resistanceIt took obina Muqimyar 100 meters to get the world to notice her. Her sprint lasted 14.14 seconds and made sports history at the Athens Summer Olympics. In 2004, he mainly showed something that was previously unknown: the Afghan Olympians. For many women and girls in the hometown, this is a new symbol of hope.
“I don’t want to get married. I just want to work hard to be a good athlete. I want to change the history of Afghanistan. I want other women to see me and follow me,” Muchmiar said at the time, just three years after the collapse of North Korea Rear. TalibanUnder the first Islamic regime from 1996 to 2001, such progress was impossible.
Oppressive period
The Taliban’s strict religious laws mean a massive suppression of women’s rights. They are not allowed to work, they are only allowed to appear in public, accompanied by a male relative. The girl’s situation is not much better.
In Max Davidson’s “The Field of Courage”, Robina Muqimyar recalled: “Under the Taliban, we have nothing to do. You can’t go to school, you can’t play, you can’t do anything. You are only at home all day. As far as sports are concerned: you can’t even dream of it.”
International Olympic Sports Commission (International Olympic Committee) Responded in 1999 by suspending the country and banning its participation in the Sydney Olympics. In 2001, the Taliban were finally expelled after the invasion of international troops. Only a year later, Afghanistan once again became a member of the International Olympic Committee. For Muchmir, this meant a period of turbulence.
Another chance
In 2003, Afghan sports scouts searched the school for candidates for the starting position of the Athens Olympics-the so-called wild cards. Muchmia summoned all the courage and volunteered to participate. Davidson described the first step of a girl who wanted to take more control of her own destiny. Long trousers, toga, annoying scarf, and worn-out sandals: this is how Muqimyar ran her first 100 meters in front of the scout-about 15 seconds. However, according to Davidson, in the end, it was will and ambition that made her position in the Olympics possible.
Without sponsors, trainers and suitable shoes or footwear, Muqimyar started her training. In the crumbling Gazi Stadium in the center of Kabul, she found a place that could improve her life among all the places. Just a few years ago, the Taliban allowed their opponents to be tortured and executed publicly. The cement floor was full of bullet holes.
Historic operation
The bloody shadows of the past did not discourage Muchmia. According to Davidson, she later became the proud owner of a set of cheap sneakers: “I learned from the Taliban how to be oppressed,” she told him a few months later Before the game, the British News Broadcasting Corporation BBC. “Now I want to teach people how to resist them.”
On August 24, 2004, Muqimyar wore trousers, T-shirt and headscarf to start the preliminaries in Athens. The first game should be her last game in these games. For the second-to-last Afghan sprinter who set a new national record, it was a total victory: “At least I am ahead of one of them. I think I did a good job. I will never forget this moment. ,” said Muchmir, who was allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics again in 2008.
6.30 am on weekdays
Muchmia’s commitment to women’s rights goes beyond the norm: first served as vice chairman of the Afghan Olympic Committee and later as a member of the Afghan Parliament. She was interviewed on TV, and in Kabul, posters with her face were posted on the walls and lampposts. This face represents the empowerment of Afghan women.
The return of the Taliban
As the Taliban regain power, people’s fear of returning to the old terror is growing. Although Islamists claim that they have become more moderate, there are increasing reports of abuse and massacre of all those considered opponents of the new regime.
The same is true for women in Afghanistan, as are the concerns of human rights activists, and the clock is now turning back to the previous dark years. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michel Bachelet said at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that their rights have been severely restricted in many areas. Thousands of Afghans have fled their homes-including several competitive athletes and their supervisors. None of them can see the future of Afghanistan.
Robina Muqimyar’s historic campaign may have only lasted a few seconds, but it is a testament to the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Under the new regime, their survival is as uncertain as Muchmiar’s whereabouts, and there has been no trace for several weeks.
