In Mid-August, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, which left people, especially women, fearful. In an interview with Fawzia Koofi, Afghanistan’s once-prominent female leader, former parliament member, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a candidate for president spoke about the “heartbreaking” reality for Afghan women since the Taliban takeover while holding the U.S. accountable for withdrawing.
In this photo taken on February 18, 2019, Fawzia Koofi, a former member of Afghan Parliament and Chairperson of Women, Civil Society, and Human Rights Commission gestures as she speaks during an interview with AFP at her home in Kabul. – Fawzia Koofi was hesitant to face the Taliban militants who jailed her husband, threatened to stone her for wearing nail polish, and — when she became a high-profile MP and women’s rights champion — tried to assassinate her. (Photo: WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP)
This Is Heartbreaking
Fawzia Koofi said in an interview with the Associated Press that this is not the Afghanistan that she fought for. The Afghanistan that she was hoping for was a country wherein women should not suffer as much as she did when she was young, when she was a teenager and when the Taliban took over. She believed that the Taliban takeover could have been avoided, per Newsweek.
With tears streaming down her face, Fawzia Koofi said that the women in Afghanistan are dealing with this trauma every day and expressed how she wanted the girls to enjoy the freedom of at least choosing a school they should attend. But now their choice is limited to which room in their houses they should spend during the day. Fawzia Koofi added, “This is heartbreaking.”
According to NDTV, since seizing power in mid-August, the Taliban leader has vowed to respect women’s rights in accordance with Islamic law. However, under the Taliban rule from 1996-2001, women could not work, and girls were banned from going to school, and they had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative when they left home. Fawzia Koofi had said that she does hold not only other countries involved accountable but also the Taliban itself.
In an interview with Fawzia Koofi, Afghanistan’s once-prominent female leader, former parliament member, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a candidate for president spoke about the “heartbreaking” reality for Afghan women since the Taliban takeover while holding the U.S. accountable for withdrawing. (Photo: The Diplomat/ AP)
Delegation Of Afghan Women
Fawzia Koofi, part of the delegation of Afghan women visiting the U.N. to urge members of states not to compromise on inclusion and equal rights in Afghanistan, had said that aids should not be politicized and that women should be involved in every stage of it they should be listened to. Women should not be the only recipients.
Fawzia Koofi was joined by the former politician, Naheed Fareed, a former diplomat Asila Wardak and a journalist Anisa Shaheed.
Asila Wardak had urged countries to pressure the Taliban to put their words into action when it comes to human rights and added “If you’re going to give them a seat, there should be conditions.”
According to the U.N. development agency in September, 100,000 Afghans have fled the country since the Taliban took over though many have failed to leave in the chaotic airlifts.
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