My Generation

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Fawzia Koofi pressed for the rights of women during their first face-to-face meeting with the Taliban

Fawzia Koofi is the childhood dream of becoming a doctor was destroyed, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan in the 1990s. The Group that banished women from public life, arrested, her husband and tried to kill you, if you later a politician.

But she spoke, finally, to the Taliban , which is now on the threshold of a peace agreement With Us forces, drove them out of power.

"I was not intimidated. For me, it is important to be fixed. I was the representation of women in Afghanistan," she told the BBC.

'Some of the Taliban were looking for me,'

the Ms Koofi was one of The Few women that are part of a pan-Afghan delegation held many rounds of dialogue with the country, the Islamist hardliners, which the rulers of that time, in addition to the months of Peace Talks with the United States instead.

This Time last year, she and Another Woman , Human Rights activist Laila Jafari, joined a Moscow hotel room, Packed with 70 Men .

Laila Jafari (L), and Fawzia Koofi were talking among The Few Afghan women who had the opportunity to be the Taliban

On the one side of The Room is the Taliban . On The Other , the Two Women took their seats among The Afghan politicians and activists, all of them Men .

"I told you, Afghanistan is now said to was represented by different views, and the country was not obliged, by an ideology," She Said .

"Some members of the Taliban delegation looked at me. There were a couple of notes. Some others were Just Looking elsewhere. "

During the long discussions of the Process , the refused, the Taliban , do not say directly with The Afghan government, that They recognize a "puppet government".

But after persistent pressure from the United States and Russia, a compromise was reached and The Group agreed to have a conversation with an unofficial Afghan delegation.

Ms Koofi was part of the team, on three occasions.

As someone whose life was altered dramatically by the Taliban , she confronts them directly about the rights of women, say, more women should be included in The Peace Process .

members of the Taliban delegation take their seats at the Moscow talks

"Because our side had women delegates, I hit them [the Taliban ], that you women should be at the table. She laughed immediately. "

During their rule from 1996 -2001, the Taliban excluded women from education and employment, and imposed their own strict version of Islamic laws, such as stoning and flogging.

After you have lived all your life in Afghanistan, Fawzia Koofi knew people had suffered such penalties.

If it was to speak in the series, a Taliban negotiators meet your requirements for sexual equality.

"you said a woman can minister the prime, But not President. She also said women can't be judges. "

The Format of The Talks does not allow a two-way discussion. "I didn't agree with it, But I didn't want to argue," Ms says Koofi.

The official Taliban line These Days is that women can work and be educated - But only "within the limits of Islamic law and Afghan culture".

For people like Ms Koofi, this is the core of the problem. Islam has a Holy book, But many streams of theological thought.

"I've heard different opinions about the Islamic teachings of various scholars. The Taliban , extreme interpretations of The Koran . "

'I never bought a burqah'

Fawzia Koofi saw for The First time a Taliban fighters in September 1996 .

Taliban fighters took Kabul in 1996 and were in control of most of the country from 2001

"I was studying medicine in Kabul, when the Taliban took over The City . I saw you from my fifth floor flat. The fight was on The Street below, with militants holding automatic rifles. "

Within a few days, your childhood ambition had been destroyed and she was the door, through the medical school, the following orders from the militant. She remained in Kabul and taught English to girls who have been thrown out of the school.

"It was a very depressing time. If someone wants to weaken you and stop opportunities For You ... it was very painful. "

The Taliban issued a decree ordering women to wear the full-body burqa in public.

"I've never bought anything, a burqa is, because I don't have money for something to spend, what I said, not as a part of our culture," She Said .

in Spite of came at a personal cost. You had to restrict your movements for sure.

Burkas are not compulsory, But many women still wear them in Afghanistan

"The [Taliban , the so-called] Vice and virtue Department used to patrol The Streets , and They used to beat The Women if They wear a burka. "

Not surprisingly, most of the people feel a sense of relief when the Taliban were ousted after the U.S.-led invasion after the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

"We could beat walking in The Streets and make our purchases, without fear of the Taliban . "

"My convoy came Under Fire

After the Taliban fell, Ms Koofi worked for the United Nations , the rehabilitation of former child soldiers.

she was with two daughters on her own after her husband died of tuberculosis, withdrew during his time in Prison .

Ms Koofi tells her daughters (pictured here in 2012), and The Other girls home alone

But in spite of this, if parliamentary elections were announced in 2005, she decides to fight. Her father was a MP and gives it to his base helped her win votes.

"But the big challenge was to create an identity of its own. "

she went to the Deputy speaker of the Parliament in The First of her two terms as a member of Parliament. It was during This Time , you can try escaped a Taliban to kill you, in The South of the country.

"In March 2010, I went to Nangarhar celebrate the International women's day. On My Way back to my convoy came Under Fire . "

bullets were fired across The River and a mountain. Ms Koofi and her two daughters were officers saved by their safety, which They drove into a tunnel mountain, from where you, both to Kabul by helicopter.

"All you want. peace

Ten Years after the Taliban , and the US tip are operating in the direction of a peace agreement could be signed this weekend It only took a few years for the militants to regroup and fight, They now control more territory than at any time since 2001.

The human toll of the fighting was immense - tens of thousands of civilians were killed and injured, and Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in The World . Some 2. 5 million Afghans as refugees registered abroad and another two million are refugees within their country. An estimated two million widows struggling to make a living.

Coalition forces supporting The Afghan forces - But how long will you stay?

"Everyone wants to have peace. We were born in war and grew up in war. Neither My Generation , nor my children know what peace means," said Ms Koofi.

But no deal at any price.

"peace means the ability To Live with dignity, justice and freedom. There is no alternative to democracy. "

Whether the Taliban agree to, remains to be Seen - how much They have changed is unclear. Their spokesman, Shaheen Suhail, told the BBC, "people who are against The Peace with women's rights to derail The Talks ".

But Fawzia Koofi , says: "women have lost so much. How much more can we lose?"

her Two daughters are enrolled in universities in Kabul and have become accustomed to life with access to the media and The Internet .

"no, the force can only confine my daughters and other girls their age in their homes. Anyone who wants to, to take account of the rule in the country. "

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afghanistan, taliban, women' s rights

Source of news: bbc.com