Up until the Taliban took power, though, Afghan women had careers outside the home, some of them highly educated (i.e., medical doctors). I don't know enough about Islam to say this for a fact but I would guess that the religion wants to protect and respect women, but that the Taliban corrupted that into virtual imprisonment. Don't know, just a guess.

The low rape rate may also be because of the strict punishments! Don't they cut off parts of you for that, or is that just an unfounded rumor? Then again, it could be that women just don't report it for fear of being blamed themselves.