TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – A total of 41 Afghan refugees arrived in the United Arab Emirates before continuing their journey to Canada. They choose to flee their country to avoid Taliban who is now the ruler of Afghanistan.
Among the refugees was a cyclist who requested anonymity for security reasons. She told CNN that she feared being a female athlete in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country.
“It’s really hard to explain because the main reason I left Afghanistan was that I didn’t feel safe as an athlete. I exercise in Afghanistan, but it’s not safe at the moment. I was forced to leave my country, “he said. He wanted to prove that women are also capable of being athletes.
Before the cyclist decided to move to Canada, the Afghan national women’s soccer team had already been evacuated. Former Afghan assistant coach Haley Carter said the motley group managed to evacuate 86 Afghan athletes, officials and their families to safety.
Carter worked closely with former team captain Khalida Popal, who was also interviewed by CNN last month on the plight of female athletes trapped in Afghanistan. Popal explains how sport is a channel in the ongoing struggle for women’s rights.
“We were training, there was a competition. In the past we even played with boys and we were happy, ”he said. “But right now it’s very disappointing. It hurts us to see that girls won’t be allowed (exercise).”
The Taliban have banned women from exercising because their clothes are said to be more revealing. It is difficult to wear the burqa while exercising.
Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban Cultural Commission, told SBS News in Australia that women Afghanistan cannot play cricket and other sports.
“In cricket, they may be faced with a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam doesn’t allow women to be seen like that, ”Wasiq said.
“This is the age of media, there will be photos and videos, people will look at them. Islam does not allow women to play cricket or participate in any type of sport to which they are exposed.
Read: China deposits US $ 31 million worth of food and COVID-19 vaccines to Taliban
AFIFA RIZKIA AMANI | Goddess | CNN | SBS NEWS
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