While some women in Afghanistan are attending universities, they consistently face threats and severe restrictions. I am in contact with a number of women who are persevering with their hope of holding their country in the future by gaining education. The following article came to me directly from one of these courageous young women, a university student.
"With the coming of the Taliban, Afghanistan has changed to a prison for women. Every second people are tortured mentally and physically by the Taliban. This time they are seriously focused on women’s clothing. They announced that all women must wear the Islamic Burqa and totally cover their face. Before this, we also wore the Islamic Hijab but instead of covering our face with a black scarf, we used to wear face masks. But now the Taliban don’t allow women and girls to just cover their face with face masks.
Recently, they made a checkpoint on the highway to our university, and they are looking for girls who are not following their new rules. A few days ago, they stopped girls who were not wearing a Burqa from going to their university. All the girls went back home but a one girl stood against them and attacked a Talib and finally took his gun. Very soon after, lots of other Talibs came and we left the area and came home, and we don’t know what happened to that girl. Now we are continuing going to school with Islamic Burqa.
On March 10, 2022, in Rostaq District of Takhar Province, the Taliban killed a young man as he was sitting in a restaurant with his partner. They killed him because he had invited his partner to a restaurant for a meal. They also made lots of other rules, like increasing Islamic subjects at universities; all the teachers must wear traditional clothes and male teachers must have long beards. No teacher is allowed to enter the university without traditional clothes and a long beard.
With all these problems we are continuing our studies and I hope one day I will be able to serve other women and girls who are denied education, and help them to acquire knowledge. I wish I could serve my country and my people, and I will continue my struggle until Afghanistan gets its freedom and women and girls will be free and we will see smiles across the lips of Afghan women and children again."
*The image above was sent to me by a women in Afghanistan that I am in contact with.