Zarifa Ghafari

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Zarifa Ghafari
Zarifa Ghafari 2020 (cropped).jpg
Zarifa Ghafari in 2020
Mayor of Maidan Shahr
In office
November 2019 – August 2021
Personal details
Born1992 (age 29–30)
Paktia Province, Afghanistan
NationalityAfghan
Alma materPanjab University
OccupationEntrepreneur
Mayor
AwardsInternational Woman of Courage

Zarifa Ghafari (Pashto: ظریفه غفاری‎; born 1992)[1] is an Afghan activist and politician.[2][3] In November 2019, she became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital city of the Wardak Province, Afghanistan.[4] Zarifa used to be one of the few Afghanistani female mayors, and also was the youngest to be appointed at the age of 26.[5] She is known for her efforts to advance women's rights in Afghanistan.[6] Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State.[7] She has survived three assassination attempts.[8]

Life and career[]

Zarifa Ghafari was born in 1992 in Kabul, the daughter of Abdul Wasi Ghafari, an Afghan Army colonel and commander in the Special Operations Corps. Her father was gunned down by the militants in front of his house in Kabul on November 5, 2020.[9][2][3] Zarifa attended Halima Khazan High School in Paktia Province for her primary education and pursued her higher studies at Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.

She was officially appointed as the mayor of Maidan Shahr in July 2018 by the incumbent President Ashraf Ghani.[10] She also became the youngest mayor in Afghanistan and few sources mistakenly claimed Zarifa as the first female mayor in Afghanistan.[11] However, her term as mayor of Maiden Shahr had to be delayed for a period of nine months due to protests and threats by local politicians about her age and gender.[12] There have been other female mayors in Afghanistan, but in areas generally seen as more culturally tolerant. In a traditionally conservative province like Wardak where the Taliban have widespread support, she held a nearly untenable position.[9] On her first day as mayor, she faced harassment from a group of men who mobbed her office and warned her to resign from the position.[13] She also faced death threats from Taliban and ISIL after assuming her duties as mayor. Zarifa was sworn in as mayor of the Maidan Shahr in March 2019. However, for safety reasons, she resided in Kabul. Zarifa was able to introduce an anti-litter campaign in her town and she is a role model to other women.[7] She survived several assassination attempts. After her father was killed by gunmen on November 5, 2020, she said, "It is the Taliban. They don’t want me in Maidan Shar. That is why they killed my dad."[14] She also made a special request and appeal from the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to safeguard the women's rights in Afghanistan following the uncertainties posed by the Taliban USA negotiations.[15]

In August 2021, with the Taliban advancing, Zarifa announced she won’t flee the country. On August 15, 2021, after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, she said, "I'm sitting here waiting for them to come. There is no one to help me or my family. I'm just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me."[16] Following the takeover of Afghanistan’s government by the Taliban in mid-August 2021, she fled the country arriving in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, August 18th, along with her husband, her mother and five sisters.[17][18] She later settled in Bonn, Germany.[19]

Awards[]

She was listed in 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2019 by BBC.[20] Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State.[7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Zarifa Ghafari - RUMI AWARDS, rumiawards.com
  2. ^ a b ‘They will come and kill me,’ says Afghanistan’s first female mayor, smh.com.au, 17 August 2021
  3. ^ a b Who is Zarifa Ghafari? All you need to know about Afghanistan's 1st female mayor who is 'waiting for Taliban to come and kill her', freepressjournal.in, August 18, 2021
  4. ^ News, Ariana. "ROKH: Interview with Zarifa Ghafari, the Mayor of Maidan Wardak province". Ariana News. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  5. ^ "Afghan Mayor Zarifa Ghafari Risks Her Life for Her Community". Time. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  6. ^ "Education Is the Key to Empowering Afghan Women". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  7. ^ a b c "2020 International Women of Courage Award". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  8. ^ Aug 19, Paulami Pan / TNN /; 2021; Ist, 17:37. "Zarifa Ghafari: Waiting for them to come; First Afghan female mayor | World News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-08-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b An Afghan Mayor Expected to Die. Instead, She Lost Her Father., nytimes.com, 06 Nov 2020
  10. ^ "Female Mayor in Afghanistan Anticipates Her Impending Assassination". therealistwoman. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  11. ^ "What the Return of the Taliban Means for Women and Girls in Afghanistan". V Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
  12. ^ "Newly-appointed female Afghan mayor barred from taking office". The Khaama Press News Agency. 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  13. ^ Faizi, Fatima; Nordland, Rod (2019-10-04). "Afghan Town's First Female Mayor Awaits Her Assassination". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  14. ^ Faizi, Fatima; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (November 6, 2020). "An Afghan Mayor Expected to Die. Instead, She Lost Her Father". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  15. ^ DelhiAugust 17, Saikiran Kannan New; August 18, 2021UPDATED; Ist, 2021 14:04. "The women bureaucrats of Afghanistan". India Today. Retrieved 2021-08-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Planas, Antonio (August 16, 2021). "Female mayor in Afghanistan says she's waiting for Taliban to 'come ... and kill me'". NBC News. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Rainer Schulze: Rettung auf der „Frauenschiene“, faz.net, 19 August 2021 (in German)
  18. ^ "These Female Afghan Politicians Are Risking Everything For Their Homeland". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  19. ^ "»Es ist grausam, aus seiner geliebten Heimat gerissen zu werden«". spiegel.de (in German). 24 August 2021.
  20. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
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