Marzieh, the daughter of two Afghan parents, grew up as a refugee in Iran. “They treated us differently” she shares, which eventually led her family to move back home to Afghanistan. In her home country, Marzieh joined the Taekwondo national team and quickly climbed the ranks, where she remained until the 2021 Taliban takeover. That’s when everything changed…
“We are experiencing Gender Apartheid in Afganistan”
Marzieh Hamidi
Olympic Refugee Team Scholarship Holder
And member of French Team, Taekwondo
Women can no longer go to school, the gym, or even outside without a male chaperone. As Marzieh shares, “The Taliban told me not to come back to the gym and if I did, they would do what they wanted with me.”
She had to flee the country and has since lived in France, where once again, she’s a refugee. Despite settling into a new country, home is always on her mind; “I have to use my freedom to talk about Afghan women…Nobody will kill me here if I talk about the Taliban and the problems.” So that’s what she’s doing. In today’s episode, Marzieh shares what she wants the world to know about Afghan women (+ shares three asks below).
As Marzieh looks to the future, she’s not going to sugar coat things. Right now, no she’s not hopeful for the future of Afghan women, but she shares that “after the dark, always comes light.”
Marzieh has three asks of you:
