Here are Afghan women in their own words. Words that are by turns
inspiring, moving, courageous, and heartbreaking. Their powerful stories
create a compelling portrait of the lives, struggles, and successes of
this extraordinary nation and its extraordinarily resilient women. With
an introduction by Laura Bush, honorary founding co-chair of the
U.S.-Afghan Women s Council.
Afghanistan has been described as the
worst nation in the world to be a woman. More than fifty percent of
girls who are forced into marriage are sixteen or younger. Too many
women live in fear and in many areas, education and employment for women
are still condemned. The women featured in "We Are Afghan Women "are
fighting to change all that. From rug weavers to domestic violence
counselors to business owners, educators, and activists, these
courageous women are charting a new path for themselves, their families,
their communities, and their nation. Told in their own voices, their
stories vividly capture a country undone by decades of war and now
struggling to build a lasting peace.
Meet Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, who
ran underground schools for girls until the Taliban fell, and today has
established educational centers across Afghanistan to teach women and
girls basic literacy. Or Freshta Hazeq, who as a female business owner,
has faced death threats, sabotage, and even kidnapping threats against
her children. Naheed Farid is the youngest female member of Afghanistan's
parliament. During her campaign, opponents cut Naheed's face out of
campaign posters and her family risked complete ruin, but her husband
and father-in-law never wavered, encouraging her to persevere. Here, too
are compassionate women such as Masooma Jafari, who started a national
midwives association. Her own mother was forced into marriage at age
twelve and gave birth to her first child at age thirteen.
With an
introduction by former First Lady Laura Bush, "We Are Afghan Women"
chronicles the lives of young and old, daughters and mothers, educated,
and those who are still learning. These determined women are defying the
odds to lead Afghanistan to a better future. Their stories are a stark
reminder that in some corners of the world the struggle continues and
that women's progress in society, business, and politics cannot be taken
for granted. Their eloquent words challenge all of us to answer: What
does it truly mean to be a woman in the twenty-first century?
