When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, the future looked bleak for Afghan women enrolled in college.
Few give credence to Taliban assurances that women can continue attending college if they wear designated clothing and study separately from men. And female secondary school students were this weekend told to stay home.
H.S., whose full name is being withheld out of concern for her safety, was in her third year at Kabul University when Kabul fell. Not long afterward, the 20-year-old psychology student’s university attendance and her social media activities promoting mental health awareness drew scrutiny from neighbors. H.S. and her family went into hiding. Then H.S. uncovered a life-changing possibility. University of the People in the United States was offering full scholarships for Afghan women to attend its online, nonprofit, tuition-free, and accredited university.
H.S. is now one of 29 Afghan women enrolled at the University of the People. Thus far, about 800 other Afghan women have applied for 1,000 available scholarships. H.S. told the University of the People that the school represents her “last opportunity to pursue an education.”
Z.Q., another scholarship recipient, believes Afghan women will only be able to pursue a college education if they leave Afghanistan or learn online. The 24-year-old told the University of the People she is in hiding because her husband worked with the former government. Z.Q. has already lost a loved one to the Taliban. The group killed her father 21 years ago.
By the time Kabul fell, Z.Q. had completed five semesters at Kabul University. She is determined to finish her bachelor’s in business administration through the University of the People. Since childhood, she said she has “dreamt big and thought [she] would have a bright future.” Being educated will allow her to improve her daughter’s prospects and create her own business to “be in touch with the world and show that women can be and do anything, just like men.”
At 23, P.R. is switching career paths, with help from the University of the People. Formerly studying dentistry at Kabul University of Medical Sciences, P.R. has decided to pursue a degree in computer science. She told the University of the People it “is like the light in a dark world and shows there is always a solution for everything.”
P.R. holds hope for her country. “If the situation in Afghanistan gets better … I want to encourage more Afghan girls to explore opportunities in STEM,” she explained.
I had just one question for H.S., Z.Q., and P.R.: Given a Taliban senior leader’s Sept. 13 statement that Afghan women and men will not be allowed to work together under the same roof, what are their plans for the future?
H.S. said she plans to leave the country as soon as she is able. “We are really frightened,” she explained.
For Z.Q., the Taliban’s statement was “not a big surprise. Women will not be allowed to work under any circumstance. Not only will working with men under one roof not be allowed, but also independent and female-only activities will not be allowed. These days, we all see women being beaten by the Taliban in the streets and alleys, and with these conditions, women will not dare to leave their homes.”
Z.Q. said she pursues her education in hopes that the Taliban will not be capable of running Afghanistan or that she can leave the country. “One day I will achieve my dreams,” she said. P.R. explained that by working online, she can avoid “working under the same roof with males.”
Nonetheless, P.R. said the Taliban’s treatment of women is “heartbreaking. All I can do is let you broadcast my message to the citizens of the world. Please stand for what is right. Please stand with Afghan women once and for all.”
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
