From Fear to the Passion for Life
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What color is black?
By Krishma Haidary
Black is the color of life for Afghan girls. The Afghan girl means from birth to adulthood, she puts silence and condemnation on her lips, so that her voice does not shake the hearts and bodies of men. Afghan girl means that your childhood has been stolen, your taste has been chosen, your freedom has been violated, your voice is a crime, your education is a sin, your make-up is blasphemy, speaking out is oppressed and seeking justice is forbidden.
When Afghan girls dress in what is perceived as sexually intoxicating, they are punished with the words of men. Ugly words, so that men do not become intoxicated by the sight of an Afghan woman's hair and become sexually aroused by their beauty. Often, I say to myself that from birth, an Afghan girl is destined by God for misfortune, which has no end. To be an Afghan girl means to be a 14-year-old child who neither has the right to choose a husband for love, nor her future life. If your family brings a 70-year-old man into your life, you will endure the changes and bitterness of life with grief. Woe to the days when girls taste the choice of life and fall in love with their destiny, but others consider this rationalism and enlightenment of choice as a stain of shame.
In the eyes of the majority of Afghan men, a woman is like a toy; caressing her when he wants to, and rebuking her when he is done. To be an Afghan girl means wanting and not being allowed to be a person. Some may say, "the one who seeks, finds”, however for Afghan girls it is the opposite we have no right to seek. An Afghan girl means that after marriage, even though they know that you have no role in determining the sex of your child, you are condemned when you give birth to a girl.
To be an Afghan girl means lost dreams; it means you remain silent before lies, it means you are controlled by others. To be an Afghan girl means to take on the burden of the wrongdoing of the men. To be an Afghan girl means to carry the burden of the wrongdoing of men. Afghan men are empty of mistakes, they are sinless. So when you can not give birth to a child, your husband must marry another woman, even if infertility rests with him.
Afghan girl means to be a victim, a victim to the desires and lusts of others, you are defined by their desires and your desires are repressed. If you disobey you can face a sentence of disfiguration and even be sentenced to death.
An Afghan girl means surrendering to all the irrational and worthless behaviors of a man. Even though Afghan girls’ noses and ears are cut off, they are still fighting. Women are shouting for enlightenment and justice, their voices rise like a mountain touching the sky seeking the eradication of ignorance and extremism. Yes, it is pride that they still sing and raise the banner of freedom even while their chests embrace sharp red bullets of extremists.
Afghan girls with a fierce determination, standing like a firm mountain with a soft heart like wax. But in spite of all this elegance and femininity, they fight bravely and sing the song of honor and victory. It is true that men fought for their self -governance for 20 years, yet they still condemn us to cover our face and hair and sit in our house, so as not to shake a man's heart. I know that Afghan girls never give up; they fight, struggle, sometimes they fail but again they stand up for their rights, and eventually they will succeed. Every cloud has a silver lining and for every dark night there is a brighter day. I know Afghan women will get what they are fighting for, because the word "surrender" is not in your nature.
O woman, you are the one who was both Rabia's voice and Malalai's thoughts,
you must fight and keep on your struggles;
everything will be changed by will and struggle.
It's a beautiful fact that no oppression will go unanswered.
For there is a god for this world.
-Krishma Haidary
You may ask why I took up a pen and, of all the creatures, I have written about Afghan girls. Why have Afghan girls taken such a large place in my articles and cast a shadow over my life and art? I am an Afghan girl and I answer with the utmost innocence and simplicity, why should I not write about the pain I have seen, the sorrow I have felt.
Mrs. Latifah Siraj was the first woman who was employed as an announcer in Radio Afghanistan in 1329 (1950 AD). After that, he worked as one of the main members of the news team of Radio Afghanistan. This happened while at that time, many Afghan women were not allowed access to education and employment due to cultural and social restrictions. As a woman in the national media, Latifah Siraj is considered as a symbol of the changes in women's rights and the improvement of their situation in Afghanistan in the 1320s.
