Mohtarama

Directed by Diana Saqeb

In 2009, the Afghan Parliament approved the Shia Family Law, which was then signed by President Karzai. The law severely restricted women’s freedom, making it illegal for them to exit the house without their husband’s consent or resisting to their husband’s sexual demands. Mohtarama The Afghan women who were against this law, gathered and protested in front of Afghanistan’s biggest religious school where the law was written with support from Sheikh Asif Mohsini (an Islamic scholar and the founder of the school). The protests turned violent as the students of the school began humiliating the women protestors by beating, spitting, and labeling them as “Western followers”. This was one of the first major movements by women for their rights. This seemed to be the right time to visit other provincesto learn about the concerns and challenges of the educated Afghan women and their hopes and expectations from women movements.