix at school. President Hamid Karzai has endorsed the council’s recommendations, which has sparked a massive debate.
Many have taken a more humorous approach in tackling this issue by creating satirical cartoons.
Facebook and Twitter are used to protest against the rulings.
“Ladies, you should not surface on Facebook without a male partner,” wrote Mahnaz Afzal, an Afghan woman currently working in London.
“We have asked the Facebook administrators to create separate profiles for women. You are not allowed to ‘like’ or ‘poke’ someone on Facebook or you will be cursed.”
“Could I please ask the Afghan girls not to comment on my posts unless they have permission from their fathers or husbands or the Ulema council?” one man tweeted.
“Girls are only allowed to access Facebook if they are wearing their burkas!” tweeted another
Karzai’s support of the guidelines is seen as a means to reach out to the Taliban and pave the way for them to control Afghanistan. Young Afghan women fear that they will be taken back to the bitter time of Taliban when they were all housebound and deprived of many rights.
While the young, educated urban elite of Afghanistan protest against these new rulings, there is the other side of Afghanistan that supports the new rulings, as they believe it is in accordance with Islam guidelines.
“I support the comments by the Ulema council because it is in accordance with Islam,” Abdul Salam, student of Islamic theology from southern Afghanistan.
“Contrary to all the criticism, it will help women to work more confidently and without being exposed to their male partners.”
“We are Muslims and we must obey what Islam and our clerics say,” said Nasrullah Khalid, a resident of Badghis.
“If men and women are separated, I will let my own daughter go and study at university. “
It is yet to be seen whether the new recommendations will be proposed as a law. It, however, has added to an already charged situation of Afghanistan.



Ulemma Council of Afghanistan is just a joke and spending time and money of this poor nation.
aA child is decision is better then our Ulemma decision, The power of Khalasa and Qudri are not much to rule the country or to put an end to this war torn country, more of them spying for Pakistan ,just Pakistan providing them a house and visa whenever they like to go there.