Meena Keshwar Kamal: Afghanistan's Wonder Woman
/Who the Fab Lady Is
An Afghan woman of much more recent times, Meena Keshwar Kamal was born in 1957. The Taliban were not in control of the country at that point, but things could've still been better (by like a lot) but Meena was lucky enough to grow up during a time when women were getting their rights in that country. She was able to attend schools were she could learn about politics, even though at the time acid attacks were a thing and placed a lot of women in fear of pursuing that subject. While in university, Meena started RAWA--Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. She fought for women’s rights against all odds until her assassination in 1987.
The Kick-Ass Things She Did
Meena is most famous for starting a women’s rights movement, at 21 years of age while attending university. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to university, but starting a movement as huge as that while having all that homework makes me wonder how much sleep she got each night.
While she was a target of the patriarchy, Meena went undercover. Keeping a false identity with the help of a burqa, she snuck her way into Pakistan to keep helping and educating women and children. She was like a super hero whose secret identity was that of a mild-mannered teacher.
How She Fought the Patriarchy
Meena was actively fighting for her own freedom even before she started RAWA. Arranged marriages and marrying young have always been a thing, even during her time, but Meena had an ultimatum for whoever wanted to marry her. She only wanted a man that would let her continue her studies after marriage, who would be monogamous, and who wouldn’t keep her hidden in a veil. Seeing the list and knowing she got married and had a child still probably came off as a surprise to a lot of people. But then again, a famous activist certainly wouldn’t have set her standards so low.
RAWA is still making Meena proud to this day.
Erin Chambers
When she is not on the internet blogging or chatting with buddies, Erin often finds herself consumed by paper, through drawing, reading or doodling and planning out ideas. She also enjoys playing video games, watching old cartoons and throwing sarcastic remarks at her siblings. Her motivation stems from her interests and her friends, and she enjoys turning them into characters and letting them run wild in her fantasy worlds.
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