Nowhere in the modern world, except for Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, has education faced such all-out and relentless hostility. Since the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021, the Taliban have systematically and gradually shut the doors of education on girls: first middle and high schools, then universities, and now even girls’ religious schools, which they themselves once introduced as a “Sharia-compliant” alternative to modern education.

In a world where the doors of education are being closed one by one to girls, in a land where being a woman sometimes means silence and isolation, I, Fakhria Samandari, stand to tell the story of a woman who, out of suffering, created a mission; a woman who, in the heart of darkness, lit a lamp of hope for future generations.

Following the deadly traffic incident on Herat’s ring road that claimed the lives of dozens of Afghan migrants, international organizations including UNICEF and UNAMA have expressed sympathy with the victims' families and called for the return of Afghan migrants to be ensured in a “safe, dignified, and voluntary” manner.

As part of the Taliban’s continued anti-women policies, religious schools are now also being closed to Afghan girls. Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday, August 20, that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the gradual suspension of girls’ enrollment in religious schools.