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The real Afghanistan is not like the one presented by international media, according to Nasria Pashtun, a 23-year-old student visiting Istanbul this week for a NATO students’ forum.
“We have a very normal life in Afghanistan, too, but no one is talking about this,” she told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday during Kadir Has University’s 5th NATO Afghan Students Forum, which started Monday and ends Friday.
Smart, firm and proud to represent women in her country, Pashtun said it was crucial that misperceptions be avoided.
Afghanistan has started to change significantly and rapidly within the last five years, Pashtun said, adding that she was very optimistic about the future of the country.
Pashtun was born in Pakistan, where her parents migrated after Russia invaded their native land. She was 18 when the family moved back home in 2005.
“I was so surprised when I saw Pringles [chips] and chocolate being sold in Afghan markets as well when I first visited my country,” she said, adding that she also had the wrong perceptions about life in Afghanistan before going there, as knowledge about her motherland was limited to what the media served at the time.
Afghan women misperceived by foreigners
Reacting to the recent book “Afghanistan,” whose cover depicted only women in blue burqas, Pashtun said the stereotypical view of Afghan women’s lifestyle was very biased throughout the world due to such portrayals.
“Not all women wear a burqa in Afghanistan; most of them wear a headscarf, like myself, and some do not wear anything on their head at all,” she said.
Pashtun told the Daily News that although she was highly affected by social pressure in the country when she first began wearing a headscarf, she now felt very natural and comfortable wearing the covering. “It has become like a permanent part of me.”
Women are expected to stay at home to cook and raise children in rural areas of the country as the education level there is low, Pashtun said. But the situation is different in big cities like the capital Kabul, where women have a lot of opportunities to participate in training and educational programs, giving them a more leading role in society.
There are currently three women out of a total of 23 ministers in the national Cabinet. The figure equals 13 percent, a higher figure than Turkey, where women hold only 8 percent of Cabinet posts.
Among the posts is a Ministry for Women’s Affairs, which aims to empower women and confront their concerns in the country, Pashtun said.
Hopes to help her country in the future
A gifted student, Pashtun was offered a full scholarship to study at the American University in Kabul.
Pashtun’s childhood dream was to become a pilot, she said. “Maybe because I wanted to fly and be free.”
The student, however, said she was now free – in the sense that “freedom” means the freedom of speech and thought within the boundaries of her own culture and traditions.
For the future, Pashtun said she hoped to obtain a master’s degree at a prestigious university abroad before returning to serve her country.
Pashtun, who is currently taking a “women’s leadership” course at university, said, “Some people say I will become a politician in the future, but I’m strongly resisting that for now.” At the same time, she said she could change her mind for the sake of a better Afghanistan.
Although she dedicates most of her time to studies at university, Pashtun said she also liked to go to parties and socialize in her free time. “I have also started to play for the university’s female basketball team, after a long time not practicing the sport.”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...ent-2010-10-20
“We have a very normal life in Afghanistan, too, but no one is talking about this,” she told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday during Kadir Has University’s 5th NATO Afghan Students Forum, which started Monday and ends Friday.
Smart, firm and proud to represent women in her country, Pashtun said it was crucial that misperceptions be avoided.
Afghanistan has started to change significantly and rapidly within the last five years, Pashtun said, adding that she was very optimistic about the future of the country.
Pashtun was born in Pakistan, where her parents migrated after Russia invaded their native land. She was 18 when the family moved back home in 2005.
“I was so surprised when I saw Pringles [chips] and chocolate being sold in Afghan markets as well when I first visited my country,” she said, adding that she also had the wrong perceptions about life in Afghanistan before going there, as knowledge about her motherland was limited to what the media served at the time.
Afghan women misperceived by foreigners
Reacting to the recent book “Afghanistan,” whose cover depicted only women in blue burqas, Pashtun said the stereotypical view of Afghan women’s lifestyle was very biased throughout the world due to such portrayals.
“Not all women wear a burqa in Afghanistan; most of them wear a headscarf, like myself, and some do not wear anything on their head at all,” she said.
Pashtun told the Daily News that although she was highly affected by social pressure in the country when she first began wearing a headscarf, she now felt very natural and comfortable wearing the covering. “It has become like a permanent part of me.”
Women are expected to stay at home to cook and raise children in rural areas of the country as the education level there is low, Pashtun said. But the situation is different in big cities like the capital Kabul, where women have a lot of opportunities to participate in training and educational programs, giving them a more leading role in society.
There are currently three women out of a total of 23 ministers in the national Cabinet. The figure equals 13 percent, a higher figure than Turkey, where women hold only 8 percent of Cabinet posts.
Among the posts is a Ministry for Women’s Affairs, which aims to empower women and confront their concerns in the country, Pashtun said.
Hopes to help her country in the future
A gifted student, Pashtun was offered a full scholarship to study at the American University in Kabul.
Pashtun’s childhood dream was to become a pilot, she said. “Maybe because I wanted to fly and be free.”
The student, however, said she was now free – in the sense that “freedom” means the freedom of speech and thought within the boundaries of her own culture and traditions.
For the future, Pashtun said she hoped to obtain a master’s degree at a prestigious university abroad before returning to serve her country.
Pashtun, who is currently taking a “women’s leadership” course at university, said, “Some people say I will become a politician in the future, but I’m strongly resisting that for now.” At the same time, she said she could change her mind for the sake of a better Afghanistan.
Although she dedicates most of her time to studies at university, Pashtun said she also liked to go to parties and socialize in her free time. “I have also started to play for the university’s female basketball team, after a long time not practicing the sport.”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...ent-2010-10-20