Afghan women restart medical studies in Scotland after Taliban ban: Video
Four Afghan women are reigniting their dreams of becoming doctors in Scotland after the Taliban's ban on female education halted their studies.
Masuma Zakii, Zahra Hussaini, and Fariba Asifi are among those set to begin a medical program at Glasgow University, offering them a second chance to pursue their dreams.
These women consider the opportunity a renewed hope for a better future.
"I'm so happy and glad I can study again because becoming a doctor is my dream," Masuma Zakii who had her education interrupted when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 told the AFP.
Zahra Hussaini, a 20-year-old medical student, expressed how moving to Scotland gave her new hope. "It has given me hope for a better future. I can become a doctor, be financially independent, and serve my family and community to the best of my ability," she said.
Hussaini further aspires to become a surgeon, a role desperately needed in her home country adding that " Because it is a traditional society and generally when a woman is in need of surgery, if the surgeon is male, there is some restrictions from the family that the woman shouldn't be treated by a male surgeon. So I think that becoming a female surgeon in my own country would be, you know, something which can benefit myself and also my society."
The Taliban's return to power brought a rather severe interpretation of Islamic law, restricting women's rights, including education.
