Despite violent beatings and threats of retaliation in Afghanistan, women have become fearless and are bravely speaking out.

As such, a photo that has emerged from one such protest in Kabul which portrays the candid spirit of defiance has now awed the world, with several calling it an ‘iconic’ photograph that will go down in history. Taliban fired shots to disperse hundreds of people who had gathered at several rallies on the streets of the Afghan capital but this woman stood her ground.

The Reuters photo of the gun pointed at the Afghan woman was tweeted by Tolo News journalist; Zahra Rahimi. Rahimi shared the photograph from her official handle on Twitter on Tuesday.

“An Afghan woman fearlessly stands face to face with a Taliban armed man who pointed his gun to her chest,” wrote Ms. Rahimi.

An Afghan woman fearlessly stands face to face with a Taliban armed man who pointed his gun to her chest.
Photo: @Reuters pic.twitter.com/8VGTnMKsih

— Zahra Rahimi (@ZahraSRahimi) September 7, 2021

Many applaud the unidentified Afghan woman for “fearlessly” standing face-to-face against a Taliban-armed man who pointed a gun to her chest. But some also expressed concern over the fact that any attempts at identifying the woman might lead to potential retribution from the Taliban.

“This is new Afghanistan. They are much more aware of their basic civil rights and they will definitely fight for it no matter what. Taliban have to accept this new reality,” a user wrote on Twitter.

This image had echoes of the defining image of a lone man defiantly blocking tanks at China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.

While the militant group has promised to respect women’s rights “within Islamic law,” human rights activists, Afghan women, and the White House have been skeptical. A growing number of protests have emerged across the country over the past week, with Afghans fearing a repeat of the Taliban’s previous oppressive regime when people were publicly executed in stadiums.

It’s not clear yet what rules the Taliban will implement for women. But already there have been clear signs that women stand to face harsh consequences under their control.

The Taliban announced the constitution of its new regime in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan on Tuesday, a cabinet from which women were conveniently left out, despite earlier promises from the group that will play a “prominent role” in the new Afghan society. There was no mention of a ministry for women either, and Taliban spokespersons only said that the matter is under further consideration.