Rangina Hamidi

From the Star:
"Afghan-born Rangina Hamidi spent most of her life in the US and is a naturalised American citizen. The graduate from the University of Virginia in women and religious studies gave up her cushy life in the US in 2001 to return to Afghanistan to live and work on empowering women there.

She admits it is not easy being a woman in Afghanistan at this time. Still, she finds it empowering as she is able to bring changes almost on a daily basis.

For her, it is a mistake for the outside world to associate the Taliban with Islam.

“Taliban are not the guardians of Islam and never will be. The Muslim world has a responsibility to show the world there are many varieties of interpretation in the religion, ranging from the most conservative and closed to the most liberal and open,” she said.

Rangina stressed too that her people do not see the Taliban as a religious movement as Afghanistan was a Muslim country centuries before the Taliban even came into existence."

Rangina hopes that by seeding the ground now, the future will see growth.

Rangina Hamidi

In Afghanistan, one woman is working towards helping all women - her name - Rangina Hamidi.

From "Voice of America" News:

"While many women try to get out of Afghanistan, a country where women still face enormous hardships even after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion and subsequent fall of the Taliban, most don't come back. Rangina Hamidi left Afghanistan for Pakistan and later moved to the United States. But the activist and entrepreneur since has returned to her native country on a mission to change the lives of Afghan women in Kandahar, a one-time Taliban stronghold.

Hamidi returned to her hometown, Kandahar, to work with the nonprofit organization Afghans for Civil Society.

Women in the economic regeneration project make and sell embroidery products in Afghanistan and abroad. It started with only 20 women and grew to 450 in five years. Local activists and the project also established a Women's Council in Kandahar. Many gathered here for International Women's Day say they are working to advance women's rights and opportunities.Hamidi has also coordinated aid to help schools in the Kandahar area.

Hamidi and the women she works with still face power shortages, the lack of clean water, rising corruption and danger from insurgents. None of that has stopped this Kandahar native, who says she looks forward to playing an even bigger role in the reconstruction of her homeland."