Two days before the Taliban swept into her home city of Kabul, Faiza Zeerak's mother bought her and her sister a chadari each.
The 22-year-old never expected to wear the garment, which covers her face. A lover of music, education and US TV series, the social worker falls firmly into Generation Z and feels completely at odds with the Taliban's ideology, which treats women as second-class citizens.
"When I wore it for the first time I felt so sad. It was as if I put a parcel on my head. I had to pull it down with my hands to see through that little net in the front," Ms Zeerak told The National from her home in Kabul.
It wasn't just her clothing she adjusted for her safety. On August 15, when the group took over the city, she fled her job at the charity she founded with her friends to go into hiding. The Kabul University graduate's ‘Smile for Afghan Kids’ charity caters for street children and orphans.
“I lost my job, I stopped my activities which I used to do for kids and youths. I couldn’t do anything! I am just hiding at home and I am still like prisoner,” she said.
Born in 1999 in the northern Baghlan province and then later moving with her family to the capital, she is part of a generation that differs from their elders, who experienced the 1996-2001 rule of the Taliban, brought down by a US invasion.
Back then, music was banned and women were all but erased from public life.
Everyone can see the way they deal with women, music and other basic human rights. All televisions stopped music shows and TV dramas, which are replaced with Islamic programmes.
Ms Zeerak
Afghanistan's under-25s, who make up almost two thirds of its 37 million people, have lived a very different life over the past 20 years.
“I am used to listening to music. I have a small black speaker in my room to listen to music. I listen to happy Afghan songs; I don’t like Bollywood music much but in Hollywood I only listen to the happy songs of Selena Gomez," says Ms Zeerak.
"I like watching movies, and American TV series. I had already downloaded some series such as The 100 and Humans to watch them when I am home.”
Now, her life is on a very different trajectory. The social worker has no doubt that the new freedoms that came with the US-led invasion that toppled Taliban 20 years ago are already being taken away or even lost.
She has taken the brave step of talking publicly about how her life, and that of thousands of Afghans, has changed. Seemingly without specific orders being given, people and corporations are already censoring their activities.
“Everyone can see the way they deal with women, music and other basic human rights. All televisions stopped music shows and TV dramas, which are replaced with Islamic programmes,” said Ms Zeerak, an amateur painter who loves drawing with water colours and pencil.
"Entertainment shows have completely vanished from the country. If women don’t work and are active in the society, I can’t think of a stable society only led by men."
Ms Zeerak said she knows a lot of men and women who live in fear of saying what they really think now under the Taliban.
There will be a pandemic of self-silencing, she said. She has already started doing this with her decision to wear the chadari. She fears that departing publicly from the ideology pushed by Taliban will eventually put her life in danger
Ms Zeerak thinks that the Taliban might have become more diplomatic and politically savvy in the way they want to present themselves in 2021 to the world.
But since August 15, the hardline group has been imposing strict rules and its militants have been roaming the streets to enforce the new order.
Just days after the Taliban takeover, images of women on billboards and in shops around Kabul were covered up or vandalised.
Although many women over the past four weeks returned to wearing a niqab or chadari even before the hardline group established new dress rules, others simply stopped going outside the home.
The Taliban haven't yet issued a specific dress code for all women across the country.
Then, on Sunday, Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani ordered gender segregation and mandatory hijabs in higher education. On the same day, a group of pro-Taliban women, reportedly mostly students, gathered at Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul to express support for the country's new rulers.
My mum used to tell me about the atrocities of the Taliban from the 1990s. She bought burqas for me and my sister two days before Kabul fell into the Taliban’s hands.
Ms Zeerak
Taliban militants were also seen in social media posts using whips and sticks against a group of women protesting in Kabul last Tuesday following the announcement of a male-only government.
“We were a bit hopeful before they announced their government but after Taliban announced their cabinet, we have lost hope. They cancelled the ministry of women's affairs from their lists and that says a lot about their outlook towards women, and of course they don’t have any respect for women’s rights,” said Ms Zeerak.
The National’s calls and WhatsApp messages to Taliban spokesmen Zubiullah Mujahid and Suhail Shaheen to respond to questions for this article went unanswered.
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Persuasion
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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