A prominent Afghani judge and activist spoke at ASU’s Downtown campus about the struggle for women’s rights Thursday.
Marzia Basel, who founded Afghanistan’s National Association of Women Judges, visited downtown Phoenix as part of the School of Letters and Sciences’ Humanities Lecture Series.
Basel’s focus was not only to talk about women’s rights in general but the movement for more rights since 2002 in Afghanistan.
Basel said the rights women have gained since then have not been enough.
“Women should not be the victims of government,” she said.
Basel teaches English to children in Afghanistan and also has a law degree.
The school Basel organized had to be kept a secret during the Taliban’s rule for fear of the children and herself being injured.
“I was teaching English, the language of Christianity,” Basel said. “My biggest fear is they would think I was trying to spread the Christian religion to these children when all I wanted to do was teach them to read.”
Basel held classes in the court near her home in Afghanistan, and when the Taliban took over she had to close the school down.
“I still wake up while in America when someone pounds on my door thinking I am in trouble … but God gave me good protection because if you do good you will see good,” Basel said.
Basel’s main concern for the women and people of Afghanistan is security. She said over 2,700 civilians were killed in the last year alone from bombs, suicides and murders.
Without security, Basel said children and women will not be able to go to school, and women will not be safe fighting for their rights.
“If the Taliban comes back, I do not know what will happen to the women activists and educated women,” Basel said. “It will not be safe.”
Basel said she hopes to bring more children to America for education.
“ASU does not have a scholarship for Afghanistan students nor does any Arizona school,” Basel said. “If every school in the U.S. just helps one kid so many more children would be educated.”
Arizona resident Shala Charoosaie attended the event and expressed her admiration for Basel.
“You are my pride and inspiration, I cannot believe how brave you are,” Charoosaie said. “This woman is risking her life standing here and talking to us.”
Contact the reporter at jlbrownl@asu.edu
