7 normalize women’s presence outside the family environment as well as empower and liberate them socially. Right now, women feel quite vulnerable in a mixed environment. In the short term, the creation of gender specific business districts can serve as a good trigger. This is because women’s presence in local market place insignificant. It will help restructure the social power relations in the long run in favor of women in the country. Key Recommendations: Religions Institutions 1. The Ministry of Haj and Awqaf in concert with the Ulema Council of Afghanistan and civil society must formulate a clear set of educational and social criteria for the operation of mullahs as preachers and tutors in the local mosques and madrasas. Transgression of the set benchmarks and regulatory framework must be met with disciplinary measures. 2. Mullahs without express sanction from the ministry of Haj and Ulema Council must not be allowed to administer mosques and madrasas on their own. The appointment and removal of mullahs in local mosques and madrasas must be centralized. The Ministry of Haj must exercise appointment and removal authority over mullahs both in mosques and madrasas. 3. The Afghan Parliament/ Provincial Councils in coordination with civil society and the media must oversee the operation of mullahs in mosques and madrasas in local communities. These institutions must provide regular reports on exploitation and abuse of local religious institutions against women and national interests to the government for practical measures. 4. The curriculum of madrasas must be reformed, uniformed and standardized in accord with the latest developments in Islamic studies. At present, local religious actors twist and distort religious teachings and preaching to promote an extremist religious tradition. In the long run reforms must replace extremist religious traditions with moderate and progressive strands of religious thinking while protecting the religious minorities and promoting religious pluralism. 5. Civil society must engage with the mosques and madrasas in order to maintain a dialogue and to help influence their messages in relation to women. Civil society can assist in the mobilization of the resources of religious institutions to promote women’s rights and freedom of education and work. 6. Civil society, especially women’s rights activists, must work together with the government to encourage that religious institutions substitute their narrow obsession