Photo of disfigured Afghan woman outrages America
Saturday 31 July 2010
Latest in Americas
Related articles
On Facebook
From the blogs
Crimbos? We could be heading for EastEnders gone mad
The whole point of the Asbo was to prevent anti-social characters wreaking havoc in local communitie...
The Debate: Should brothels be legalised?
While some will hold the sex workers should be respected in their resistance to the upheaval, it is ...
Taking away benefits from heroin users won’t solve anything
It was reported today that Ian Duncan Smith is threatening to stop heroin addicts from being able to...
Chelsea Flower Show 2012: The winners
Of course, gold is the top honour, but that shouldn't detract from the other medals. If someone wins...
A shocking picture of an 18-year-old Afghan woman whose nose was hacked off after she fled an abusive husband has stirred up the long-running controversy over whether Nato forces should negotiate with the Taliban.
The girl in the picture, which appears on the front of Time magazine this week, also had her ears cut off in the horrifying attack. She is only named in the magazine as Aisha. Tracked to a house where she had taken refuge, she was brought before a judge, who was also a Taliban commander, and rejected her explanation of why she had run away. She was held down by her brother-in-law while her husband used a knife to cut off her ears and nose. Aisha has since taken refuge in a secret women's shelter in Kabul where she expresses terror that the government is seeking a deal with the Taliban.
The use of the picture, next to the headline "What happens if we leave Afghanistan", has already drawn strong praise and criticism alike in the US. Writing on the Slate website, the columnist Tom Scocca called the picture "gut-wrenching" but suggested that "a correct and accurate caption would be 'What is still happening, even though we are in Afghanistan'".
But at the website Salon, Mary Elizabeth Williams wrote that "we can applaud Time... Aisha is a survivor of atrocity. She's a tool of persuasion. And she's a hell of a photograph."
During Taliban rule in 1996-2001 women were reduced to a condition close to slavery. As the Taliban have grown in strength since 2006 they have attacked girls' schools and teachers. Several women have been killed and many have had to give up their jobs.
- 1 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 2 Ed Balls causes David Cameron to lose his temper – again
- 3 Tories give Jeremy Hunt's ex-aide Adam Smith Leveson legal advice
- 4 Eurozone set to abandon Greece – and austerity
- 5 Society: The only way is Finland
- 6 News in pictures
- 7 In pictures: The bewildering face of China
- 8 Gary Connery lands safely after 2,400 ft helicopter jump without parachute
- 9 Ten adverts that shocked the world
- 10 'Ungrateful little wretch': Piers Morgan responds to Jeremy Paxman's claim that he had taught him how to phone hack
- 1 Andre Villas-Boas out of contention as Liverpool have second thoughts over former Chelsea manager
- 2 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 3 Queen tried to use state poverty fund to heat Buckingham Palace
- 4 Society: The only way is Finland
- 5 Portugal 'sells' Ronaldo to Spain in £160m deal on national debt
- 6 Gary Connery lands safely after 2,400 ft helicopter jump without parachute
- 7 Uefa may reconsider Champions League rule that saw Chelsea qualify instead of Tottenham
- 8 DmC Devil May Cry set for early 2013 release
- 9 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
- 10 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
The art of industrial espionage
Therapist who tried to 'cure' me of being gay thrown out...
VIP treatment: Life is golden in the Olympic fast lane
Forest guards told to shoot poachers on sight after rash of tiger killings



Comments