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War is Like a Disability
An Afghan Woman Shares Her Story
Roqia Tahiri
BEFORE YOU READ:
1. As you read, pay attention to the words horrific, cooped up, and oppressive. See if you can tell what they mean from the context.
2. Share what you know about Afghanistan. What do you think this article will be about?
We Stayed in the Basement for Safety
I never thought that I had a disability until I began writing on the topic. I didn’t realize that my experiences as a child were like a disability. Now I see that those horrific experiences of my childhood put obstacles in front of me. They did not stop me from trying to reach my goals. But they did make me who I am today, and thus I want to tell my story.
When I was a young girl, I lived in a world full of war. We could not go to the kitchen to get something to eat because we never knew when the rockets would hit. We could not go to school or go outside to play. We stayed cooped up in the basement all the time. Mom and Dad tried to stay positive. They said, “Don’t worry, kids. Everything will be all right.”
Struggling to Get an Education
As I grew older, the situation got worse. I dreamed of becoming a doctor, but I could not go to school. My situation was a disability for me; I couldn’t do anything about it! Finally, my parents decided to leave the area, so we could survive.
First, we traveled to a safer province. My father had a heart problem, and he died in that province.
Mom decided to leave the country. We moved to Pakistan, and I continued my studies as much as I could. I found a job after school with a group of women. We taught literacy and health classes to women and girls. The situation in Afghanistan had become more stable, and so we moved back to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, my mother got cancer and died. This was a great disappointment for me. I didn’t know how I could go on.
Back in my own country, I found a job and saved up enough money to go to one of the universities in Afghanistan. From 2017 to 2021, I went to university. I got my own apartment, and I had a good job and salary.
A Government that Is Anti-Woman
But my happiness was short-lived. A big change occurred in our government. The Taliban came to power. The Taliban is an oppressive, anti-humanity, anti-progress, and anti-science government. They were arresting and killing women who were educated and had worked with foreign offices, particularly with the Americans. They interrogated me and asked me, “Why are you alone? Why aren’t you married?” They made me give my apartment to them. I had to leave the area and hide in a different province. I could not work, and I experienced many hardships.
A Visa to the United States
Finally, in March of 2023, I received an email from the U.S. embassy. They informed me that I could get a visa to go the United States. Later, after I did all the paperwork, I left Afghanistan and came to America.
The War and the Taliban Disable Everyone
The war in my country and the oppressive government were like a disability for everyone who lived there. There were so many obstacles for us—especially women—who wanted to pursue our dreams. But even with these obstacles, it is possible not to give up and to stay hopeful. It’s like my parents told us when we were hiding
in the basement. They said, “Don’t worry, kids. Everything will be all right.”
AFTER YOU READ:
1. What is the author’s main claim? How does she support her claim?
2. The article on pp. 32-33, “A Collective Wound: Addiction in Native Americans,” makes the claim that colonialism has had a disabling effect on Native Americans. Read that article and compare it to this one. What do the two articles have in common?
Roqia Tahiri is from Afghanistan. She has lived in the United States since 2024. She is an ESOL student at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and worked for more than 17 years in Human Resources.