“The Taliban attempted to silence us with guns”

Fatema

Former university professor, Kabul

For Fatima, a university lecturer who had realized her dream of becoming an assistant professor after years of hard work, everything changed after 15 August 2021. But despite losing so much, she has decided to stand up and resist.

“I remember that day well. I didn’t know anything about the changes but when I went to the university, they wouldn’t let me in. It was the most bitter day of my life, and we were all in tears. We felt buried in our ignorance, and now I have my books stored in a room at home.

The most significant change in my life is that I am no longer independent. They have taken away my pride and honour. When students reach out to me, they often ask with tears in their eyes, ‘Is there hope for the future?’ In addition, the mocking encounters I’ve had with [male] students I used to teach have hurt me deeply. I now have to conceal my face from them. This situation has led to a period of depression for me.

If I could change something in Afghanistan, it would be the Taliban’s mindset. The restrictions imposed by the Taliban have not allowed me to find peace.

During the protests in our province, I participated with my family several times, and we were met with violence each time. The Taliban attempted to silence us with guns.

Several people were wounded, and they would confiscate people’s phones to keep them in check. When the brother of one of my colleagues went to retrieve his sister’s phone, he was imprisoned by the Taliban for eight weeks.

When the university gate closed in front of us, myself, my colleagues and the female students went to the university gate to protest. Armed Taliban soldiers were violent towards us once again and attempted to silence our voices. However, our determination to resist is what they confronted.

I was severely shaken, and one of the girls had an injured leg, another had a bleeding face, and another was beaten. Each of the protesters suffered in some way.

When Taliban soldiers confronted our resistance, they began using rifles and aerial shots to disperse us. If I were to write the story of our survival, I would describe the first time I witnessed bullets and smoke coming from the barrel of a gun. Despite all this sacrifice and women’s courage, we still couldn’t attain our basic rights, such as the right to education and work. It has become an unattainable dream for us.

My message to all the girls of my land is to stand up and not lose hope. Despite all these hardships, I am trying to be a source of hope for my female students. In this regard, we, along with other teachers, have established online classes for female students. Another part of our activity involves distributing books to women and girls. We are doing what we can to accompany the women and girls of our country on this challenging journey.”

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual; but if you educate a woman, you educate a society”

A woman with a camera takes photos through a window.