Zakia Khudadadi has won the first-ever Paralympic bronze medal for the UN Refugee Team. She is not only the first Paralympic medalist in the history of Afghanistan but also for the UN Refugee Team. Her victory has sparked a wave of positive reactions both domestically and internationally. Many citizens of Afghanistan, including political leaders, cultural figures, and women, have praised her achievement as a testament to the strength and capabilities of women. They also expressed regret that she brought honor to a country where, under its current rulers, women’s voices are considered “awrah” (an Islamic term implying parts of the body that should be covered.) and where women are denied the right to engage in sports and participate in public life. Recently, the Taliban have enforced their “Law on Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” which describes women’s voices as “awrah” and mandates that women must cover their entire bodies, including their faces.
Zakia Khudadadi, an Afghan Para Taekwondo athlete, won a bronze medal on Thursday, August 29, at the Paris Paralympics. She is the first Afghan athlete to win a medal in the Paralympics. Before Khudadadi, four other Afghan athletes had failed to secure a medal in the Paralympics.
Khudadadi defeated her Cuban and Turkish opponents and was scheduled to face Naoual Laarif from Morocco in the final match. However, her opponent withdrew from the competition, and Khudadadi secured the bronze medal.
During the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Khudadadi also carried the Olympic torch. At that time, she told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that she was excited and would strive to be the first Afghan woman to win a medal at the games. Khudadadi also stated that she represented millions of refugees at the Paralympics, demonstrating that individuals with disabilities and refugees can be examples of peace, acceptance, friendship, and courage.
Khudadadi also participated in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in Japan, where she carried Afghanistan’s flag during the closing ceremony. Her continued success in the global sports arena comes at a time when the Taliban’s latest laws label women’s voices as “awrah” and enforce mandatory full-body coverings for women.
Currently living in France, Khudadadi left Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control of the country. A large image of her has been displayed on a building in Paris following her victory, which has been widely shared on social media.
Reactions to Zakia Khudadadi’s Victory
Zakia Khudadadi’s bronze medal win at the 2024 Paris Paralympics has elicited numerous reactions both within Afghanistan and internationally. Thousands of Afghans on social media have welcomed this victory, describing it as a symbol of women’s perseverance, effort, and resilience.
Farhad Darya, a renowned Afghan singer, shared a photo of Zakia Khudadadi on his Facebook page, stating: “With her bronze medal win at the Paris Paralympics, Zakia Khudadadi has become the voice of the suffering of Afghan women and girls.”
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan called Khudadadi’s victory “a sign of women’s resilience against the prevailing tyranny and ignorance.” Abdullah Khenjani, head of the political office of the Front, wrote that Zakia Khudadadi’s victory proves that Afghan women are indomitable.
Daoud Naji, head of the political committee of the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), commented on Zakia Khudadadi’s victory in the Paralympics, stating: “Zakia Khudadadi’s win at the Paralympics shows that the only way to save Afghanistan is to eliminate all forms of gender, ethnic, religious, and linguistic discrimination at all levels, so growth opportunities are available to all of Afghanistan’s talents.”
Nilofar Langar, a journalist, wrote: “You are not Awrah. Zakia Khudadadi won the bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics. She is the true face of women in Afghanistan; the face of our suffering, struggle, and indomitability.”
Suhrab Seerat, a poet, wrote: “Zakia Khudadadi embodies struggle, resilience, and beautiful history-making. She is not just the first woman in our country’s history to win an international sports medal, but also the first medalist in the history of the Refugee Team at the Paralympics. She has brought pride to all refugees worldwide with the Refugee Team flag.”
Ali Nazari, a journalist, reacted to Zakia Khudadadi’s bronze medal win on his Facebook page, stating: “Now Zakia has won a medal, but in her own country, she neither has a government that recognizes her as equal to men, nor does she have rights, nor is she allowed to engage in sports. Khudadadi now does not have the right to travel to her homeland and celebrate with her people. In Khudadadi’s country, women do not even have the right to sit in the shade of a tree. In Zakia Khudadadi’s country, a woman’s voice is considered awrah.”
International Reactions to Zakia Khudadadi’s Victory
The Paralympic Games described Zakia Khudadadi’s bronze medal win as a “Historic Win!.” In a tweet, the organization stated: “Zakia Khudadadi wins the first-ever Paralympic medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team with a bronze in Taekwondo! “
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees congratulated Zakia Khudadadi, describing this achievement as “a testament to the incredible power of sports to change lives.”
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, also praised Khudadadi’s victory as “exciting” on his X account, stating that such a message “carries hope and strength for millions of refugee women.”
Human Rights Watch also described this victory as historic for Afghan women. The organization noted that Khudadadi’s win came just days after the Taliban announced their “new law” against women.
In the latest development, UN experts issued a statement describing the Taliban’s “Law on Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” as an “insult to human rights.” They called for coordinated international action against the Taliban, stating that the “new law” institutionalizes a system of discrimination and oppression that amounts to crimes against humanity. According to the experts, the enactment of this “law” signals a further regression under the Taliban’s repressive regime, reminiscent of their 1990s rule.
The UN experts called on all international actors, particularly UN member states, to develop a strong, principled, and coordinated strategy on Afghanistan that centers on human rights, including women’s rights and gender equality. They warned that engagement with the Taliban without such a strategy would only reinforce the group’s impunity and exacerbate abuses.
It is worth noting that the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games were held in France, with thousands of athletes from various countries participating. Six athletes (three women and three men) from Afghanistan took part in these competitions. Additionally, two female Taekwondo athletes from Afghanistan carried the Olympic torch in Paris, which brought joy to women in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have previously stated that they do not recognize the female athletes who participated in the Paris Olympics on behalf of Afghanistan.
You can read the Persian version of this new here:
ستم طالبان و قدرت زنان؛ ذکیه خدادادی نماد توانایی و صدای بلند اعتراض بانوان است | روزنامه ۸صبح