You might say that freedom of speech has been violated in Afghanistan, and you can't write about such things, but who caused our freedom of speech to be violated? Women in their hair out and stylish shoes are reviled by those whose faith says women should be covered from head to toe.In a land where our laws are determined by men, women have no rights not even to their bodies. If there is no change, then, I have no choice but to separate myself from my tribe and reject all its heritage.
O Afghan girl
They interpreted you in the streets
It is like a catastrophe drowning in silence
They have broken you
Voice reflection
Violation of your gaze has taken you away from your dreams
They made you migrate from your homeland and offered you to the hunter of fate.
- O Afghan girl,
you have conquered the world with your courage and greatness,
you have discarded your language,
actions and customs, you have created a new language
with your perseverance, the flame of which ignites
the fire of future centuries.
- Ismail Arab
Afghans society fears the dignity and power of Afghan women and girls, so men conspire against us and try to condemn them. Afghan women, whose names have always been associated with violence, it is up to us.
When we look at the history of Afghanistan we see a long list of women leaders. The first female minister was named Ms. Kobra. Noorzai Begum and Rabia Balk were the first Persian poets. Contemporary women such as Niloufar Rahmani, Afghan’s famous pilot, Habibeh Sarabi was the Governor of Bamyan Province, and Somayeh Gholami, was the first Afghan medalist to win a gold medal for Taekwondo at the South Asian games in 2016. Ms. Maria Dadestan and Ms. Latifa Siraj, in the 1950's were Afghanistan's first female radio journalists. The women listed above are just a small sample of the hundred of Afghans female leaders that rose against all odds.
I hate that rain, which could not extinguish the fire from the body of martyr "Farkhunda". I hate that ignorant generation, who stoned Farkhunda, because they believed a man’s lies. In my country, the Farkhundas are beaten, tortured and murdered yet they are pure and innocent.
Men are born from the same women who they criticize, they control every aspect of their mother's life and decide their daughter’s destiny. So the Afghan girls live as a shadow when they are in fact a basket full of fruits that are in season that give life, and can be hopeful and fruitful for their family and country when they live bountiful lives.
O Afghan girl, you are the illusion of an incomplete story!
With respect,
Krishma Haidary
When Afghan girls dress in what is perceived as sexually intoxicating, they are punished with the words of men. Ugly words, so that men do not become intoxicated by the sight of an Afghan woman's hair and become sexually aroused by their beauty. Often, I say to myself that from birth, an Afghan girl is destined by God for misfortune, which has no end. To be an Afghan girl means to be a 14-year-old child who neither has the right to choose a husband for love, nor her future life. If your family brings a 70-year-old man into your life, you will endure the changes and bitterness of life with grief. Woe to the days when girls taste the choice of life and fall in love with their destiny, but others consider this rationalism and enlightenment of choice as a stain of shame.
In the eyes of the majority of Afghan men, a woman is like a toy; caressing her when he wants to, and rebuking her when he is done. To be an Afghan girl means wanting and not being allowed to be a person. Some may say, "the one who seeks, finds”, however for Afghan girls it is the opposite we have no right to seek. An Afghan girl means that after marriage, even though they know that you have no role in determining the sex of your child, you are condemned when you give birth to a girl.
To be an Afghan girl means lost dreams; it means you remain silent before lies, it means you are controlled by others. To be an Afghan girl means to take on the burden of the wrongdoing of the men. To be an Afghan girl means to carry the burden of the wrongdoing of men. Afghan men are empty of mistakes, they are sinless. So when you can not give birth to a child, your husband must marry another woman, even if infertility rests with him.
Afghan girl means to be a victim, a victim to the desires and lusts of others, you are defined by their desires and your desires are repressed. If you disobey you can face a sentence of disfiguration and even be sentenced to death.
