Throughout the world, women’s rights are being overridden by the rise of authoritarian ideologies. Afghan women over the last year have faced a particularly severe form of this patriarchal repression of women’s human equality. As demonstrated in the two items posted here, they have shown special courage and citizen initiative in calling for their rights as integral to a positive future for their country.
When the US withdrew from Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan partners were abandoned to the vengeance of the Taliban – many of them university professors and researchers. We encourage ongoing civil society action in requesting administration and congressional support for fair and expedited processing of at-risk scholars’ applications for J1 visas.
Longtime peace education community member and Grammy Award winning composer Diane Scanlon dedicates one of her newest songs, Nothing Changes, to the International Institute on Peace Education and peace educators around the world.
This is a second open letter from American academics to the Secretary of State calling for immediate steps to overcome the present obstacles in the visa process that keep so many at-risk Afghan scholars from the US universities to which they have been invited. Thanks to any and all who take steps toward urging action to address the immediate problem.