Fayezah Mohammadi

Each night, I close my eyes, hoping for a better tomorrow. Maybe, when I wake up, a miracle will happen; perhaps the doors of schools and universities will re-open. But is that really too much to ask? Is education such an impossible demand? Every morning, I wake up to the same reality; no change, no hope. I am exhausted from dreaming.

Why must girls like me face such a fate? What makes us different from girls in other countries? Is it a crime to be an Afghan, or simply to be a women? Did we choose this life? Did we deserve to be stripped of dignity, reduced to objects of pity for the world?

I don’t know whether to grieve more for myself or for the girls suffering even more. I remember the joy of school, the dreams we nurtured, the hope we carried. But now, those dreams have been buried under the weight of reality. Sleepless nights, sacrifices, struggles: all for a future that has been stolen from us.

Why should our destiny be dictated by the filthy politics of powerful nations? Why do foreign leaders decide our fate while their own daughters live in security and freedom? If they could live as Afghan girls for just a moment, they would feel our unbearable struggles. They would see how hard we have fought to build a future for ourselves. Perhaps the girls of other lands could not endure even a second in our shoes.

Now, hope is fading. Perhaps I, too, should surrender to this darkness, like the thousands of girls who have given up on their dreams. Maybe accepting this fate is easier than waiting endlessly for change. But who decided this fate for us? Those who have never known poverty, who have never felt the pain of crushed dreams. Those who, for the sake of power, gambled with the future of four million innocent girls, girls who wanted nothing more than the right to study and work.

This is not the life we wanted. This is not the future we deserved. Our dreams have turned into suffering, and our pain has seeped into our very existence. Perhaps there is no longer hope for healing. Perhaps this pain will one day destroy us.

We are tired, tired of this war, tired of this game where only women are the victims.

About the Author:
Fayezah Mohammadi is an Afghan writer and poet who explores nostalgia, sorrow, and real-life struggles, inspired by the hardships of life under the Taliban. Writing primarily in Persian, she blends personal expression with subtle activism, shedding light on the struggles of Afghan women. Passionate about telling real-life stories, particularly of imprisoned women, she seeks to share her voice while navigating security risks.