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Meeting Minnesota's Muslims
outreach@umn.edu
612-624-7346
outreach@umn.edu
612-624-7346
Meeting Minnesota's Muslims
Women bear the brunt of conflicts, but are too often ignored in constructing the 'peace'
By Barbara A. Frey
Friday, March 13, 2009
Daring to educate girls continues to be dangerous business in the villages of Afghanistan. Ask Fahima Vorgetts, director of the Afghan Women's Fund, whose teacher friend was kidnapped at gunpoint last August. The gunmen were looking for Fahima, who serendipitously had stayed home that day to wait for the teacher and three volunteers to arrive. Instead, the armed men settled for beating up everyone in the car and holding the teacher hostage for 26 days.
Vorgetts, who grew up in Afghanistan, is a U.S. citizen who is a whirlwind of energy working to open up educational and work opportunities for Afghan girls and women. Despite reported political shifts in the war-torn country, Vorgetts notes that — whether Taliban or warlords are in charge — women continue to suffer. Her organization works to support girls and women to achieve self-sufficiency through literacy and small business initiatives. In a society where women's voices are stifled, Vorgetts provides hope and cover. After her recent run-in with the gunmen in Afghanistan, Vorgetts vowed, "I am more determined than ever to continue my work and to not let these few criminals win."
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