Tekst 1
Hello! Sorry I haven't posted anything for so long. Even when I was in Iran and I had Coronavirus, I was able to write my blog and tell you about the events there. When I was reporting from Syria, and my Internet connection was poor, I still wrote a few words daily. But now that I’m in Afghanistan, I have felt really depressed with the situation. It looks like there’s no future for women here anymore.
What does Afghan women’s life look like? Well, the story of Malala tells it all. Malala lives in Bamyan in central Afghanistan. Just two years ago, she and her husband, Firash, travelled from Bamyan to Kabul every week. From Monday to Friday, they stayed in Firash’s parents’ home in the capital. Firash worked as a teacher there and Malala studied medicine at Kabul University. They came home for weekends only, but they loved their life. It was exciting and promising. Now things have changed: Firash still works in Kabul, but Malala, like other Afghan women, cannot study anymore. She seldom visits her parents-in-law. She stays in Bamyan and sees her husband only at weekends.
Malala says the Taliban have made women’s life very difficult. “Whenever I was in Kabul, I always covered my hair and neck with a hijab. Then I started hiding my face under a niqab. I did that just because I didn’t want any trouble with morality police. Now, all women must wear burqas, that also cover their eyes with a veil. My life is over if I can’t study and I have to wear a burqa whenever I go out!” Malala said.
The new Taliban regulations say women cannot go out alone. They must always be with a man “guardian”. With no other family in Bamyan, Malala has to wait for Firash if she wants to leave the house. So, from Monday to Friday, she is trapped at home. “Once, my mother-in-law got sick and Firash stayed in Kabul for three weeks. When I had no more food, I went to a corner shop, but morality police arrested me 50 metres from my home. I described my situation, but the policewomen didn’t understand. I spent 24 hours in prison. Luckily, when I came back home, my neighbours gave me some food, so I wasn’t hungry.”
There are many girls like Malala in Afghanistan. Luckily – they are not alone. When the Taliban closed universities to women, Mashal University in Kabul decided to stop working completely. In a video on YouTube, one of the university professors, Ismail Mashal, said: “If women cannot attend our classes, then we will not educate anyone! It’s just not fair!” In the film, Mr Mashal destroyed all his diplomas in protest.
So, depressed as I am, I’ll keep you posted. The world must know the truth about what’s going on here!