Afghan refugee women find hope and freedom on the football field - Salam
Assalamu alaykum. Manoozh Noori says she “wanted to die” when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021 - their return meant she could no longer follow her greatest love: playing football.
Now 22, Noori chose to leave a country where the UN has described severe gender discrimination. She is part of a team of Afghan refugee women who recently took part in a pioneering tournament in Morocco.
Originally planned for the UAE, the Fifa Unites: Women's Series was moved to Berrechid, near Casablanca. “I asked myself: do I want to stay in a place where people try to stop women from studying, from playing football, from doing anything?” Noori told reporters.
Taliban authorities claim to protect women’s rights under their interpretation of Islamic law, but they have banned girls from secondary education and barred women from many jobs, public services, and, importantly for Noori and her teammates, from sports.
Noori had defied family pressure to play professionally and had represented Afghanistan before the change in power. She buried her trophies and medals in her family’s yard and fled to Australia. Afghan Women United was formed by players living across Europe and Australia since 2021.
The team played its first international matches in Morocco last month - Noori scored their opening goal against Chad. They lost to Chad and Tunisia but beat Libya 7-0. Results mattered less than the fact that an Afghan women’s team could still exist and raise a voice by taking part.
Fifa’s president called their presence “a beautiful story,” saying these women play for countless girls and women everywhere. Former national player Nilab Mohammadi, 28, a striker and ex-soldier, said football is “not just a sport - it represents life and hope.” “There is no more freedom in Afghanistan, especially for Afghan women,” she said. “But now, we are going to be their voice.”
Midfielder Mina Ahmadi, 20, who studies medical sciences in Australia, said this adventure is a joyful moment and that they will keep moving forward.
The squad hopes to be recognised so they can one day officially represent their homeland, since women inside Afghanistan are not allowed to play. Those who have worked with them describe the players as strong and inspiring - they have overcome huge hardship just to play, and for them football is a symbol of freedom.
Ahmadi admits life far from home is hard: you miss family and the place where you grew up. But they remain determined to pursue their dreams, including playing in Europe one day.
May Allah protect them and grant ease to all those who suffer. Wa alhamdulillah.
https://www.thenationalnews.co