From her cramped office tucked far from the grandeur of central Vienna, an Afghan ambassador is on a defiant mission to covertly educate her country’s oppressed women.
Defying Taliban orders, Manizha Bakhtari is staging a stealthy revolution against the extremists by forming a group of emigres to help teach Afghan girls.
There are only 28 mentors assigned to the “Daughters”, a Facebook page used to help tutor girls who have been denied teachers from the age of 11.
But Ms Bakhtari, 50, formerly Afghanistan’s foreign affairs chief of staff, is undaunted, knowing that another eight million girls and women are being deprived of an education and livelihood.
“They can stop teaching our girls, but they can’t stop us learning,” she told The National from the Afghan embassy now in Vienna’s suburbs.
“They are desperate, they are disappointed, but they haven't lost their hope. There is a hunger for education in Afghanistan and the girls are really, really into it.”
The ambassador frequently refers to her “daughter” when discussing the girl “taken under my wing”, giving her tutelage, advice, access to online lessons and money to buy books.
She is passionate about their chances.
“I have hope because if I don't have hope I couldn't continue,” Ms Bakhtari said.
“We should continue to fight for democracy, freedom and girls’ education, because these are fundamental rights and Afghanistan is the only country that denies education to half of its population.”
Vienna emissary
It was very different when Ms Bakhtari took up residence at the Afghan embassy in January 2021, where just a short walk would take her past the renaissance glory of the Vienna Opera House and imperial palaces of the Habsburg dynasty.
Appointed by president Ashraf Ghani, she had established her credentials in central Europe when seven months into the job the elected government was toppled by the Taliban.
Initially the Taliban’s minister of foreign affairs demanded all Afghan emissaries attend a Zoom meeting, with the clear intention to berate and bully
Ms Bakhtari refused and has heard barely another word from the Taliban since.
With all finances cut off she and with the rest of Afghanistan’s diplomatic diaspora, including 16 in Europe, were forced to make ends meet.
“I was in a state of shock when the Taliban took over, but then I decided to remain and to use this as a platform,” she said.
Forced on to a shoestring budget she let her staff go, retaining just three diplomats and two local employees, covering the 47,000 Afghans in Austria plus those in Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia.
“I visibly reduced the cost and moved my office to a much cheaper rental place,” Ms Bakhtari said.
“I gave up my residence, my driver, secretary, and I humbly asked my local employees to leave as I could not provide them a salary. Now I have a self-sustaining mission.”
Outside the nondescript building the Afghan government’s flag defiantly flies as its ambassador boldly continues her mission.
“It’s not important to have a big office or live like an ambassador,” she said.
Threatening women
Twenty years of American-backed rule from 2001 saw a dramatic change in Afghan women’s fortunes, giving them education and good jobs.
Their elevation to equality was abhorred by the Taliban, who have returned women’s rights to the Dark Ages.
“They see an educated woman as a threat,” said Ms Bakhtari. “The Taliban view women as the second gender to raise a family or use as a sex object.
“They do not have the intellectual capacity to run Afghanistan and they certainly do not want strong women to participate in society.”
So the regime has imposed “gender apartheid, persecution, segregation and violence”, while “normalising systematic discrimination against women”, she said.
This has caused several mental health problems alongside feelings of total abandonment by the international community.
“They do not have any leverage to raise their voices, they are living under persecution,” Ms Bakhtari said. “Even peaceful protest is met with violence.”
But the idea of “the possibilities of what we can achieve” has not gone away, she said.
“We have a highly educated new generation of women and they won’t stop studying. They are trying to find new ways but it's difficult because they cannot receive formal education.”
The Taliban’s education approach also threatens to influence a generation of boys.
“They are trying to educate them like extremists,” Ms Bakhtari said.
Afghanistan “will have many extremists in the next generation in a matter of years”, she predicts.
The Daughters
Excluded from school from Year 6, millions of Afghan girls face a life of drudgery without promise of relief.
But there is a seed of hope in the handful who have been taken on by Ms Bakhtari’s ad hoc education scheme.
Afghan woman living abroad have each “adopted” a 14-year-old girl, giving them mentoring, access to online learning and a small amount of money to buy books.
“My daughter in Afghanistan – I call her my daughter – has already read some really good books like Animal Farm and David Copperfield,” Ms Bakhtari said.
There are some underground courses including an online school run from Canada, where there are more than 90,000 settled Afghans, although classes are not seamless.
“But everything is interconnected and Afghanistan is a poor country with little electricity to power the internet, and having a room for yourself to study is really difficult for many families,” Ms Bakhtari said.
The Daughter programme is not “super-secret” but they do not reveal the girls' names or locations to avoid Taliban attention. It also needs more mentors.
“We are trying to encourage those Afghan women abroad to take one girl from Afghanistan under their wing.”
The teaching does not replicate university education, especially that needed for medicine, which threatens the future of women’s health.
While the Taliban has allowed female doctors and nurses to continue working, all medical teaching has been stopped.
“I'm not sure if we will have female doctors for the next generation,” Ms Bakhtari said.
Hope
The future for Afghanistan under Taliban rule is bleak, with change unlikely despite the efforts of the opposition National Resistance Front led by Ahmad Massoud.
“It's very tough and we have a long way ahead of us,” said Ms Bakhtari, also an author of works including Three Angels, highlighting Afghan women’s challenges.
Her embassy makes ends meet by dealing with low-level administrative work for the Afghan diaspora, bringing in a very modest income.
While diplomacy takes a back seat, the ambassador is determined to continue campaigning.
“We need to collectively work, raise awareness and stay strong on our demands,” Ms Bakhtari said.
“It’s very important to make networks at national, regional and international levels, but it might take years to reach our goals. But definitely, we don't stop.”
There are fortnightly Zoom calls with her fellow European Afghan ambassadors and she attends international conferences and UN meetings.
End days
“How long will you stay as ambassador?” is a question she is asked “over and over again” by her husband and four grown children.
“I do not have an answer. I'm like, ‘OK, let's stay for three months, for another six months’, but it's been 21 months,” Ms Bakhtari said.
“Of course, it cannot last for ever. But as long as I have this platform, I don't want to lose it because I can use it for a while for the sake of women and girls.”
The daughter of Afghan poet Wasef Bakhtari, she admitted there were “many criticisms” of the former government, including corruption, but it was still a system that worked for all.
“I'm loyal to the Afghan republic,” she said. “I believed in that system, in democracy, and I believed in the republic.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
SPECS
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The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The%20specs
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Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
SPEC%20SHEET
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Star%20Wars%3A%20Ahsoka%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
More from Aya Iskandarani
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A