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A social media influencer travelling by way of Afghanistan and posing with Taliban fighters has been attacked for her posts concerning the hardline regime. Within the nation, tens of millions of women and girls are denied training, jobs, and different primary rights.
Somali-American influencer Marian Abdi, who goes by the title Geenyada Madow on her social media channels, was seen posting her photographs and movies from Kabul, Bamyan, and different Afghan cities, primarily wearing a full-length burqa.
A number of Afghan ladies identified their erasure from public areas by the militants as Ms Abdi posted her movies marking Afghanistan as a vacationer vacation spot. One in every of her posts on Twitter/X was captioned “Met with the Tali*an”, accompanied by the hashtag #viral2024. Social media customers requested the TikToker and YouTuber if she requested the Taliban why they’ve stoned ladies and banned them from faculties and schools.
“ln a time when Afghan women and girls are disadvantaged of their most elementary rights, it’s deeply troubling and unacceptable to see somebody like Geenyada Madow, who has gone to Afghanistan and lobbies for the Taliban,” stated Niloofar Naeimi, a human rights activist on Afghan ladies’s points. “This motion disregards the struggling and ache of tens of millions of Afghan ladies who face oppression and persecution underneath the Taliban’s rule,” she stated.
Movies by the influencer additionally confirmed the grim actuality of Afghanistan underneath the Taliban, as ladies didn’t typically function within the movies she shot within the nation. Ms Abdi was seen strolling the markets of Kabul and driving round within the metropolis however within the firm of a male vacationer information.
Ms Abdi was seen being greeted by Afghan males on the streets and markets as she claimed that she was the primary Black Muslim particular person to have travelled to the war-ravaged nation. In her social media bio on Twitter/X, Ms Abdi stated she “loves exploring and sharing the realities of misunderstood international locations”.
In one in all her movies on YouTube she stated she met with Taliban fighters however didn’t file the interplay as she was not allowed to take action. Ms Abdi stated she was “confused” and “scared”.
“I used to be tremendous nervous, I’m confused… the truth that they’d even enable me to speak to them. I couldn’t file our dialog as a result of they wouldn’t enable me and my battery died. They requested me the place I’m from as they’ll see I’m a foreigner,” she stated in her video.
“I stated I’m Somali; they’re like okay are you from the West. I stated sure, I’m from America they’re like okay welcome,” she stated.
The influencer additionally claimed that she requested the Taliban why Afghan women and girls weren’t allowed to review past the sixth grade. She stated she was met with totally different “reactions of their faces” and replies. She stated she took their permission earlier than asking the query to be “respectful” to them.
“The one reply that made sense that got here out of one in all their mouths was we’re a brand new nation… new authorities and issues will change… every thing takes time. I used to be like that’s it, they stated yeah,” the content material creator stated.
She defended herself towards the remarks and addressed the social media backlash, claiming that she solely requested for the photograph to point out to those that she met the Taliban fighters.
“It’s merely to say that is my expertise, that is what I noticed, that is how they handled me. I really requested for the photograph to point out the those that I met them and that that is the interplay we had. I’m for all ladies’s rights and I might like to see someday ladies getting training and dealing. Please don’t take every thing out of context. Don’t choose me for one photograph,” the influencer stated.
“Good recollections with the Taliban; did you ask concerning the stoning of Afghan ladies otherwise you had been simply too busy posing for photographs with the Taliban?” requested one other person on Twitter/X.
“Anybody supporting the Taliban’s oppressive regime whereas residing in consolation overseas is a part of the issue. They’re turning a blind eye to the struggling of tens of millions of girls and ladies trapped of their properties, stripped of their primary rights and freedoms,” stated Freshta Razbaan, lawyer and co-chair of the Afghan Advisory Committee at Prosecutors For Prosecutors (PFP) Marketing campaign.
“Selling such a brutal regime is inexcusable. As an alternative of being silent or complicit, we must always all be standing up towards this cruelty,” she stated.
