With All Our Strength

Anne E. Brodsky's With All Our Strength gives a lot of good insight on how women strive for independence throughout Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a very conservative country where men carry more importance than women in societal standards. This reading really opened my eyes to the reality the women face. A woman named Zarmeena was executed and this provided a real sense of what was going on. Not only was a woman about to die because she broke the Sharia's rules, but the use of a video camera made for a do or die situation for RAWA. RAWA was simply trying to get the word out but who cared? Brodsky said herself that the world did not care the least about Afghanistan until after the September 11th attacks. So when you think about it, if the attacks didn't happen, this footage would remain widely unknown. And to RAWA, this was a chance to expose the reality of the Taliban's oppression among Afghan women.

But what struck me most was the lack of knowledge regarding the use of a video camera. Basic skills like recording, start/stop fast forawrd, rewind, etc. were another language to them. But to try and use this foreign equipment and document an execution by the Taliban? It seemed crazy and extremely gutsy to read, but it happened.

Zarmeena's execution is an example of how oppressive the Taliban's rule was. Public executions served as a reminder of how important it was to follow the rules. Not only men, but also women were under strict command. But for Afghan women to try and live happily under these conditions is a challenge in itself.