Did Wikipedia remove the word "militant" from the Treatment of women by the Taliban article?

Yes. "militant" appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 2. We saved the article's opening paragraph at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and the counts come from those saved copies.

When did the Treatment of women by the Taliban article stop using the word "militant"?

The word appeared 1 times in the opening at its peak in 2005. It is absent from today's opening, the part search engines quote and AI systems train on, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

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What did Wikipedia remove from the Treatment of women by the Taliban article?

The opening as it read in 2005

Most of Afghanistan was ruled by a small religious group called the Taliban (or 'Taleban') from 1996 until the end of 2001 . The name “Taliban” means “religious student”. During this rule, Afghanistan was one of the poorest nations in the world and suffered from constant low-level warfare, the civilian infrastructure was all but destroyed, a large number of people were killed or disabled by war or land mines, the average life expectancy was about 43, and there were human rights abuses against religious and racial minorities (especially the Shia muslims and Hazaras ). The treatment of women in Afghanistan was often singled out for special attention by the Western world: Women were prohibited from getting an education, though there were some secret schools which taught girls. The education of women became public after the fall of the Taliban. Women were prohibited from getting a job except in healthcare (because it was segregated ). If a husband left his wife, she would be hard-pressed to make a living. Women were forced to cover up in a burqa when in public and to wear shoes that did not make noise. Violations of such laws brought on a public caning. Also, if a house had a woman inhabitant, the front windows of that house had to be painted over. The Taliban were also accused of requiring women to stay at home and refusing to give women medical attention. A woman was to stay home, playing outside was not allowed, and the friends she had were very limited. Under the Taliban rule, a woman must not only remain home, but the windows of her house must be painted black The Taliban claimed that their policies were favourable to women, but they made little attempt to promote a positive image of themselves and their policies outside of Afghanistan. Inside Afghanistan, they seem to have made more of an effort; for example, by crediting the creation of the Taliban to a desire by Mullah Omar to end the rape and abuses against women that were common place in the period before the Taliban, and by appealing to the idea that women needed extra protection during the period of fighting. Men's treatment was equally harsh as so many were either killed outright or forcibly conscripted into the Taliban itself. Neither sex's treatment can be considered Islamic; such practises are not stipulated within the Qur'an and many rules were made up by the rulers as they went, sometimes with an out of context quote. Many were illiterate and of those who could read most had been raised with books supplied by the American CIA . As part of an anti- Soviet drive and to prepare an Afghan resistance against the expected (some would say provoked) Russian invasion, the books empthasised the most extreme and violent teaching of Islam ever in print. Over $100 million was spent on producing and supplying such books, leaving the later American administrations with the task of replacing them. In the shorter term many such books were carefully edited with sticky tape, ink or removing whole pages as the desired result, war-mongering religious fanaticism, was out of control. The more effective and reliable part of the Afghan forces was nicknamed "The Base", a name that, in Arabic, is now the loose catch-all name given to Islamic militants ( Al Qaeda ).¹

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 15927519.

The opening as it stood in 2010 21 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Afghan women wearing the burqa While in power in Afghanistan , the Taliban became notorious internationally for their treatment of women. Their stated aim was to create "secure environments where the chasteness and dignity of women may once again be sacrosanct," reportedly based on Pashtunwali beliefs about living in purdah . Women were forced to wear the burqa in public, because, according to a Taliban spokesman, "the face of a woman is a source of corruption" for men not related to them. They were not allowed to work, they were not allowed to be educated after the age of eight, and until then were permitted only to study the Qur'an . Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools such as the Golden Needle Sewing School , where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone , which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban 's laws. The Taliban allowed and in some cases encouraged marriage for girls under the age of 16. Amnesty International reported that 80 percent of Afghan marriages were considered to be by force. Afghanistan and the Taliban . The Taliban: War, religion and the new order in Afghanistan . The Taliban: Ascent to Power . "Woman poet 'slain for her verse'" , The Sunday Times , November 13, 2005. , Physicians for Human Rights, August 1998.

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The opening as it stood in 2015

A member of the Taliban's religious police beating an Afghan woman in Kabul on August 26, 2001. The footage, filmed by the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan , can be seen here [1] . While in power in Afghanistan , the Taliban became notorious internationally for their sexism . The stated aim of the Taliban was to create a "secure environment where the chastity and dignity of women may once again be sacrosanct," reportedly based on Pashtunwali beliefs about living in purdah . Afghan women were forced to wear the burqa at all times in public, because, according to one Taliban spokesman, "the face of a woman is a source of corruption" for men not related to them. In a systematic segregation sometimes referred to as gender apartheid , women were not allowed to work, they were not allowed to be educated after the age of eight, and until then were permitted only to study the Qur'an . Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone , which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban's laws. The Taliban allowed and in some cases encouraged marriage for girls under the age of 16. Amnesty International reported that 80% of Afghan marriages were forced . Afghanistan and the Taliban . The Taliban: War, religion and the new order in Afghanistan . The Taliban: Ascent to Power . "Woman poet 'slain for her verse'" , The Sunday Times , November 13, 2005. , Physicians for Human Rights, August 1998. The Taliban's policies also extended to matrimony, permitting and in some cases encouraging the marriages of girls under the age of 16. Amnesty International reported that 80 percent of Afghan marriages were considered to be by force.

