Before the Taliban: Living With War, Hoping for Peace

The women of Afghanistan, living in a country long plagued by war and displacement, have also had to struggle with a form of cultural and religious oppression that makes life immeasurably more difficult. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism severely curtailed women's rights. Mary Smith offers a unique insight into the lives of these women before and just after the Taliban's rise to power. Working in the country with a small health organization, often spending months alone in remote villages-especially Mazar-i-Sharif and Hazara Jat-she met women who became her friends and with whom she shared hopes and tears. Many of the women she met worked outside their homes, pushing the boundaries of their traditional cultural roles. The courage these women showed in reaching out to grasp hold of the threads of personal freedom was extraordinary. Knowing that the Taliban would sweep away all that they had struggled to gain makes their story all the more poignant.