Unveiling Afghanistan - Mohammad Ismail Qassemyar: 'Poverty and Unemployment Have Paralyzed the Lives of Most Afghans' --- Mohammad Ismail Qassemyar is a jurist who formerly headed the Public Security and Public Rights Courts of the Supreme Court and taught constitutional rights at university for seven years. -- The present is inextricably connected to the past. One of the major achievements we have seen during our lifetime was the people's uprising against the Soviet Union, one of the major powers in the world which led to that power's disintegration. Our crusade against that power and its puppet regime in Afghanistan prompted revolutions by small and large countries around the world to claim their independence and sovereignty from the Soviets. --- My worst fear is that the pillars of national unity may crumble. In that case, we would move towards disintegration, no matter what we wish. My other fear is that the mafia might gain more influence in the political and economic system. --- One of biggest challenges is the absence of national sovereignty. Unfortunately, our politicians, led by the President, have failed to establish and develop sovereignty. Our system is plagued with extensive and systematic corruption. Nobody can deny this. Poverty and unemployment have paralyzed the lives of most Afghans. ---- What are the biggest challenges facing Afghanistan? -- One such factor is the tribal and ethnic structure that prevails in our social relations. Families adhere strongly to these customs and rarely allow them to be modernized. And in this way, the patriarchal mentality that underlies those customs has been sustained. Parents still decide who their daughter, or even their son, should marry and under what conditions they will get married. Extremist interpretations of Islam have laid the groundwork for the suppression of women and their subjection to violence. -- They want to gain knowledge about Islamic rights. There are very few rights that Islam restricts for women. Women also aspire to better education, including about their religious rights, and employment. -- The Constitution is the most important source for women's rights. Women can achieve their political, economic, social and civil rights by relying on the Constitution. -- I have had an important role in all the processes of formulating the civil codes since the time of Daoud Khan. Under him, I was member of a committee that worked to develop women's rights and status in the society. I have fought to fulfill the rights of women in the light of the sharia and Islamic values. -- The key to our success, as testified by history, is our national unity. We must protect our Islamic unity and brotherhood and adhere to it. - More, Huffingtonpost, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/unveiling-afghanistan/mohammad-ismail-qassemyar_b_5323409.html?utm_hp_ref=afghanistan