Fawzia Kofi (Kof Ab, Badakhshan province, 1975) gets up when the day begins in Kabul, at 2 or 3 in the morning in London. Four years after going into exile in the United Kingdom, what was the first woman in Afghanistan in being vice president of the National Assembly She continues to cling to the “rhythm” of her country to supervise the clandestine schools she has set up and answer the messages from Afghan women and men who write to her for help. Koofi was one of the four women who made up the delegation of the Kabul Government that negotiated with the Taliban in Doha in 2020 and 2021. The experience of those women has been collected in the documentary ‘The Sharp Edge of Peace’, by the Afghan director Roya Sadatwhich House Asia presented this Monday at the Cinemes Girona in Barcelona. In this framework, Koofi answers EL PERIÓDICO’s questions.
What is the current situation in Afghanistan, four years after the return of the Taliban?
They control the entire country by force. The main power resides in Kandahar, where the Taliban leader lives. He controls everything and the ministers, who are in Kabul, have no decision-making power. Ethnic and religious groups are not part of power. The Taliban represses anyone who speaks against them or criticizes them in the media. Of course, there is no such thing as freedom of the press. According to the UN, the country has become a safe haven for numerous violent extremist groups. So after four years, not only are women oppressed, but Afghanistan has gone backwards and is in the hands of a group of people who believe that if you think like them, you have the right to exist, but if you don’t, you can’t be in this world.
When they returned, there was talk of the Taliban 2.0, but many warned that they were the same ones who had left the country 20 years ago.
Some diplomats, especially Americans, pushed the Taliban 2.0 narrative by claiming that they had changed. And I honestly acknowledge that, during the negotiation (in Doha), the Taliban issued public statements that showed them as moderates. I remember a Taliban spokesman saying at a meeting in Moscow that women could go to school, university and work. The only condition was that everything had to be governed by Islamic principles.
What has changed compared to the previous Taliban regime?
The only thing that has changed is society. In 1996 the Taliban took power at a time when there were several wars and the country suffered from poverty, violence and chaos. The Government was mainly dedicated to fighting the Taliban. Freedom of the press and the development of the country were almost non-existent. And people were afraid, they wanted some kind of peace. But when the Taliban returned in 2021, Afghanistan was already fully developed. We had a Parliament, the government institutions functioned, the media were among the most dynamic in the region, we had a Constitution that respected equality. The country had been transformed in terms of freedom. These changes have allowed society to better resist Taliban repression. People know how to use a telephone and the internet.
What is it like to be a woman in Afghanistan today?
How does someone feel when they lose their job, when their dreams are taken away from them? They cannot go to school or university. They can’t even go out alone to get fresh air, they aren’t allowed to go to the gym, the park, a beauty salon or anywhere that makes a woman feel good. They cannot even take a taxi alone to take their sick son to the hospital. But, above all, I think what they have managed to take away is that sense of the spirit of freedom. And I don’t want that. Because when you are repressed, your demands become less and less. However, there is a limit to repression. At some point, people will explode.
The Afghan politician and activist in exile Fawzia Koofi, at one point in the interview. / SANDRA ROMÁN
Why do you think the Taliban hate women so much?
I don’t understand it because it’s not in our religion. There are many Islamic countries in the world that allow women to work or study. Even the same country that supported the Taliban, Pakistan, had a female prime minister. It’s a question of power. They know that an educated woman will not allow her son to take a weapon, so sooner or later, the Taliban would lose their fighters. Who could they recruit? Who could they brainwash? So I think they are afraid. They are using women as bargaining chips in their political agreement.
Is there any space for oxygen for women in hiding?
Yes, and it’s something I’m very proud of. Some work with NGOs, even though the Taliban banned NGOs. They go to the offices, which is quite risky. Generally, women find a way, despite all the challenges. They make way and use any available space to run home schools, NGOs, hospitals; whatever space there is, women will use it. This says a lot about the new generation of Afghanistan.
Is there currently any type of internal opposition?
Everyone is against the Taliban. I would say that the entire population is a political party against the Taliban. Even within the Taliban. I am in contact with some of them and they are not happy with what is happening and they know that the situation is not going to last long. When the regime cut off the internet connection on September 30 for a few days, it generated a lot of frustration among the lower-ranking Taliban, since they also use it.
You are very critical of the international community because you believe that the regime has not been put under enough pressure.
Yes, but also because it paved the way for the return of the Taliban. The Afghan government was not involved in the 2021 Doha negotiations. The Americans signed the agreement, giving the Taliban a lot of power and legitimacy. While they asked us to surrender. There was a lot of betrayal on the part of the international community. And now some countries are trying to normalize their relations, such as Russia, while the US does not exert much pressure. On the other hand, we are very grateful to Spain for its extraordinary work in favor of freedom, for its support in granting visas to hundreds of Afghans and for hosting the HearUs conference, which is held every year to promote the defense of the rights of Afghan women.
In an interview he has said that the Taliban problem could end up crossing borders and there could end up being another 9/11..
Many think Afghanistan is too far away. But we often forget that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were planned from Afghanistan. If we leave it at that, we don’t know when the next attack from Afghanistan will be planned. And look what is happening now in Pakistan. The Taliban are attacking the neighboring country, which had given them shelter, treated their wounded, sheltered their families and housed their businesses. If Pakistan is being attacked, do you think the West will not be? And Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri was assassinated two years ago in Kabul, when the Taliban had pledged in Doha that they would not shelter these groups. On the other hand, the Taliban has inspired many radicalized groups. In Libya, in South Africa… They think that the Taliban liberated Afghanistan, that they defeated imperialism.
Will the end of the Taliban regime come from within or from without?
From both. We must remember that the Taliban leaders were outside Afghanistan for 20 years but they also worked inside the country to regain power. That’s what we are doing.
How do you remember your experience as vice president of the National Assembly of Afghanistan?
At that time, there were 249 deputies in Parliament. Some wore turbans. Others tie. There were 25% women parliamentarians, which meant 68 seats. We had religious minorities, ethnic groups. We had people fighting each other over women’s rights. But they were sitting under that same roof, using votes instead of bullets. We approved a budget with a gender perspective, a law against violence against women, a law against harassment. All these exercises were not easy. Yes, there was discrimination. But over time, we managed to work together and create change. I think those were golden times in Afghanistan.
From exile, he presides over the organization Women for Afghanistan How does it impact women in the country?
We are dedicated to international advocacy to promote a political process in Afghanistan. Additionally, we work within the country providing educational and employment opportunities to women, as well as access to university scholarships. It is an amazing job, because our project provides teachers with a salary, even if it is small. And students not only learn, but also improve their emotional well-being, because when they wake up in the morning they know they have class. They feel part of the process. They feel that they are part of society. And that is very important, since mental health represents a serious crisis in Afghanistan today.
Do you still have hope of returning to an Afghanistan free of radicalism?
That’s my whole fight. I have my bags packed in case I have to come back tomorrow. I still wear the same clothes I wore in Afghanistan. I live in the UK, my office is in Geneva, but I haven’t integrated into European life yet. Because I think I’ll leave tomorrow. And when you truly believe in something and work to achieve it, you achieve it.
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