An Afghan girl means surrendering to all the irrational and worthless behaviors of a man. Even though Afghan girls’ noses and ears are cut off, they are still fighting. Women are shouting for enlightenment and justice, their voices rise like a mountain touching the sky seeking the eradication of ignorance and extremism. Yes, it is pride that they still sing and raise the banner of freedom even while their chests embrace sharp red bullets of extremists.
Afghan girls with a fierce determination, standing like a firm mountain with a soft heart like wax. But in spite of all this elegance and femininity, they fight bravely and sing the song of honor and victory. It is true that men fought for their self -governance for 20 years, yet they still condemn us to cover our face and hair and sit in our house, so as not to shake a man's heart. I know that Afghan girls never give up; they fight, struggle, sometimes they fail but again they stand up for their rights, and eventually they will succeed. Every cloud has a silver lining and for every dark night there is a brighter day. I know Afghan women will get what they are fighting for, because the word "surrender" is not in your nature.
O woman, you are the one who was both Rabia's voice and Malalai's thoughts,
you must fight and keep on your struggles;
everything will be changed by will and struggle.
It's a beautiful fact that no oppression will go unanswered.
For there is a god for this world.
-Krishma Haidary
You may ask why I took up a pen and, of all the creatures, I have written about Afghan girls. Why have Afghan girls taken such a large place in my articles and cast a shadow over my life and art? I am an Afghan girl and I answer with the utmost innocence and simplicity, why should I not write about the pain I have seen, the sorrow I have felt.
Mrs. Latifah Siraj was the first woman who was employed as an announcer in Radio Afghanistan in 1329 (1950 AD). After that, he worked as one of the main members of the news team of Radio Afghanistan. This happened while at that time, many Afghan women were not allowed access to education and employment due to cultural and social restrictions. As a woman in the national media, Latifah Siraj is considered as a symbol of the changes in women's rights and the improvement of their situation in Afghanistan in the 1320s.
You might say that freedom of speech has been violated in Afghanistan, and you can't write about such things, but who caused our freedom of speech to be violated? Women in their hair out and stylish shoes are reviled by those whose faith says women should be covered from head to toe.In a land where our laws are determined by men, women have no rights not even to their bodies. If there is no change, then, I have no choice but to separate myself from my tribe and reject all its heritage.
O Afghan girl
They interpreted you in the streets
It is like a catastrophe drowning in silence
They have broken you
Voice reflection
Violation of your gaze has taken you away from your dreams
They made you migrate from your homeland and offered you to the hunter of fate.
- O Afghan girl,
you have conquered the world with your courage and greatness,
you have discarded your language,
actions and customs, you have created a new language
with your perseverance, the flame of which ignites
the fire of future centuries.
- Ismail Arab
Afghans society fears the dignity and power of Afghan women and girls, so men conspire against us and try to condemn them. Afghan women, whose names have always been associated with violence, it is up to us.
When we look at the history of Afghanistan we see a long list of women leaders. The first female minister was named Ms. Kobra. Noorzai Begum and Rabia Balk were the first Persian poets. Contemporary women such as Niloufar Rahmani, Afghan’s famous pilot, Habibeh Sarabi was the Governor of Bamyan Province, and Somayeh Gholami, was the first Afghan medalist to win a gold medal for Taekwondo at the South Asian games in 2016. Ms. Maria Dadestan and Ms. Latifa Siraj, in the 1950's were Afghanistan's first female radio journalists. The women listed above are just a small sample of the hundred of Afghans female leaders that rose against all odds.
I hate that rain, which could not extinguish the fire from the body of martyr "Farkhunda". I hate that ignorant generation, who stoned Farkhunda, because they believed a man’s lies. In my country, the Farkhundas are beaten, tortured and murdered yet they are pure and innocent.
Men are born from the same women who they criticize, they control every aspect of their mother's life and decide their daughter’s destiny. So the Afghan girls live as a shadow when they are in fact a basket full of fruits that are in season that give life, and can be hopeful and fruitful for their family and country when they live bountiful lives.
O Afghan girl, you are the illusion of an incomplete story!
With respect,
Krishma Haidary