One of the first names that you think of when it comes to advocating for Afghan women’s rights, Mahbouba Seraj’s address to the world leaders after the latest developments had a great impact all over the world. Here is the life story of Seraj, who dedicated her life to the struggle for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
“Shame on you. I am gonna say it to the world world, shame on you for what you did to Afghanistan. Why did you have to do what you did? Why are you doing this to this part of the world? I don’t get it. Are you using all of us?”
These words belong to Mahbouba Seraj.
One of the first names that you think of when it comes to advocating for Afghan women’s rights, Mahbouba Seraj’s address to the international public after the latest developments had a great impact all over the world.
70 year-old Seraj, is considered the ‘mother’ of a people who dared to dream of an independent life for years. Perhaps this is why Seraj, who was in the United States when Taliban had captured Kabul, had no choice but to return to Afghanistan she loved dearly.
In an interview with TRT World, Seraj said, “The women and girls of Afghanistan need me and it is my job and my duty to do this work… I love my life and I want to stay for my daughters and sisters.”
The life story of Seraj, whose rebellion against world leaders will not be erased from the memories for a long time…
Mahbouba Seraj was born in Kabul Afghanistan. She graduated from Malalai High School for girls and Kabul University. After 26 years in exile, she returned to her beloved Afghanistan at the end of 2003, and has been working with the women and children of Afghanistan ever since.
She is the creator and announcer of a radio program for women by the name of “Our Beloved Afghanistan by Mahbouba Seraj” which has been broadcasted all over Afghanistan. She also established Women’s Listening Circles in the villages of Afghanistan, where women would gather to listen and discuss different topics of previously recorded radio programs.
She has been a tireless advocate for Women’s rights, pushing for women’s participation in the Peace Jirga, as well as in the High Peace Council. She and other women advocates were responsible in raising women participation at the 2011 BONN conference and 2012 Tokyo Conference on” Afghanistan after 2014.” And now for their participation in the Afghan Peace talks with Taliban and the U.S.
She is the founder and President of an Organization by the name of “Organization for Research in peace and Solidarity” or ORPS creating discussion amongst the young people, doing research and surveys about the meaning of Peace and Solidarity in almost all provinces of Afghanistan, she is a tireless advocate against corruption at all levels she believes that corruption is the mother of all evils in Afghanistan and in the world.
The International Community and Afghan army might win some battles here and there, but ultimately will lose the war if nothing is done to stop corruption, because it is corruption which feeds and strengthens the Taliban’s, ISIS and other such groups all over the world. She was Executive Board Member and Chair of Afghan Women Network or AWN the biggest women network in Afghanistan. Since 2013 she has been involved with the New Deal for Fragile States Process, she also sits on the Board of Advisory for ND at the Ministry of Finance.
She is very much interested in education, her recent works through her consultancy projects have been on two studies on Girls Participation in Higher Education and most recently co-producing a study on Tertiary Education for Afghan Women. Ms. Seraj is also a writer, she has a bi line with Huffington Post and co-authors with Ms. Anne Jones for Tom Dispatch, she writes about Political situation in Afghanistan as well as central and South East Asia. After two years of absence from her advocacy work in Afghanistan, she returned to her native country to work and be present, shoulder to shoulder with her Afghan sisters on pushing to create a sustainable peace after the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and the return of Taliban. She is now the Director of an old and established organization in Afghanistan by the name of AWSDC Afghan Women Skills Development Center working with victims of violence.