Help Afghan Artist Sisters Move to America
Donation protected
“The Taliban cannot be trusted under any circumstances” -these were Soraya’s own words when she was at the airport “I could make peace dying from COVID, or in a car accident, but I never want to fall into the hands of the Taliban. We know exactly what they will do if they take me.”
My name is Ali Shahidy and I am a first-year Ph.D. student at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale from Kabul, Afghanistan. When I arrived at the Southern Illinois University campus on August 2nd to begin my Ph.D. program, my very first encounter with SIU was a sign pinned on the ground that said: “Welcome home Salukis.” Saluki is SIU’s mascot. I was completely and tragically oblivious to the fact that my family and I were about to lose the home that we had in Kabul, Afghanistan. A home that took us decades to build, that was our identity, and our future. During the next two weeks, these lifelong hopes and dreams were dashed as the war in Afghanistan escalated steadily and the Taliban finally took over the entire country. It was very personal to me. At the time that the Taliban took over Kabul, my sister, Soraya Shahidy, was at the Kabul airport anxiously hoping to get a “lifeboat” out of her beloved country, to get away from the hellish reality it had become, and escape the clutches of the Taliban. I had never experienced a greater, more gut-wrenching fear in my life: the fear of the Taliban actually putting their hands on my beloved sister.
My other sisters Freshta, and Zainab, were also in Kabul. All four of my sisters were artists, social influencers, and entrepreneurs – an achievement that took decades of hard work and enormous sacrifices for my family to make, especially as women. All three of my sisters were trailblazers and pioneers in their own right and pursued their dreams while paving the way for other women to feel empowered to do the same.
Freshta received her degree in cosmetics and skincare from Advance Beauty College in California and was the first Afghan woman in the country who was professionally trained and had a license. Her goal was to standardize the cosmetics industry in the country and empower Afghan women to become independent through art and entrepreneurship. Freshta organized one of Afghanistan’s first-ever co-ed fashion shows. She fully embraced the promises of freedoms for women brought to Afghanistan two decades ago and continues to foster future goals as a businesswoman.
Zainab, on the other hand, was an actress. At the age of 17, she had her first role in one of Afghanistan’s most popular songs “Khanda Ko – “smile” – by Shafiq Mureed. This song celebrated the vibrant Afghan culture and heritage and was an ode to our nation’s tapestry of history. It also garnered a lot of hatred and even death threats and abuse from hard-liners who have been aggressively postured against women’s involvement in the arts. Zainab is a vibrant soul who loves to share her joy of her culture and people as a personal blogger, model, and social media personality. She uses her voice and her platform to not only help people celebrate Afghanistan but also to bring awareness to important issues and topics, as a social media activist.
As a single mother, my sister Soraya overcame gargantuan odds to become Afghanistan’s first female tattoo artist. She was also a fashion show model, a social media influencer, and the only woman who boldly rode a motorcycle in the streets of Kabul. Soraya’s life story is marked with staunch defiance of those male-dominated norms in Afghanistan that historically chained women in every aspect of their lives. She said no to anything that wanted to take away a woman’s freedom. When she was in an abusive marriage, she fought against all odds and divorced her drug-addicted husband who abused her. She took full custody of her son, Rasa, and has ensured that he is raised in a stable, protective, and loving home. Being a single mom is no easy thing in Afghanistan. To stand up for her own rights and protect herself against a patriarchal society where men keep their women dependent forever, Soraya went to learn new skills and opened her own business. She became a nail artist. She then went on to become a fashion show model to forever change the public perception of women and introduce a new image of Afghan women – one who is strong, independent, and audacious.
