A brave young Afghan woman protests against the Taliban alone – this is her story Does he want it or not? Confusion over ex-Trump Vice President Pence’s candidacy

The image is impressive: a young woman stands all alone in front of the university in the Afghan capital Kabul and holds up a sign. Security forces patrol the grounds and heavily armored vehicles can also be seen.

The sign reads “Iqra”, the Arabic word for “to read”. A simple but clear and symbolically powerful message: Last week, the Afghan Taliban authorities imposed an unrestricted ban on girls and women from attending universities.

A handful of women protested publicly for a short time, but according to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the demonstration was quickly dispersed by security forces. But one of the women is unyielding and shows up in front of the university again and again – despite the threat of arrest, violence and social stigmawrites the newspaper.

This is her story:

Who is the young woman?

Marwa can be seen in the photo. She is 19 years old and comes from the Afghan capital Kabul. In a few months, Marwa wanted to be the first woman in her family to attend university in Kabul. Marwa passed an aptitude test for college a few months ago and planned to start her training as a nurse. But the Taliban destroyed plans for the future.

Marwa was looking forward to going to college with her brother Hamid, but he will now have to study without his sister in the near future. He told the French news agency AFP: “I wanted my sister to be able to achieve her goals with me, be successful and move forward in life. Although there were always problems, she went to school until the 12th grade. But now – what can I say? » he asks rhetorically.

That’s what Marwa says about her protest

The young Afghan woman is deeply saddened by the Taliban’s ban. Your words get under your skin. In an interview with AFP she says: “We women are treated worse than animals. Animals can go everywhere on their own, but we girls don’t even have the right to leave the house.”

Then she begins to sob: «I wish God had never created women. If we have to be so unhappy, I wish we had never been born.”

But Marwa doesn’t think about giving up just like that. She decides to protest and on December 25 she stands alone with her sign in front of the university, considered the largest and most respected in the country. “For the first time in my life I felt so proud, strong and powerful because I stood up to them and claimed a right that God gave us,” she says afterwards.

While standing in front of the university, the young woman is attacked repeatedly. “They said very bad things to me, but I kept calm,” the 19-year-old sums up. With her protest she wants to encourage other women to also stand up for their rights. “I don’t want to be locked up. I have big dreams that I want to realize,” says Marwa.

Such is the situation in Afghanistan

In August 2021, after US troops withdrew, the Taliban retook control of the land between Central and South Asia in a very short time.

Initial promises to the rest of the world to give women more rights than during the first Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001 quickly turned into lip service.

Gradually, the Muslim extremists banned basic rights for women, such as going to parks, gyms or public baths. Access to education for girls has also been steadily restricted, while dress codes have expanded. The recent ban on studying and a new provision that women employed by aid organizations are no longer allowed to work have sparked international outrage.