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The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

A member of the Taliban's religious police beating an Afghan woman in Kabul on August 26, 2001. Their stated motive was to create a "secure environment where the chastity and dignity of women may once again be sacrosanct", reportedly based on Pashtunwali beliefs about living in purdah . Afghan women were forced to wear the burqa at all times in public, because, according to one Taliban spokesman, "the face of a woman is a source of corruption" for men not related to them. In a systematic segregation sometimes referred to as gender apartheid , women were not allowed to work, they were not allowed to be educated after the age of eight, and until then were permitted only to study the Qur'an . Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone , which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban's laws. The Taliban allowed and in some cases encouraged marriage for girls under the age of 16. Amnesty International reported that 80% of Afghan marriages were forced . Afghanistan and the Taliban . The Taliban: War, religion and the new order in Afghanistan . The Taliban: Ascent to Power . "Woman poet 'slain for her verse'" , The Sunday Times , November 13, 2005. (857 KB) , Physicians for Human Rights, August 1999. The Taliban's policies also extended to matrimony, permitting and in some cases encouraging the marriages of girls under the age of 16. Amnesty International reported that 80 percent of Afghan marriages were considered to be by force.

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 10 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The rights of women in Taliban controlled places Women wearing burqas at a market in Kabul in September 2021. The treatment of women by the Taliban refers to actions and policies by various Taliban regimes which are either specific or highly commented upon, mostly due to discrimination, since they first took control in 1996. During their first rule of Afghanistan (1996–2001) , the Taliban were notorious internationally for their misogyny and violence against women . In 1996, women were mandated to wear the burqa at all times in public. In a systematic segregation sometimes referred to as gender apartheid , women were not allowed to work, nor were they allowed to be educated after the age of eight. Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone , which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban's laws. After their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban at first gender segregated classrooms in universities as long as they "followed Islamic standards". However, in September 2021, they only allowed boys to return to school, preventing most teenage girls from returning to secondary school education , and blocked women in Afghanistan from working in most sectors outside of health and education. Some provinces still allow secondary education for girls despite the nation-wide ban. Women have been ordered to wear face coverings in public, and barred from travelling more than 45 miles (70 km) without a close male relative . In July 2022, Hibatullah Akhundzada , the Taliban's reclusive leader, lashed out at the criticism and demands of the international community on the Taliban's human rights restrictions , rejecting any negotiations or compromise on his "Islamic system" of governance. In December 2022, the Taliban government also prohibited university education for women and prevented them from working in NGOs . The Taliban also shut down beauty salons and prohibited women's entry into gyms and parks. In Maley, William (ed.). Afghanistan and the Taliban . The Taliban: Ascent to Power .

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The opening as it stood in 2025 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Gender policies, punishments of the Taliban Women wearing burqas at a market in Kabul in September 2021, one month after the Taliban seized control for the second time . The treatment of women by the Taliban includes the actions and policies by two distinct Taliban regimes in Afghanistan which are either specific or highly commented upon, mostly due to discrimination, since they first took control in 1996. During their first rule of Afghanistan , the Taliban were notorious internationally for their misogyny and violence against women . In 1996, women were mandated to wear the burqa at all times in public. In a systematic segregation sometimes referred to as gender apartheid , women were not allowed to work, nor were they allowed to be educated after the age of eight. Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone , which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban's laws. After taking over Afghanistan for the second time in 2021, the Taliban initially granted women permission to attend universities, albeit in gender segregated classrooms, on the condition that they followed "Islamic standards." However, they restricted access to education for teenage girls by allowing only boys to resume schooling. Additionally, they prohibited women in Afghanistan from working in most sectors beyond health and education. Some provinces still allow secondary education for girls, despite the nation-wide ban. Women were mandated to wear face coverings in public, and barred from travelling more than 70 kilometres (45 mi) without a close male relative . In 2022, Hibatullah Akhundzada , the Taliban's reclusive leader, rejected international criticism and pleas for easing human rights restrictions, refusing any negotiations or compromises on the Taliban's "Islamic system" of governance. The Taliban extended the school education ban for women to university education for women and barred them from working in NGOs . Within two years after seizing Afghanistan for the second time, the Taliban shut down beauty salons and banned women from accessing gyms and parks. According to the United Nations (UN), the treatment of women by Taliban may amount to gender apartheid. In Maley, William (ed.). Afghanistan and the Taliban . The Taliban: Ascent to Power . The Wall Street Journal . The Guardian . 1 July 2022 . "Experts: Taliban treatment of women may be "gender apartheid" " .

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