Yesterday we published a new fragment of the Diary of an Afghan journalistShe explained that years ago she used to wear jeans until the Taliban banned them. Then she decided to wear them under a long, black abaya as a private act of disobedience, until that too was banned. "Now when I stand in front of the mirror, it's not to see how I look, but to make sure no one sees me, that is, that I'm covered from head to toe," she explains.
This happens in Afghanistan and it also happens in Barcelona. I've seen it on Passeig de Gràcia, where families or couples stroll up and down, shopping in the exclusive stores, and I see it every day in the Raval. They're not the majority of women, not by a long shot. In fact, there aren't many of them, but you can see them. They're completely covered, and only a slit for their eyes is allowed.
I see these women walking by with their children holding hands, heading to school, and I imagine the day the child asks her why she's so covered up. And if, when she grows up, she'll have to go too.
Every time I see them, I think we shouldn't allow it. In a woman covered from head to toe, I can see nothing but male domination of women's bodies in the name of religious beliefs that turn her into bait for sin. We are a European, Western society, and this kind of extreme discrimination shouldn't be allowed.
The journalist concludes by writing: "The facades of Kabul are covered with slogans reminding us what we can and cannot do. 'Observe Islamic dress' or 'Abandon Western culture,' they say. The words themselves are harmless, but in daily life they become invisible threads." Exactly. And in Catalonia, we shouldn't want that.
