AFGHANISTAN | Friday, 5 July 2013 | Views [2318] | View Larger Image
Women wearing the burqa leave the tomb-cum-shrine of Ahmad Shah Massoud in Panjshir, Afghanistan.
Massoud is nicknamed the “Lion of Panjshir” for his role in resisting the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet regime from 1979 to 1989. He is also a figurehead for his opposition to the Islamic extremism of the Taliban regime. Al Qaeda suicide bombers assassinated him September 9, 2001. The date now a national holiday in Afghanistan.
The burqa is a piece of material covering a woman from head to foot, including her face. It was popularised during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan when it was illegal for a woman to be in public without wearing it.
Tags: afghanistan, panjshir, burqa