Divine Blessings in Afghanistan

Hibatullah Akhundzada.  Getty

"[Afghans endured hardships and sacrifices for fifty years so that Islamic law [Sharia] could be established to save people from] corruption, oppression, usurpation, drugs, theft, robbery and plunder."

"These are great divine blessings that our people should not forget and, during the commemoration of Victory Day [August 15], express great gratitude to Allah Almighty so that the blessings will increase."

"If, against God's will, we fail to express gratitude for blessings and are ungrateful for them, we will be subjected to the severe punishment of Allah Almighty."

"[The Kabul Municipality must build more mosques and focus on identifying means to] further consolidate and fortify [the Islamic government of Afghanistan]." 

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

 

"This day marked the beginning of a black domination that excluded women from work, education, and social life."

"We, the protesting women, remember this day not as a memory, but as an open wound of history, a wound that has not yet healed."

"The fall of Afghanistan was not the fall of our will. We stand, even in the darkness." 

"Forgiving the Taliban is an act of enmity against humanity. August 15th is a dark day." 

United Afghan Women's Movement for Freedom  

A convoy of Taliban security personnel celebrates the fourth anniversary of the Taliban takeover in Kabul on Friday. Wakil Kohsar / AFP - Getty Images

 

"It's not a good thing [deportation from Qatar to Afghanistan]. The possibility of being killed is really high."

"We believe that with the education and kindness, we can build a brighter future."

We are going to make everyone proud."

Parissa Ahmadi, graduate, American University of Afghanistan business program, Qatar 

 

"It's a death sentence for them if they are sent back [to Afghanistan]."

"I can't even imagine them returning. Everybody's terrified. These were the writers and the most educated women in Afghanistan who wanted to have freedom, democracy, human rights, formal education before they fled."

"I went to school, I got my degree and now I have my own business here. I don't take a second of my life in Canada for granted."

"They can't even land at the Kabul International Airport. Because as soon as they land, the Taliban will ask them: 'Where is your [male chaperone]?' 

Friba Rezayee, founder, Women Leaders of Tomorrow, Vancouver  

Among 30 female students from Afghanistan who were evacuated from their home country after the Taliban took over the country four years ago, is 23-year-old Parissa Ahmadi. The University of Regina along with an advocacy group is raising funds to help relocate these 30 women to Saskatchewan where they can continue their education. Their scholarship funding in Qatar had been interrupted when the U.S. government stopped its program for international aid.

 

So far, said Friba Rezayee, about $140,000 of the required $500,000 needed by the University of Regina to cover their tuition has been raised. The president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, Jeff Keshen, assured the space to provide the women with free housing meals is there, if the tuition is successfully raised. The university is prepared to expedite offer letters for the women since they are already qualified students of law, business and computer science.

 

Sign at the University of Regina. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

 

A problem has arisen due to the student visas being delayed in respect of a cap placed on international students last year by the federal government. "They're not just going back to an area where their education is going to be denied, but their hopes and dreams are going to be dashed", commented Mr. Keshen. "It's tragic."

 

The university reached out to the federal government expressing its willingness to accept the women, informing the immigration ministry that student visas will be required as soon as the funds are raised. "Canada has welcomed over 59,000 Afghans since the fall of Kabul in August 2021", responded a spokeswoman or the ministry, and the department continues to process eligible applications: "Visa applications are considered on a case-by-case basis". 

 

Meanwhile, the university in Qatar has informed the Afghan students that they must leave the country by the end of August. Rezayee herself moved to Vancouver as a refugee in 2001. She was one of Afghanistan's first female Olympians, competing in judo. Afghanistan, she explained, is the only country on the globe to ban education for women. 

 

Parissa Ahmadi related that members of the Taliban had interrogated her and taken passport photos as she left Afghanistan for Pakistan then boarded a plane for Qatar. She worked at a Qatari immigration office while obtaining her degree. Her earnings were sent to her sisters and brothers in Afghanistan as the family's sole provider. She is determined, given the opportunity, to pursue more education at the University of Regina. 

 

Parissa Ahmadi is seen in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout