Male TV Presenters Wear Masks in Protest of New Taliban Restrictions on Female Presenters

Image copyright: EPA [via The Guardian]

The Facts

  • In a protest dubbed #FreeHerFace on social media, male TV presenters in Afghanistan are wearing face masks on air in a show of solidarity after the Taliban ordered that all women on news channels must cover their faces.

  • Afghanistan's Taliban government began enforcing the order on Sunday.


The Spin

Republican narrative

The current attacks on women's rights in Afghanistan are a direct result of the Biden administration's decision to withdraw from the country. His administration may pontificate about women's rights, but it has no way of enforcing them without troops on the ground.

Democratic narrative

While US involvement in Afghanistan saw significant gains for women's rights, the fact that Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly following its withdrawal indicates that the yields weren't sustainable without indefinite US presence, which itself wasn't sustainable or realistic.


Metaculus Prediction


Political split

LEFT

RIGHT

More neutral political stance articles

Sign up to our daily newsletter