Politics

'I disguised myself as a boy so I could go to school'

Zahra Joya says her experience under the Taliban convinced her to fight for women's rights.

Zahra Joya, who sought refuge in the UK in 2021 and is currently a bye-fellow at Cambridge University, recounts how she adopted a male disguise to attend

Cookies on xabarchi

We use cookies to remember your language and theme, and to count how many people are reading right now — that count is anonymous, lasts only while your browser is open, and cannot be tied to you or to another visit. With your permission we also measure how the site is read: Microsoft Clarity, which records page views and on-page interactions, and our own count of returning readers. Nothing that recognises you across visits is measured until you accept.