Education for Afghan Women

     In class on Wednesday, I found Dr. Quimby's presentation on SOLA very interesting. I already had some background knowledge on some of the challenges women in Afghanistan face from an English project last semester. Despite that, I learned why women are deprived of secondary education and heard some moving stories about other Govs students.  

   Similar to the bible, in Islam, the Quran is their sacred text that is used as a guide through life, although I would argue it is followed more strictly than the bible. In many Middle Eastern countries, criminal punishments, family norms, diets, etc, are based on Sharia Law derived from the Quran. Interpretations from the Quran also apply to education, particularly for women. There is ongoing debate on why the Taliban restricts Women's education. One reason is that it is a cultural practice of a certain ethnic group in Afghanistan, and the other reason is it’s the senior leadership interpretation of Islam. A journalist said “Women living in the households of current Taliban policymakers were never educated” because they believed pubescent girls should never leave their homes so leaving for education or work is morally corrupt. Obaidullah Baheer of American University says "The most prominent Taliban leaders studied at Pakistani madrasas that gave them a certain Islamic school of thought that reinforces the most strict interpretations of Islam" where women are not educated. 

  Dr. Quimby shared some stories from some Govs students who were formerly at SOLA that made me reflect on my education. Applying to a school so far from home as your only option for an education with little chance of being accepted takes a lot of courage. Dr. Quimby's story of students lying in the street avoiding bullets to get to the plane made me realize that although I've been fortunate enough to always know I would go to college, I could never do what they do. Something else Dr. Quimby shared was how different America is to people from places such as Afghanistan. I knew I was fortunate to live here but Dr. Quimby put it into a perspective I have never considered before. Coming to school not understanding anything around you and translating your homework takes dedication I don't have. Something that really stuck out to me was the idea of how overwhelming something like a grocery store could be after coming from a place where you shop at a street market with vendors. Overall, I learned about why Afghan women are being put through this challenge, how SOLA is helping, and opened my eyes to consider a new perspective.