Pashtoon men's women dilemma in the west
By Helmand Khan Following the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in the late 70s and 80s, subsequent civil wars there, and the quest for a better life by thousands of pashtoons in Pakistan, they (pashtoons) have ended up in Europe and North America and other parts of the world. This is probably the first generation of Pashtoons who have joined in so many numbers, other tens of thousands of economic migrants in the west. Upon arriving they face with new realities: The first is how to respond to secular western values with gender equality and freedoms at its heart. Pashtoons' traditional society is mainly patriarchal where male dominates every sphere of life. Women have excluded roles and mainly confined to unrecognised domestic manual jobs. Woman is the symbol of honour for tribal men so they have to be wrapped up from public gaze. Any suggestion by women intending to play non traditional roles- not designated for them by men- is strongly resisted. The tribal code and the...