Six months short of graduation from her Afghan law school, Belquis Ahmadi was given an ultimatum: She could either join the communist party waging war in Afghanistan or leave her home country.
She chose to leave.
But she wanted to do something for her people, working with humanitarian organizations including the Red Cross and a local hospital.
Ahmadi, who was born and raised in Kabul, spoke at UW-Madison Tuesday with her co-worker and Pakistani-native Sameena Nazir to hundreds of students, faculty and community members.
The two addressed the current situation in Afghanistan and the need to involve women in political discussions concerning issues like developing a new Afghan government. They work with the International Human Rights Law Group, an organization that aims to strengthen the capacity of local communities to ensure human rights.
Ahmadi spoke of how the Taliban government came into existence after a war with Soviet forces that lasted about a decade.
\People were fed up with war,"" she said. ""We were waiting for change, for hope ... For us, the important thing was that some group was bringing peace and stability.""
Nick Holt, a UW-Madison senior who attended the forum, said it was important for people to understand this background.
""These events didn't come out of a vacuum,"" he said.
A misconception exists in the United States that it's culturally unacceptable for Afghan women to participate in politics, Nazir said. In actuality, she said, the Taliban are responsible for these limited opportunities, but that is not part of the culture. She said it was crucial for women to have a role in the fight for the protection of human rights.
""We believe women bring a very unique perspective to the situation,"" Nazir said.
She also spoke of discriminatory Pakistani laws between 1979 and 1984 and the necessity for international organizations to monitor similar oppressive situations. One such law required a woman to have four male witnesses to prove rape, Nazir said. But if the woman were to become pregnant, she would be punished for adultery.
""No western government made a noise [during this time],"" she said.
Religious extremism is an issue the global community must deal with, Nazir said.
""It's not just the problem of Afghanistan and Pakistan,"" she said.
""There's no border to extreme things.""
Nazir said the reception the two received in Madison yesterday was different from that of any other U.S. city they have spoken in.
""I think this university is very blessed to have activists [like the organizers of this event],"" she said. ""We've been very, very encouraged by just being on your campus.\
