Razia Jan

"They said, 'The backbone of Afghanistan is our boys,' " Jan recalled. "I just turned around and I told them, 'Excuse me. The women are the eyesight of Afghanistan, and unfortunately you all are blind. And I really want to give you some sight.'” For many Afghanistan girls, even walking to school can be a great risk and be life threatening. But every single day a woman named Razia Jan risks her and her student’s lives for the right to their education in the midst of the world of chaos they are living in. Razia Jan goes against the distorted perception of the Taliban group and strives for what’s she knows is worth fighting for.

Razia Jan is a founder of a girls' school outside Kabul, she fights  for the rights to education to young girls. In Afghanistan there is a large group of men who strongly support the Islamic Taliban movement. These people believe strongly in what they think is an Utopian society, this conception is  based on their own perceptions of the Koran. "It is heartbreaking to see the way these terrorists treat ... women," In the Taliban’s judgement, girls and women are meant to be overpowered and subjugated by men. They are meant to stay home, cook, clean, take care of children and nothing more. In the Taliban’s eyes there is no reason why women should be educated as they feel they have no place outside of the boundaries man have set up for them. They see them as insignificant and less capable, and without a proper education, this may become reality. But with the efforts of Razia Jan and many others with the same standpoint on the subject, there is reason for faith.“Amid the violence, however, there is promise: In a country where just 6% of women 25 and older have received any formal education, millions of girls are at long last, enrolling in school.”  The steps Razia Jan has been taking to help young girls gain education, are simple but extremely risky. With the foundation of her school Razia helps hundreds of girls open up their lives to more opportunities, but sadly this comes with a price, setting up a school in her environment is risky for everyone around her, and potentially fatal.

Razia Jan is schooling several young girls who would otherwise have no chance or opportunity for education like many of the girls in the country suffer with now.  The steps Razia Jan has been taking to help young girls free education, are simple but I would not say that cost is completely free. By founding a school for girls Razia Jan is paying a heavy fee, she  has put herself and the children in danger to the extent of death for the sake of education. "the walk from home to school is -- and has always been -- the most dangerous part," Arbabzadah said. "You are told to stay covered, keep your head down and walk quickly ... and stare at your toes."Education is something that luckily we see so normal, simple and right. But for a girl my age a plane ride away is like is like being in a completely different world. One much more troubled, any girl in it would be in turmoil and in constant fear for doing something she has the right to.  Even though Razia’s school may be small, her fight for the right to education definitely a large step into a sign of dissidence. “Ten years ago, fewer than a million Afghan children attended school, according to UNICEF. Today, more than 8.2 million children are going to schools like the one founded by Razia Jan” Despite all the insecurities, Razia Jan is making her mark and making a difference, her pursuit for education is a beam of light to those who cannot go past the restrictive walls built around them. Razia Jan is a hero for many families and communities.

Razia Jan’s journey has been a real battle, each day she puts herself out in the open, potential attacks always in the back of her mind. But all these sacrifices seem to be paying off step by step."The overall education of girls in Afghanistan is a great success story," said Christine Roehrs, spokeswoman for Save the Children in Afghanistan. "Basically, you didn't have girls educated in 2001. And now we have 3 million girls in school." All of Razia Jan’s and many people with the same story have opened up lives more hundreds of girls his education will improve all their lives and possibilities long term and have created a life that would definitely be impossible without the small community schooling. “Although the violence against Afghan schoolgirls has dominated news headlines recently, reports from humanitarian groups like UNICEF, Oxfam and Save the Children say that a great deal of progress has been made.” As said, progress has been made, Razia Jan has been voted top ten CNN heroes of 2012, and evidently for many good reasons, but despite all her efforts, the violence on the ground never seems to stop. As more and more children get their chance at the liberty education can bring, the more the Taliban need to enclose them behind bars once more, and sometimes even forever.

Razia Jan and her students are a small but significant sign of rebellion and to show how they cannot conform to the Taliban’s form of a ‘Utopia’ The results of this rebellion can cause serious damage and can be very risky and dangerous. To go against such a dangerous group like the Taliban has caused such a feud that this schooling has lead to a young girl being shot, in the head. But the young girl’s inspirational story and those of people like Razia Jan have sparked action throughout the globe. More and more people are becoming concerned with the matter, and are showing their support through charities and various organizations. I strongly believe that Razia Jan is a true incentive for many girls who are bound and held back. Razia Jan is changing her dystopia one small girl at a time, and is shaping it into a world of equality.

Sources: http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/2012.heroes/razia.jan.html