Latest news with #AmericanUniversityofAfghanistan
Global News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Effort underway to get Afghan women at risk of deportation to study at University of Regina
Parissa Ahmadi says the least worst thing that could happen if she doesn't make it to Saskatchewan this summer, and is deported to Afghanistan, is that she's jailed and tortured. The worst thing — she doesn't like thinking about too much. 'It's not a good thing,' the recent graduate of the American University of Afghanistan's business program said from her dorm room in Qatar. 'The possibility of being killed is really high.' The 23-year-old is among about 30 female students who were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country four years ago Friday. An advocacy group and the University of Regina are raising money to help relocate the women to Saskatchewan to continue their education, because the U.S. government has suspended their scholarship funding in Qatar. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Parissa Ahmadi is seen in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Parissa Ahmadi Friba Rezayee, the Vancouver-based founder of Women Leaders of Tomorrow, a group that advocates for the education of Afghan women, said it has been able to raise about $140,000 of the $500,000 the University of Regina needs to cover their tuition. 'It's a death sentence for them if they are sent back (to Afghanistan),' said Rezayee. 'I can't even imagine them returning. Everybody's terrified. These were the writers and the most educated women in Afghanistan who wanted to have freedom, democracy, human rights, formal education before they fled.' 2:20 'It's like a jail': Taliban escalating attacks on rights of Afghan women and girls Jeff Keshen, the president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, said it has the space to provide the women with free housing and meals if the tuition is raised. Story continues below advertisement It has previously accepted a large number of students from the American University of Afghanistan, he added. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy And it's prepared to expedite offer letters for the women, as they're highly qualified students of law, business and computer science. But the federal government has delayed issuing student visas since it put a cap on international students last year, Keshen said. 'It's tragic,' said Keshen. 'We might not be able to help everybody, but we as a university, as a country, can help some people — we have room on our campus, so we can actually provide to these students.' View image in full screen Jeff Keshen, the president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, said it has the space to provide the Afghan women with free housing and meals if the tuition is raised. Global News Keshen said he has heard from some of the women and fears for their future. Story continues below advertisement 'They're not just going back to an area where their education is going to be denied, but their hopes and dreams are going to be dashed.' Keshen said the university has expressed to the federal government its willingness to accept the women and has told the immigration ministry they'll need student visas as soon as the funds are raised. 4:59 Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Lawrence team up to tell stories of brave Afghan women A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said Thursday it couldn't comment on the university's request due to privacy legislation and to protect the safety of those involved. 'Canada has welcomed over 59,000 Afghans since the fall of Kabul in August 2021,' said Mary Rose Sabater. Sabater said the department continues to process eligible applications, even though its special program for Afghan refugees is closed. 'Visa applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.' Story continues below advertisement Rezayee said Qatar accepted the women after receiving funding from the U.S. government for their education. But in January, on the first day of his second term in the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order that froze spending on foreign aid, immediately cutting off that funding. Ahmadi said an American refugee program that would have allowed the women to move to the United States after graduation has also ended under Trump's administration. View image in full screen Friba Rezayee, who was one of Afghanistan's first two female Olympians in 2004, poses for a photograph in Vancouver, on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck The university in Qatar told the students they have leave the country by the end of August, Rezayee said. Rezayee, who is one of Afghanistan's first female Olympians and competed in judo, moved to Vancouver as a refugee in 2001. She said she believes Canada can help the women. Story continues below advertisement 'I went to school, I got my degree and now I have my own business here. I don't take a second of my life in Canada for granted,' she said. She said Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans education for women, and she hasn't been able to sleep since learning about the students' situation. 'They can't even land at the Kabul International Airport. Because as soon as they land, the Taliban will ask them: 'Where is your (male chaperone),'' said Rezayee, referring to a Taliban law that requires every Afghan women be escorted by a man when flying. Ahmadi said members of the Taliban interrogated her and took photos of her passport as they left Afghanistan for Pakistan, where they then boarded a plane for Qatar. She told them she was visiting an uncle. While obtaining her degree, she worked at a Qatari immigration office and sent money to her sisters and brothers in Afghanistan. She's the family's sole provider, she said. She wants to pursue more education at the University of Regina, she added. 'We believe that with the education and kindness, we can build a brighter future,' Ahmadi said. 'We are going to make everyone proud.' Story continues below advertisement
