Frozan Akbaryar
Countrymen, do not test my patience with your power. I am strong. I am a woman. An Afghan woman!
I will proudly poke holes in the facade of your arrogance and egotism, because your pride is based only on your physical strength. You still do not understand that ability and strength are not limited to physical power.
I am astonished that your sense of honor and pride depends on hiding my name. You think more about what I wear, drink, and eat than about how you can contribute to the good of this world.
While your thoughts are focused on my clothes, you are ignorant of how I feel and what I want. Isn’t it a shame for you to be sitting next to my bed while I am sick and still be unaware of my suffering?
Your pride and honor stems from this that I am a woman and you are a man. You think you are superior to me. You have forgotten that God does not see any difference between your rights and mine.
You take pride in being a Muslim, but you have yet to learn that God has asked you to respect women, not dictate their lives. God has asked you to support her, not suppress her.
My humanity, my needs and my equality do not depend on your interpretation. It is just unfortunate that you see your manhood in defeating me.
When you understand that I am equal to you, you will be worthy of respect. When you take pride in speaking my name, as much as I take pride in yours then I will respect you. I will not fear you. Don’t think that respect and fear are the same.
To understand my identity, it is enough for you to think openly. It is important that you fully comprehend my individual identity.
Read this blog in Persian here.
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This piece was translated to English by Maryam Laly. A volunteer for Free Women Writers, Maryam is passionate about human rights issues. She has a degree in Government with minors in Peace Studies and Arabic from St. Lawrence University.