[ti:Taliban Divided as New Leaders Force Women to Cover Bodies] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]The Taliban government in Afghanistan has issued a new order [00:05.84]requiring women to cover themselves fully whenever in public. [00:12.80]Taliban leader, Hibaitullah Akhunzada, [00:18.04]made the announcement Saturday. [00:20.72]He said women must not leave their homes without wearing a burqa. [00:26.80]The traditional clothing covers a woman [00:30.32]from head to toe, leaving only her eyes visible. [00:36.12]The new restriction comes after more than 20 years of freedom from burqas. [00:42.16]In 2001, the United States attacked Afghanistan [00:47.88]and ousted its former Taliban government. [00:52.20]In the period that followed, women gained many rights, [00:57.20]including access to education, work in government [01:02.52]and the freedom to wear modern clothing. [01:06.84]When the U.S. finally withdrew its forces from Afghanistan last year, [01:12.60]the Taliban took control of the country once again. [01:17.44]It promised to honor some of the freedoms [01:20.88]that women had gained since 2001. [01:24.40]That included permission to reject burqas. [01:28.92]Now, that is gone. [01:31.96]And it follows other repressive actions toward Afghan females. [01:38.32]In March, Akhunzada announced a major change in education policy. [01:45.32]He barred females from attending school past sixth grade. [01:51.24]He said to permit them more education would violate Islamic law. [01:59.12]However, other members of the Taliban want a more modern leadership. [02:05.80]They say without it, Western governments [02:09.76]will not work with Afghanistan or provide financial help to the country. [02:16.28]The economic support is of high importance [02:20.20]as Afghanistan is extremely poor and suffering a food crisis. [02:27.44]Torek Farhadi is a former Afghan government adviser. [02:32.92]He said Taliban leaders are disagreeing, but not publicly, [02:38.88]because they do not want to show any weakness in government. [02:44.96]He said the leaders do not "see eye to eye" [02:49.24]but they decided to "put up with each other" [02:52.52]out of a concern that the government might fall apart. [02:57.60]Some leaders are working to find a way [03:00.92]to permit older girls to go back to school. [03:05.16]A representative of the Haqqani network, [03:08.76]a powerful group within Afghanistan, [03:12.32]said the problem of girls returning to school would soon be "resolved." [03:17.84]In the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday, [03:21.52]women were seen in customary conservative Muslim clothing. [03:26.64]Most wore a traditional hijab, a cover for their hair, [03:31.24]but few covered their faces, as directed by the Taliban leader a day earlier. [03:36.88]Those wearing a burqa, which covers the face [03:41.24]and hides the eyes behind netting, were in the minority. [03:47.04]"Women in Afghanistan wear the hijab, and many wear the burqa, [03:52.28]but this isn't about hijab, this is about the Taliban [03:56.72]wanting to make all women disappear," [04:00.04]said one woman who called herself Shabana. [04:02.44]She was wearing a hijab and a long coat. [04:08.84]Another woman, Arooza, said the Taliban [04:13.20]will push many Afghans out of their country. [04:17.64]"Why should I stay here if they don't want [04:21.20]to give us our human rights? We are human," she said. [04:26.96]Obaidullah Baheer is a visiting scholar [04:31.80]at the New School in New York. [04:34.20]He agreed with the women. [04:36.08]He said the new rules are an attempt to "erase a whole gender [04:42.72]and generation of Afghans who grew up dreaming of a better world." [04:49.24]The restrictiveness may lead to rebellion against the Taliban. [04:54.00]When the Taliban took over, Baheer said, [04:57.16]it would not have taken much to satisfy most Afghans. [05:02.40]But the group is quickly wasting its chance to gain support, he said. [05:07.88]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM