Sometimes life becomes so silent and hard. Sometimes we are all prohibited from speaking, from raising our voices, or from sharing our pain just because we are girls. In such a time, I found my voice through words, I started writing, and it became a light that shines in darkness and saves me from silence. It gives me courage to share my voice by putting the words together. When I start writing, I am no longer just an Afghan girl who lives in restrictions and discrimination, but I become a person who can remind the world through words. In a society where women’s voices have always been silenced, writing for me is the thought that no one can stop. The words I write sometimes speak of the pain that we all Afghan girls experienced throughout our lives, and sometimes speak of dreams left unfulfilled for us. When I feel everything has been taken away from me, when schools and universities are closed for girls and our future is unclear, only writing reminds me that Mursal is still alive, that I am still capable, and I can still fight, for myself, for my rights, and for the all Afghan girls who are living behind doors, waiting for a brighter future.
For me, as an Afghan girl, writing is resistance; resistance against injustice, and an effort to achieve our rights. When I write, I aim to tell the world that I am still here, I still think, and I still dream despite the many restrictions that I have as an Afghan girl. It is not only about me; I use my words to be the voice of those girls who are still unheard and live behind closed doors in Afghanistan. Writing may be just a choice for the people of other countries, but for me, it is a struggle; a struggle to be seen, to be heard, and not to be forgotten.
There are still people who tell me: What is the benefit of writing when nothing changes?
But what I believe is that words always have their impact, at least those who read my words know that Afghan girls cannot be silenced. We may not see the impact today, but tomorrow, or one day, our voice will be heard, and this injustice will be over.
Being a writer is not easy, especially when you are a girl from Afghanistan. Fear is always with you: Fear of judgment, fear of censorship, and the fear that your writing will be used against you. But what I always do is that I keep the hope in my heart and carry it through my words. I mostly like to write at night, when everything is silent. I write in the heart of darkness, and I feel that behind every word I write, thousands of Afghan girls stand. Those girls whose dreams are stolen, whose voices are silenced, and those who do not have the opportunity to write. Here is when I see myself responsible for them.
I love writing because it gives me the chance to be the voice of Afghan girls through my words. It takes me beyond the high walls around me. When I publish an article or share a piece with others, I feel like I have stepped outside the fence. My writings travel, pass the borders, and remind the world that there are still girls from Afghanistan who write, resist, and keep the hope alive. Writing brings me good feelings because I share my pain through my words, but being a writer is not just a good feeling for me; it is a big responsibility. When I write, I know that my words are not just mine; they are the voice of a whole generation. As a writer, I have this responsibility to speak about the truths, to show the real picture of an Afghan girl’s life to the world. I keep writing because I believe that words will have their impact on our society. Whenever I write, I always hope that even one of the sentences of my writing will be able to keep the hope alive in the heart of a girl. I want to make them believe that there are still people fighting for them. I want them to know that they are not alone and their voices are not unheard.
I believe that one day, all Afghan girls will write not only about pain and unfulfilled dreams, but also about love and freedom. I hope for a day when our pens will no longer be weapons of resistance, but flags of victory and a new life. Until that time, we study, we write, we resist, and walk proudly toward a brighter tomorrow.
