'Our dreams were dying before our eyes': One Afghan activist's escape from the Taliban


Sara Ruthven
  • English
  • Arabic

Wrapped in the Afghan flag and staring down armed Taliban soldiers, Crystal Bayat marched through the streets of Kabul in August 2021, protesting against the return of the extremist group and calling for the preservation of her country's hard-won freedoms.

Her actions put a target on her back.

At just 24, Ms Bayat had never fully experienced living under Taliban rule. Growing up, she had read about the group in books and heard about it from family members, but for her, the Taliban were in the past – and the future was bright.

Before the Taliban returned, Ms Bayat studied in India, eventually returning to Afghanistan to found the think tank Justice and Equality, which focused on civil rights and politics.

A member of the Bayat ethnic group, she also campaigned for improved social and educational inclusion for minorities, and was planning to run for a seat in parliament to represent her community.

“Afghanistan was heaven for me, it was very peaceful – even though we had insecurity and everything, I was living in my house with my family, [I was] with my friends,” she told The National.

“Those were the best moments of my life.”

'Death with dignity is better than a life of humiliation'

US forces began pulling out of Afghanistan in August 2021, with the last soldiers leaving on August 30.

When Ms Bayat heard the news that Kabul would soon fall to the Taliban, she felt a deep sense of betrayal.

“Honestly, [it was] unbelievable,” she said. “Because the international community had been saying before that we could trust them … but because we trusted them, when the Taliban entered Kabul, it was shocking for everyone.

“We could see that our dreams were dying before our eyes.”

As the world held its breath to see what the Taliban would do next, Ms Bayat made a decision.

“It was the second day [after the group's return] when I saw from my window that the Taliban were removing all the women's pictures” from public places, she says.

“And I said to myself, 'No, I have to do something'.”

She called up her friends and asked them to join her in the streets to protest against the Taliban's return on Afghanistan's Independence Day.

“Everyone was like, 'Crystal you are crazy',” she said. “And I'm like, 'What do we have left? We don't have anything. Death with dignity is far better than a life of humiliation'.”

Ms Bayat was one of a handful of female protesters who attended the demonstration in Kabul's city centre, where they demanded the Taliban preserve the rights women and other groups had won since they were last in power.

She said that, although frightened, she felt proud to protest. And then she was interviewed by The New York Times.

Her story spread online, and although many people were supportive, others denounced her, saying she was “against religion, against [Afghan] culture”. Her western-sounding name did nothing to help her case.

While death might bring dignity for her, Ms Bayat came to the chilling realisation that her family would be persecuted as long as the Taliban were in power.

And so they decided to run.

'They're going to kill her'

Thousands of kilometres away, Daniel Druhora, a filmmaker and lecturer in humanitarian innovation at the University of Southern California, was working as part of Digital Dunkirk – an informal global network helping to ferry at-risk Afghans out of the country.

His family history inspired him to join the network, as his father, a pastor and member of a persecuted Christian minority, was able to resettle in the US from post-communist Romania with the help of a Canadian professor.

“Imagine my desk: you have my laptop computers, the screens are full of live maps of Kabul airport and chat boxes on different platforms, one chatting with State Department people, one with military people, CIA agents, one with Afghans trying to escape, NGO people, journalists, photographers,” all sharing information in real time, Mr Druhora said.

Together with some of his students, filmmaking colleagues and other volunteers, he spent hours each day on the phone, writing emails, organising documents – doing everything he could to bring people out, all in absolute secrecy to protect both the evacuees and those helping them on the ground.

“They were the real heroes,” he says. “The soldiers and Afghan allies who risked their lives and careers to rescue others. We were just trying to use our limited knowledge and resources to help the Afghans help themselves.”

Daniel Druhora, centre, on the set of one of his films. Photo: Daniel Druhora
Daniel Druhora, centre, on the set of one of his films. Photo: Daniel Druhora

Mr Druhora first learnt of Ms Bayat and her need to escape through another person his group was trying to help.

