After the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Afghanistan in 1979, 5 to 10 million Afghans fled in seek of refuge, mostly into Pakistan and Iran. Only 300,000 were able to gain citizenship in the United States. Today, Fremont, California, is home to the largest population of Afghan Americans and is where we sat down with a current teacher whose family fled Afghanistan seeking life in the US.
Soraya Taheri is an English teacher, and is married to a prominent author, Amir, who was also a refugee from Afghanistan. We sat down with her and asked her about her life now, and how it compares to that of the country she left behind.
What was life like before you left Afghanistan? When did you leave and how was that experience? “Me and my family left Afghanistan after the Monarchy collapsed, for my father was a high ranking general in the administration before the Soviets invaded. Our life was prestigious in Afghanistan, the status of ‘General’ meant a great deal to the Afghan community. When we lost the monarchy, we lost everything. We were lucky to make it out before the soldiers targeted my father. My current husband, Amir, also left around the same time, his father did not want to live under Soviet rule any more than we did. Our …show more content…
One example is that of marriage. When I grew up in Afghanistan, you were always taught to be a proper woman. You were never to see another man unless you were to marry him. Here in America, this is not taken nearly as seriously. The concept of dating is simply incomprehensible to many fellow Afghans. I don’t mean to criticize, however, by Afghan standards, these actions would be unforgivable. I prefer like some of the principals that Americans have. The concept of equality, albeit foreign, is one that allows me to be someone outside of just Amir’s wife. Here I was able to receive a formal education, allowing me to help others in ways I wouldn’t have been able to by Afghan
Soraya Taheri is an English teacher, and is married to a prominent author, Amir, who was also a refugee from Afghanistan. We sat down with her and asked her about her life now, and how it compares to that of the country she left behind.
What was life like before you left Afghanistan? When did you leave and how was that experience? “Me and my family left Afghanistan after the Monarchy collapsed, for my father was a high ranking general in the administration before the Soviets invaded. Our life was prestigious in Afghanistan, the status of ‘General’ meant a great deal to the Afghan community. When we lost the monarchy, we lost everything. We were lucky to make it out before the soldiers targeted my father. My current husband, Amir, also left around the same time, his father did not want to live under Soviet rule any more than we did. Our …show more content…
One example is that of marriage. When I grew up in Afghanistan, you were always taught to be a proper woman. You were never to see another man unless you were to marry him. Here in America, this is not taken nearly as seriously. The concept of dating is simply incomprehensible to many fellow Afghans. I don’t mean to criticize, however, by Afghan standards, these actions would be unforgivable. I prefer like some of the principals that Americans have. The concept of equality, albeit foreign, is one that allows me to be someone outside of just Amir’s wife. Here I was able to receive a formal education, allowing me to help others in ways I wouldn’t have been able to by Afghan