The Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan in August of this year, causing many thousands of Afghan people to flee the country. Three Radboud University students with Afghan roots offer their views of the current situation. ‘I can never give enough praise to those who fled.’

Sofia, 23, student Health Care Psychology:

‘The situation in Afghanistan after the American retreat was portrayed as very intense and urgent by Dutch media. But now they’re mostly concerned with the Taliban’s plans. They promised improvements, but I don’t believe a word of it. One of my cousins was a teacher in Afghanistan, but now she is no longer allowed to teach because she’s a woman. She had to stop living her everyday life out of fear. I keep up with the Afghan media, but I take what they say with a grain of salt. There’s a good chance that the Taliban control the media, which makes it propaganda rather than actual news. Social media are often more reliable. My cousins express themselves on social media, with messages such as “Fucking Taliban” and “The world has abandoned us.”

‘I take the Afghan media with a grain of salt’

I often hear that Afghans feel they have been abandoned. Several countries pulled their troops out of Afghanistan, without a plan for helping Afghan translators, for example. Many Afghan people have been left to their fate. At first, I also felt very lonely, but I mostly experienced sympathy and solidarity when I joined a protest in Amsterdam. The protest was to show support to the Afghan people. There were also people present who were not of Afghani descent, which I thought was very nice to see. The fact that so many people were empathic gave me a little hope for humanity. My take-home message: educate yourself. It is important to read up on events such as those in Afghanistan, because the victims can receive more aid if people are better informed.’

Ehsan, 25, student Notarial Law:

‘My parents are often in contact with my family in Afghanistan. A number of relatives worked with foreigners, which makes them one of the groups targeted by the Taliban. People who worked with Western companies and governments are dependent on those countries to be able to flee. Someone in my family worked for a large company with a lot of contacts abroad. He was picked up from his office by the American military and unceremoniously shipped off to the airport. He didn’t have time to say goodbye to his family; he couldn’t even pick up his passport. You really have to leave everything behind when you flee the country. Because of this, I can never give enough praise to those who fled.

‘You really have to leave everything behind when you flee’

‘Now women’s right to education is being taken away in Afghanistan. This worries me deeply; education is an investment in society, and without women you can’t have a normal, functioning society. The Taliban claim that they’re making plans to send women back to school and allow them to teach again. But I think they’re only saying that to assuage Western countries. You can’t take an organisation like the Taliban – whose government and parliament consist solely of men – seriously when it comes to women’s rights and human rights in general. Right now they’re doing the same horrible things they did the last time they were in power. I hope that other countries will be merciful and won’t immediately believe everything the Taliban promise. We’re all human, regardless of national borders or political preferences. The situation in Afghanistan is everyone’s concern.’

Maryam, 26, Law student:

‘I’m very emotional, because last night I received word that one of my cousins died in the Pansjshir valley, where he fought the Taliban alongside Ahmad Massoud (resistance leader, ed.). Ahmad Massoud is our hope and his father Ahmad Shah Massoud (former leader of the Northern Alliance, which fought the Soviets and later the Taliban, now deceased, ed.) is our pride. Together with other resistance fighters he fights a brave battle against the Taliban, even though he could have chosen a safe life far away from his homeland. Massoud has called on all Afghans – both at home and abroad – to rise up for our country’s dignity, integrity and freedom. We have vested our hopes in Allah and the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.’

‘Afghanistan has always shaken off every form of subjugation’

‘I associate Afghanistan with an eternal desire for freedom and coexisting on an equal basis; A wealth of centuries worth of cultural treasures and a history that has helped to create the world as we know it. Afghanistan is a country that has always shaken off every form of subjugation. It has a culture where guests are more important than family, and where you can knock on any door with confidence and be certain that it will open, no matter who you are. The Taliban are not part of that culture. They are humanity’s and Islam’s worst enemy.’