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Consider This from NPR

In A New Afghanistan, Some Women Fear For Their Rights — But Others Are Hopeful

Consider This from NPR

NPR

Society & Culture, Daily News, News, News Commentary

4.26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2021

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, women protested in Kabul after the Taliban announced an all-male interim government. One woman who helped organized the protests told NPR "the world should feel" what Afghan women are facing. That woman — and another who was desperately trying to leave the country — spoke to Rachel Martin on Morning Edition. More from their interviews here.

While some women fear the rights they've gained in the last 20 years will disappear, other women — particularly in rural areas — are hopeful for a future with less violence and military conflict. Anand Gopal wrote about them for The New Yorker in a piece called "The Other Afghan Women." He spoke to Mary Louise Kelly.

Special thanks to NPR's Michele Keleman for production help on this episode.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

$10 million. That's how much the U.S. is offering for information that leads to the arrest

0:06.1

of Shirajidin Hakani, a man on the FBI's most-wanted list. His father founded the Hakani network,

0:13.6

which the FBI considers a terrorist group. Thing is, he's not hard to find.

0:19.3

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have announced an interim government three weeks after they

0:23.4

took control of most of the country.

0:25.3

Shirajidin Hakani is a member of the new Taliban government in Afghanistan.

0:30.4

Shirajidin Hakani has been named as the Acting Interior Minister. He is wanted by the FBI.

0:36.4

The rest of the Taliban's cabinet includes plenty of notorious Taliban leaders and their

0:41.0

allies. What it does not include a woman. There were protests in Kabul this week, captured

0:50.3

by NBC News, a reaction to the new interim government and its perceived support from Pakistan.

0:58.8

One of the protest organizers was a 25-year-old woman named Sabira. NPR reached her this week

1:05.1

in Kabul.

1:06.1

There are a group of educated women with asked who are really concerned of their condition

1:11.4

and their future.

1:12.9

Sabira noted the old Afghan government included a ministry of women's affairs. The new one

1:18.2

does not.

1:23.5

Sabira said some women who have been protesting and some of her friends were beaten and shot

1:28.4

at by the Taliban. And her mother begged her not to protest again. Sabira understands

1:34.3

her mother is worried about her safety. But she says she's worried about something bigger.

1:40.4

We have to raise our voice to help my country main. To raise the voice of half one woman,

1:48.7

especially the world that the world should feel in what kind of situation we are.

1:55.4

Consider this. Women in Afghanistan grew up in a country where they could go to school,

...

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