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Effort underway to get Afghan women at risk of deportation to University of Regina
Parissa Ahmadi says the least worst thing that could happen if she doesn't make it to Saskatchewan this summer, and is deported to Afghanistan, is that she's jailed and tortured. The worst thing — she doesn't like thinking about too much. 'It's not a good thing,' the recent graduate of the American University of Afghanistan's business program said from her dorm room in Qatar. 'The possibility of being killed is really high.' The 23-year-old is among about 30 female students who were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country four years ago Friday. An advocacy group and the University of Regina are raising money to help relocate the women to Saskatchewan to continue their education, because the U.S. government has suspended their scholarship funding in Qatar. Friba Rezayee, the Vancouver-based founder of Women Leaders of Tomorrow, a group that advocates for the education of Afghan women, said it has been able to raise about $140,000 of the $500,000 the University of Regina needs to cover their tuition. 'It's a death sentence for them if they are sent back (to Afghanistan),' said Rezayee. 'I can't even imagine them returning. Everybody's terrified. These were the writers and the most educated women in Afghanistan who wanted to have freedom, democracy, human rights, formal education before they fled.' Jeff Keshen, the president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, said it has the space to provide the women with free housing and meals if the tuition is raised. It has previously accepted a large number of students from the American University of Afghanistan, he added. And it's prepared to expedite offer letters for the women, as they're highly qualified students of law, business and computer science. But the federal government has delayed issuing student visas since it put a cap on international students last year, Keshen said. 'It's tragic,' said Keshen. 'We might not be able to help everybody, but we as a university, as a country, can help some people … we have room on our campus, so we can actually provide to these students.' He said he has heard from some of the women and fears for their future. 'They're not just going back to an area where their education is going to be denied, but their hopes and dreams are going to be dashed.' Keshen said the university has expressed to the federal government its willingness to accept the women and has told the immigration ministry they'll need student visas as soon as the funds are raised. A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said Thursday it couldn't comment on the university's request due to privacy legislation and to protect the safety of those involved. 'Canada has welcomed over 59,000 Afghans since the fall of Kabul in August 2021,' said Mary Rose Sabater. Sabater said the department continues to process eligible applications, even though its special program for Afghan refugees is closed. 'Visa applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.' Rezayee said Qatar accepted the women after receiving funding from the U.S. government for their education. But in January, on the first day of his second term in the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order that froze spending on foreign aid, immediately cutting off that funding. Ahmadi said an American refugee program that would have allowed the women to move to the United States after graduation has also ended under Trump's administration. The university in Qatar told the students they have leave the country by the end of August, Rezayee said. Rezayee, who is one of Afghanistan's first female Olympians and competed in judo, moved to Vancouver as a refugee in 2001. She said she believes Canada can help the women. 'I went to school, I got my degree and now I have my own business here. I don't take a second of my life in Canada for granted,' she said. She said Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans education for women, and she hasn't been able to sleep since learning about the students' situation. 'They can't even land at the Kabul International Airport. Because as soon as they land, the Taliban will ask them: 'Where is your (male chaperone),'' said Rezayee, referring to a Taliban law that requires every Afghan women be escorted by a man when flying. Ahmadi said members of the Taliban interrogated her and took photos of her passport as they left Afghanistan for Pakistan, where they then boarded a plane for Qatar. She told them she was visiting an uncle. While obtaining her degree, she worked at a Qatari immigration office and sent money to her sisters and brothers in Afghanistan. She's the family's sole provider, she said. She wants to pursue more education at the University of Regina, she added. 'We believe that with the education and kindness, we can build a brighter future,' Ahmadi said. 'We are going to make everyone proud.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver woman rallies to save stranded female Afghan students after U.S. foreign aid cuts
