Why Fear
I wanted to dance. Fear locked my feet and arms.
I wanted to shout back at men on the street.
Fear told me only bad girls talk back… don’t shame your family…
War
To buy his family’s safety, your father spends every Afghani
he has saved for the last 30 years. Your mother sells
her jewelry.
Lessons from My Mother
When her own sisters blamed my her for giving her daughters and sons the right to choose, my mother told them that she wanted her kids to have a different life than hers.
Marzia introduction
Marzia grew up in Herat, the fifth of seventh children. She feels her life did not begin until after the fall of the Taliban. She is currently a student, and after her studies, hopes to be a lawyer working for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Halima Is My Hero
Many men had eyes on Halima and wanted to marry her as a second wife, but they were scared to propose to her since according to the culture, her brothers-in-law had the priority to marry her.
What I Expect from My New President
As a result of the last election my country has improved a lot. Today women write, appear on TV, and speak on the radio.
Listen to Me
I am a girl of a different time, and times have changed.
I cannot live like my grandma did. She was not for herself.
Enter through One Door and Leave through Another
There was no Internet where I could look it up and I couldn’t ask my friends at school. The Taliban didn’t let me go to school.
Afghan Women’s Rights: “Shaming Your Father”
Today, our government wants to negotiate with the Taliban. The Taliban do not even recognize Karzai’s government and the new constitution.