The Taliban have always been known for – among other violations of human rights – their oppression of women and girls. This oppression takes many forms, but they all come down to the same result: women are not considered full people with equal rights. Under Taliban rule, women aren’t allowed to go to school, to be in direct contact with any male not her blood relative, her husband, or her in-law (this includes doctors, with the corresponding medical implications), or to hold down jobs. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Punishments for disobeying their arbitrary rules are brutal – such as shooting a 15-year-old girl in the head for daring to go to school and have political opinions. Despite the Taliban’s patent lies about their treatment of women going forward, their misogynistic stance hasn’t changed. Zarifa Ghafari, the youngest female mayor in the history of Afghanistan, told i newspaper, “I’m sitting here waiting for them to come. There is no one to help me or my family. I’m just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me.” In times of strife and horror such as this, it is imperative that we come together to help. From amplifying the voices of Afghan activists to donating money to organizations dedicated to helping Afghanistan, I urge us all to find a way to help Afghanistan citizens in this horrifying period of their lives. And I also urge us to learn about their experiences. This list, featuring books by Afghan and Afghan diaspora women, is a starting point. This is just a small selection of the books by Afghan women worth reading, but hopefully this is a starting point for a much longer conversation through literature.