“She is on their [the Taliban's] hit list and she is currently at the airport,” Mr Druhora recalls his contact saying. “Will you speak to her?”

Ms Bayat, he learnt, had few contacts in the West, no US-related documentation, no application for a visa, nothing that could either verify her identity or prove her need to escape.

With the clock ticking, Mr Druhora called another member of the rescue network who was able to draw up a document on a US government letterhead that vouched for Ms Bayat.

Clad in a burqa and carrying her sister's passport out of fear of being recognised at Taliban checkpoints, on Mr Druhora's instructions, Ms Bayat headed to the airport's Abbey Gate, where, days later, a suicide bombing would kill almost 200 people.

Although she says it was difficult to trust a complete stranger, she knew she had no other choice.

The airport was in chaos, with hundreds mobbing the gates trying to present their documents and board planes out of the country.

Mr Druhora was on the phone to Ms Bayat when she shouldered her way to the front of the crowd and shoved her mobile phone in an American soldier's face.

“And she says, 'Speak with Mr Daniel Druhora,' and she puts the speaker on, and I hear, like, 'Yes?'” he says.

“I explained to him [the soldier] very quickly who she was, that she helped organise the protest on August 19 – that they're going to kill her.”

The response was a clipped: “Don't worry, sir. We'll take care of her.”

Ms Bayat and her family were soon pulled through the gate, processed and herded on to a plane.

Crystal Bayat, right, and others who were able to leave Afghanistan. Photo: Crystal Bayat / Dan Druhora
Crystal Bayat, right, and others who were able to leave Afghanistan. Photo: Crystal Bayat / Dan Druhora

Life after escape

Two years later, Ms Bayat has resettled in Utah, which she says reminds her of home.

“The warm hospitality of the people – it's so much like Afghanistan to me, and I feel peaceful here,” she said.

Although she has found welcome and peace, she yearns for Kabul.

“I miss the library I had in my house. I miss my books. I miss the time that I was spending in cafes with my friends.”

Ms Bayat has been working tirelessly to help other Afghans, in Utah and back home, opening the Crystal Bayat Foundation that focuses on “three Es”: education, evacuation and empowerment.

“My dream is to expand my educational programme in Afghanistan,” she said.

“I really want to help more girls and women who are barred from their jobs and schools, universities. I want my country to be free and see a country where women can work without having fear over their gender and identity.”

She fears for the current state of the Afghan education system, with women and secondary school-aged girls barred from the classroom, and the Taliban's curriculum focusing heavily on indoctrinating pupils with their extreme version of Islam.

Asked if the international community has failed Afghanistan, Ms Bayat is firm.

“The failure in Afghanistan was the failure of the international community because they invested millions and millions of dollars in Afghanistan, spent 20 years in Afghanistan, and they failed,” she says.

“The way they withdrew from Afghanistan was shameful.”

Mr Druhora has stayed in contact with Ms Bayat since her escape.

In November 2021, they met for the first time face to face at USC’s campus at an event Mr Druhora organised, where Ms Bayat was a guest speaker.

“Afghanistan has become the forgotten story,” he said. “When I sat down with her recently, I talked to her about this, like how other crises wiped it out of people's memories, because everybody moved on to the next big fire.

“But she continues to be a voice.”

Ms Bayat's warning to the international community is that Afghanistan is once again becoming a safe haven for terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda – and that this will have regional and global consequences.

“It's not like people say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” she says. “What happens in Afghanistan will not stay in Afghanistan.”

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.

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.

SPECS

Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR

Engine: 5.7-litre V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 362hp

Torque: 530Nm

Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

MATCH INFO

Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')

Birmginahm City 0

Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)

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How it works

A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank

Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night 

The charge is stored inside a battery

The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode

A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes 

This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode

When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again

The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge

No limit on how many times you can charge

 

Updated: October 05, 2023, 2:58 PM`