Afghans Share Their Views on the West’s Influence

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Some Afghan women live tradition-bound lives like this burqa-clad woman, left, in Herat, Afghanistan. Others appear to have more freedoms, like Aryana Sayeed, right, an Afghan singer and a judge on the international television show "The Voice," which launched in Kabul in May. (Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

Compiled by HANNA INGBER
Published: August 23, 2013

The United States and its allies have worked for a decade to instill democratic and legal reforms in Afghanistan, with a particular focus on women’s rights. We asked Afghans through this Facebook note to share their views on the West’s influence in their country. We received responses via e-mail and Facebook. Here is a selection of the responses, edited and condensed.

Nawa Arsala, 22, is an Afghan-American law student living in Washington.

The “Western” ways and laws in Afghanistan are not completely foreign to Afghans. Many forget that during the 1970s, Afghanistan was a flourishing and prosperous nation, with women who were teachers, nurses and entrepreneurs. The burqa was a rare sight, if seen at all. I believe that these laws are simply being reintroduced to a war-torn country that once had a taste of prosperity and democracy.

Curiouss Mindss, a teenage Afghan living in Kabul, wrote on Facebook:

Over 40 percent of Afghanistan’s population consists of people who have lived their entire lives facing tragic events like war and illiteracy and have no familiarity with modern civilization. Adapting and accepting Western cultures and thoughts are absurd and against their views. I’m an 18-year-old Afghan living in Kabul and unless these war-stricken Afghans vanish I’m pessimistic about the future of this war-torn country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/world/asia/afghans-share-their-views-on-the-wests-influence.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0