Are Afghan women doomed to extinction?

Women were among the most deprived and restricted sections of Afghan society for many years, living always under the domination of the patriarchy, tightly constrained by the country’s prevailing cultural and societal norms.

The defeat of the Taliban in 2001 heralded the possibility of a brighter future; it ignited a spark of hope for a freer and more prosperous life.

It breathed empowerment into our souls. The flame of our confidence started to grow. Bigger. Stronger.

In the years since, our new generation of women has engaged in a continual struggle to change society’s perception of us, and to break our bonds.

We’ve gained considerable latitude, but many sacrifices were made along the way. Defamation, emotional and verbal abuse, cyber bullying, sexual harassment, rape, targeted assassination.

These weapons of intimidation and terror were all brought to bear on us, to try to keep us in our place.

In spite of these challenges, we have produced pioneers in many areas of life: cultural, political, economic, scientific, artistic, civil and military. Take for instance Zohra, the first ever all-women’s orchestra. Unthinkable in the 1990's, it has thrived and toured and played concerts in prestigious venues across the globe.

And take the ‘Afghan Dreamers’ — an all-girl robotics team, which has dismantled gender norms and won international competitions while doing so. Or consider Niloofar Rahmani, the first woman pilot in the Afghan air force.

Or Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female general in the Afghan National Army. We have achieved so much! Sorry — we had achieved so much.

The Taliban’s return to domination of our country has returned pain and hopelessness to the lives of its women. It’s struck us like a thunderbolt, reducing our 20 years of achievement to ashes, laid waste to our aspirations.

We have been cast back out of sight, alone with only darkness in our future, no window of hope.

Our biggest fear is that the world will be deceived by the smooth words of the Taliban, the assurances that things will be different this time, the promises to grant us rights that already belong to us.

And that if the world recognises their government, their oppression and barbarism against us will be institutionalized, set in stone for generations.

The international community must stick to its moral position and stay faithful to its commitment to universal human rights.

It must insist the Taliban restore and uphold the fundamental rights of Afghan women at this critical juncture and lift us from our descent into misery.

10 years ago Hillary Clinton told a group of female Afghan ministers: ‘We will not abandon you; we will stand with you always.’ If the world and the US fails or abandon its commitments.

And reader, please don’t forget that we are human, not just pictures on your screen.

Afghan women are women. We have hopes and dreams. We think, love, hurt, yearn.

Just like your own mother, your own sisters, your own daughters. Just like you.