Muqadasa Ahmadzai

Muqadasa Ahmadzai (born 1992/1993) is a social activist, politician and poet from Afghanistan, who ran in 2018 for election to the Afghan parliament. She is the recipient of a N-Peace Award and was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021.

Biography

Ahmadzai was 24 years old in 2017.[1] She is a social activist and poet from Nangarhar, Afghanistan.[2][3] Initially her family were opposed to her activism and she endured physical punishment when they discovered her activities.[1] Whilst a teenager, she published a book of poetry, and it was her uncle's appreciation of this that changed her family's opinion of her work.[1]

A former member and Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Youth Parliament,[3][4] during the COVID-19 pandemic she worked to support women and communities against disinformation.[2] She was a founder of the National Youth Council in Afghanistan.[3] She represented the voices of Afghan women as part of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Peace Dialogues.[3] Alongside other women she began a campaign of mural painting with women's rights messages in Jalalabad.[1] She also established a network of 400 women who travelled the country, including into areas at the time that were controlled by the Taliban, to women who were survivors of domestic violence.[1] She is founder and Director of the Kor Association, which aims to raise awareness of rights that women in Afghanistan have.[3]

In 2018 she ran for election to the Afghan parliament.[5]

Awards

Ahmadzai was awarded a N-Peace Award, given by the United Nations Development Programme.[6] She was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021.[2]

References
Wikiquote has quotations related to Muqadasa Ahmadzai.
  1. "The young Afghan woman fighting for women's rights - The Migrant Project". www.themigrantproject.org. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  2. "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  3. "Afghan Women Experts". Onward for Afghan Women. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  4. "In Taliban Strongholds, a Woman Stands for Peace". Georgetown Institute of Women Peace and Security. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. Humayoon, Haseeb, and Mustafa Basij-Rasikh. Afghan Women's Views on Violent Extremism and Aspirations to a Peacemaking Role. United States Institute of Peace, 2020.
  6. "Alumni 2018". N-PEACE. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
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