Breaking barriers amid hostility: How Azra Jafari defied the odds
As a refugee living in Iran, Azra Jafari said she knew little about her home country, where she would come back and one day shatter a glass ceiling.
Jafari, the first female mayor in Afghanistan, shared her life experiences in the Middle East in a virtual lecture at the University of Rhode Island.
The event was moderated by professor Kristin Johnson, the director of the graduate program of international relations.
Jafari, who became the first woman to ever hold the office of mayor in Afghanistan after being elected in Nili, a small town in the middle of the country, in 2008.
During the Afghanistan Civil War in the 1990s, she attended high school in Iran as a refugee from Afghanistan. There was an ongoing Soviet occupation along with increased military pressure from the Taliban during the time.
“Civil war was established and then Taliban came, so all these times we had a lot of conflict,” Jafari said.
In the time of conflict, she noted the role of women in Afghanistan. The conflict limited the Afghan government’s efforts to provide opportunities for women, according to Jafari.
After returning from her studies in Iran, Jafari was determined to make a change. She joined activist groups such as the Equal Rights Association, according to a Brown University article, and helped with the writing of the new constitution with former President Hamid Karzai.
Jafari said she and other women were tired of the antiquated rules and regulations regarding the role of women in Afghanistan.
“How can we take the position on the table of people who make decisions for women also?” Jafari said. “We have to be on that table too.”
She, along with other women, began a campaign for her to become the first female mayor in Afghanistan, which was successful. The city of Nili was established in 2004. According to Jafari, it was not like a traditional city, but more like a remote village in the desert at the time.
“The most important problem was finance because I didn’t have any financial resources in the city,” Jafari said. “I needed help to at least start some small project to help people trust me.”
As mayor of a newly established city, Jafari said she wanted to create and share a positive culture with residents. One of the first projects in Nili was repairing the roads and improving drainage issues, according to Jafari. She also helped establish a school system that provided students with valuable leadership skills for their respective futures.
Jafari explained that there were challenges with the traditional values of Afghan culture that she had to face as a woman in power. Oftentimes she was called “Mr. Mayor” after completing a project.
“You know, in Afghanistan, ‘man,’ it is a symbol of power, a symbol of energy and a symbol of change,” Jafari said. “So that’s why people said ‘Mr. Mayor.’”
While many citizens of Nili respected the work done by Jafari, there were still some who did not appreciate a woman in power, according to her.
Jafari explained that the women’s rights movement is not new in Afghanistan, noting how important it has become again with the recent increase of political pressure from the Taliban in the region.
“If they [Taliban] want to stay in Afghanistan, they have to accept several things, and women’s rights are not negotiable,” Jafari said.