A group of Afghan women studying abroad face deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan within days as a Vancouver woman tries to bring them to Canada. Thirty female post-secondary students studying at the American University of Afghanistan campus in Qatar had their education derailed when the U.S. administration cut funding to U.S. Agency for International Development, which was supporting them. Their temporary visas expire Aug. 15. Friba Rezayee, an Afghan-Canadian based in Vancouver, warns that if the students — aged 20 to 30 — are deported, they risk interrogation and imprisonment. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'They will be branded as infidels and spies by the regime simply for pursuing an American education,' said Rezayee, who arrived in Canada as a refugee in 2011. She is urging Canadians and universities to act quickly. 'It's a terrifying reality. I can imagine as soon as the students land at Taliban-controlled Kabul airport, they will be asked: 'Where is your mehram, or male chaperone?'' Rezayee said. Rezayee founded Women Leaders of Tomorrow, a Vancouver-based organization supporting Afghan women's education through partnerships with Canadian universities — the University of British Columbia and Laurentian — and B.C. high schools Crofton House and St. Margaret's Academy. Since the Taliban's seizure of the U.S.-backed Afghan government in August 2021, Rezayee said women have been forced out of public life. Females face strict gender restrictions barring them from most jobs, secondary school and higher education. Rigid dress codes, and limited movement without a male guardian is enforced. The group of Afghan students fled to an American University of Afghanistan campus in Qatar after their home campus in Kabul shut down following the takeover. UBC has secured placements in graduate studies for three of the Afghan students, but others are stranded at the Afghan university's campus in exile. 'These women are terrified of what will happen to them if they have to return,' Rezayee said. Rezayee has partnered with the University of Regina through Project Resilience — founded in 2022 to provide scholarships and emergency funding and support to students affected by conflict and political violence — which offers study in computer science, economics and business administration. The initiative aims to raise $500,000 to support as many students as possible. The estimated annual cost per student is about $40,000. But cuts to international aid and stricter immigration policies have limited the number of student visas that Canada will issue. Budget constraints at Canadian universities have also made it difficult to secure in-house financial support. In March, an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump halted significant portions of foreign aid, including funding to programs supporting Afghan women's education abroad. 'The students reached out to me for help right after Trump pulled their funding,' Rezayee said Friday. 'Now it's Canada's time to step up and make sure these women are not sent back to the Taliban.' sgrochowski@
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Corrections: April 1, 2025
An article on Saturday about a powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday inaccurately described the arrest of the leader of an armed group that has sought to protect Rohingya Muslims. The leader was arrested by the authorities in Bangladesh, not by Myanmar's military. An article on Sunday about students at the American University of Afghanistan in Qatar who fear they will be forced to return to their Taliban-ruled homeland after aid and visa cutoffs by the Trump administration misstated one of the countries to which students at the American University of Afghanistan were evacuated. It was Kyrgyzstan, not Kazakhstan. An obituary on Monday about Joe Harris, a sergeant with an all-Black infantry unit during World War II who was believed to be the oldest surviving U.S. paratrooper, misstated the year the U.S. Army was desegregated. It was 1948, not 1947. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.
New York Times
30-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
‘They Will Label Us as Spies': The Afghan Students Abandoned by America
When she finds it hard to focus, Nilab jots down her worries on slips of paper and pins them to her wall, a strategy she picked up in a seminar on mental health at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. She makes a mental note to deal with the issues at a scheduled time and then gets back to studying. That kept her sane when the U.S.-backed Afghan government was overthrown in 2021, when the Taliban made it illegal for women to receive an education and when she left in July 2023 to study at the university's campus-in-exile in Qatar. Now, in Nilab's dorm room in Doha, the little notes are stacking up. The Trump administration's shutdown of foreign aid and refugee admissions has left her terrified that she will be forced to return to Afghanistan. There, she would be alone and deprived of any rights as a woman. Her hard-earned American-style education would be all but worthless. She imagines the worst. 'How can girls go back to Afghanistan?' said Nilab, 30, who asked that only her first name be used to protect her identity. 'What will happen to us? Rape, forced marriage and death.' On Jan. 20, just as Nilab was planning her final project for her cybersecurity degree, President Trump signed an executive order suspending refugee resettlement. The U.S. government had promised refugee status for her and her classmates, but Nilab's hopes of rejoining her family, who received asylum in the United States after the Taliban took over, were shattered. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
