Photos of Taliban members posing with young Chinese women, holding American weapons, have sparked strong reactions on Afghan social media. These images stand in stark contrast to the 70 decrees issued by the Taliban against women, depriving Afghan women of basic rights such as education and employment. While Afghan women face severe restrictions like the need to be accompanied by a male guardian in public, Taliban members appear to welcome foreign women for recreation and business purposes. This shows the Taliban’s selective application of Sharia, treating Afghan and non-Afghan women differently.
In the photos, young Chinese women dressed in fashionable, non-Islamic attire are seen playing with Taliban fighters and posing with guns. One image shows a young woman seated with an American M4 carbine on her lap, while armed Taliban members stand behind her, resembling a scene from a crime movie. Another picture shows a Chinese woman wearing a Taliban member’s turban, holding a Kalashnikov, smiling beside him. These images of Chinese women freely engaging with Taliban members without any dress code have raised questions among Afghan women, who asked why the Taliban’s harsh rules only apply to them.
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| Taliban fighters with Chinese tourists |
Human rights activist Parwana Ebrahimkhil, who was detained and tortured by the Taliban in 2022, pointed out that Taliban Sharia laws are applied differently to Afghan women compared to non-Afghan women. Haroon Al-Rashid Arif, another social media user, noted that these images show the increasing influence of China among the Taliban, commenting that Chinese women holding American guns symbolize China's power and mock the Taliban’s harsh decrees.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, China’s influence has grown in Afghanistan, with investments and political ties strengthening. Unlike Western governments, Chinese officials have refrained from criticizing the Taliban’s oppression of women, labeling these actions as "internal issues."
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