Afghan road rage

Opinion: October 11, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Sudabah Afzali

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

HERAT, Afghanistan — In the long line of traffic waiting for the lights to change at a busy intersection in Herat, one car is attracting an unusual amount of attention. Passers-by stop and stare at the nondescript, slightly battered Suzuki.

The reason is simple: behind the wheel sits Soraya, a 26-year-old student who is one of a small, but growing number of women daring to drive.

Other drivers react

Soraya, who keeps her headscarf tightly wrapped to avoid any charges of immodesty, is used to being stared at, and worse. The numerous dents in her car were made by young men who attacked the vehicle.

“I have to close the car windows even in hot weather so as to avoid hearing their insults and to be safe from harassment,” she said.

Despite opposition, the number of women taking driving lessons has risen 60 percent over the past year.

But it will be a struggle to change the views of many who argue that allowing women to drive exposes them to the gaze of strangers and is therefore wrong.

Sayed Ghulam Faruq, a Herat shopkeeper, said that he would never allow any female member of his family to drive.

“Muslims will never allow their women to be exposed to the eyes of strange men, as this issue has been mentioned several times by the mullahs preaching in the mosques,” he said.

A sign of change

Attitudes may change with the next generation, however.

“I see women as human beings deserving of all human rights, and I can’t see any problem with them driving or working,” said Naimatullah, a student at Herat University.

Sudabah Afzali is a reporter in Afghanistan who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization in London that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.