Remarks delivered at the Afghan Women’s Education Reception on Capitol Hill.
Two generations of women in my family have had their education taken away simply because we are women.
When the Taliban first took over Afghanistan in 1996, my mother was unable to continue her education. Decades later, when the Taliban returned in 2021 and took over of Afghanistan, I lost four years of my own education.
I am from Bamyan province of Afghanistan. I am now an international student in the United States. I am here today not only for myself, but for countless Afghan women and girls whose dreams have been taken away.
For twenty years, the United States stood beside Afghan women and girls. It invested in our future by supporting education, expanding opportunities, and encouraging girls like me to believe that our voices, our rights, and our dreams are important. It gave us hope that our future could be different from the lives our mothers lived.
I am standing here today because of that hope, and because someone believed that Afghan girls deserve an education.
The investment the United States made in Afghan girls was never just about education. It was about empowering young women to find their voices, pursue their dreams, and become leaders in their communities. Because of educational opportunities in the United States, I was able to return to school, rebuild my future, and advocate not only for myself, but for countless Afghan women and girls. I stand before you today as one of those women.
Today, that hope is at risk. Many Afghan women and girls who earned scholarships and worked tirelessly for educational opportunities cannot come to the United States because of the travel ban.
These are not just policies on paper. They affect real lives—young women who want to become doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, and leaders. They affect women who want nothing more than the chance to learn, to contribute, and to give back.
I respectfully ask you to support an exemption from the travel ban for Afghan women who want to continue their education in the United States.
Please, please do not let what happened to two generations of Afghan women happen again to a third generation. Thank you.