In the history of Media, female journalists have always been confronted whenever they have tried to go beyond the parameters set by a patriarchal media system. In Afghanistan, the condition is worse. The identity of a newswoman can land an Afghan journalist into a life-threatening situation. ‘Women are not expected to ask questions’ in this country, as is evident from the murder of two female journalists in Afghanistan within a span of seven days.

A well-known female Afghan journalist was shot dead inside her house near Kabul on Tuesday, June 05, 2007. This is the second one of the two murders which occurred one after the other within a week. Seven bullets were fired into Zakia Zaki, the head of a local radio station, as she lay asleep in her bed with her eight month old son. Her death was instant.

The murderers remain unidentified. The murder has startled the usually peaceful district of Parwan in the North of Kabul, where it happened. The area contains a huge American airbase at Bagram, and is generally free from Taliban intrusions. The internal ministry has expressed its concern over the murder and has labeled it as an ‘act of terror‘. Four men have been detained by the police regarding the case.

Zakia Zaki was 35. She was the key person of the radio station Peace Radio, funded by the United States. The radio station was run by her since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Additionally, she was the headmistress of a local school.

The Afghan Independent Journalists Association said that she had recently been threatened by influential local commanders. They had warned her against her bold reporting. Other female journalists in similar conditions are apprehensive after this mishap. Farida Nekzad, from an Afghan news agency Pajhwok, said - ‘This is a very bad day for female journalists. Our work is becoming increasingly dangerous’.

The murder has become more politically significant due to a similar incident preceding it. Sanga Amach, a news presenter for a private TV station in Kabul, had been murdered just days before. She also reportedly received threats and warnings to stop her work.

‘Journalism is always dangerous in this country, especially if you are a woman. The extremists do not like women who work.’ - said Abdul Hai Warshan, an experienced reporter from the Voice of America. His statement seems to summarize the scenario. Female journalists being a minority had always faced challenges from a male-dominated society. In Afghanistan, conservative forces would see them as a live demonstration of the Liberated Woman. Therefore newswomen are targeted ruthlessly and violently, as is evident from these murders, and a series of other incidents relating to them.

A local journalist in Kabul had been threatened by a cab driver who openly said - ‘Women should not be journalists‘, and reminded her of the danger of getting shot.
Another famous female presenter was murdered two years back, and the crime was suspected to have been committed by her relatives.

The flourish of the Afghan media after the fall of the Taliban had apparently looked like a liberal gesture. But in reality, the mainstream state-owned media in Afghanistan is plagued by religious influence and propaganda. Time and again there have been protests against the government’s decisions with the advent of privately owned newspapers and TV channels. Freer expressions in the media have challenged the conformist hierarchy in Afghanistan. Thus the backlash.

The acts of violence against the female journalists in Afghanistan symbolize the inherent anarchy even in the apparently stable parts of the country. Young reporters, especially women, still remain unsafe. President Hamid Karzai’s encouraging efforts to bring in women into professional and political fields have definitely shown positive results. However, the overall social environment in Afghanistan seems far from encouraging when it comes to respecting the identity of a woman at work.

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The Guardian : www.guardian.co.uk