Soraya has been my hero. Every time I was afraid or on the verge of losing hope, I looked up to her. She has been a symbol of strength and faith for me. Despite all the threats and insults she received, she continued her resistance. One day while walking on the streets of Kabul, she was assaulted by a mob of angry men who believed that she breached the Islam religion and the Afghan “honor” with her fashion show posters in public and her widespread presence on Afghan media. She was wounded and traumatized, but never ever gave up. According to Soraya, “the thing Afghan men fear the most and hate me for is that I’ll eventually influence their women to break their chains one day and become independent like me.” She became Afghanistan’s first female tattoo artist and opened a salon where she inked strength and hope on the skins of many Afghan men and women.
My sisters employed dozens of Afghan girls and women in their beauty salon, and trained over a hundred Afghan girls, empowering them to become independent entrepreneurs in their own communities.
Soraya, her son Rasa, my younger brother Mohammad, and my other sisters Freshta and Zainab, are safe for now. Thanks to the Italian government, after two horrendous nights in the Kabul airport, my family was evacuated and relocated to Rome, Italy. However, we have lost everything we had in Kabul: our home, our past, and all those achievements that my sisters made in Afghanistan. And now, their fate is unknown.
My sisters are in a refugee camp in Italy right now and do not have any immigration status. They will be out of the refugee camp soon and on their own in a new country, with an entirely different culture and language. My goal is to help them get relocated to the United States where we hope to be together again as a family and build a home here. The donations received through this campaign will help us to work with our lawyer to complete their humanitarian parole applications. Each application has a filing fee of $590, and there are six of my family members in the refugee camp in Italy. Additionally, my elderly parents are still in Afghanistan and are currently in hiding. They couldn’t make it to the Kabul airport during the chaos of the evacuation crisis, due to their age and health issues. Currently, as refugees with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their hope for the future, none of my refugee family has access to sources of income or aid. I am also extremely worried about the safety and well-being of my parents.
Some of these donations will be used toward the evacuation of my parents to a safe place outside Afghanistan and ultimately with the goal of relocating them to America. The rest of the donations will be used for the expenses related to the resettlement of my sisters to America, as well as their housing, living, and health expenses once they are in America until they are granted work permits that could enable them to have jobs and work here. These donations will also cover any future legal expenses related to their permanent residence status once they arrive in America. My family consists of some of the hardest-working, determined women I know, and having seen them overcome the impossible before, I know we can do it again. In times of unbelievable pain, there is also immeasurable kindness, and I ask the community to extend this kindness to them now, in their greatest time of need, as they seek to resettle and rebuild their lives.
Here is a link to a documentary by VICE about Soraya’s tattoo work in Afghanistan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcymT2P-TCc&t=86s
A report on Soraya's work in Afghanistan by Reuters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acK2eZjLOeI&t=1s
Zainab Shahidy as one of the first women who drove a car in Kabul, Afghanistan, a report by the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/10/13/women-drivers-in-afghanistan-must-brave-the-traffic-and-the-stares/
A link to Zainab’s first acting role in the song “Khanda Ko”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n4OyOFlxa8
My name is Ali Shahidy and I am a first-year Ph.D. student at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale from Kabul, Afghanistan. When I arrived at the Southern Illinois University campus on August 2nd to begin my Ph.D. program, my very first encounter with SIU was a sign pinned on the ground that said: “Welcome home Salukis.” Saluki is SIU’s mascot. I was completely and tragically oblivious to the fact that my family and I were about to lose the home that we had in Kabul, Afghanistan. A home that took us decades to build, that was our identity, and our future. During the next two weeks, these lifelong hopes and dreams were dashed as the war in Afghanistan escalated steadily and the Taliban finally took over the entire country. It was very personal to me. At the time that the Taliban took over Kabul, my sister, Soraya Shahidy, was at the Kabul airport anxiously hoping to get a “lifeboat” out of her beloved country, to get away from the hellish reality it had become, and escape the clutches of the Taliban. I had never experienced a greater, more gut-wrenching fear in my life: the fear of the Taliban actually putting their hands on my beloved sister.
My other sisters Freshta, and Zainab, were also in Kabul. All four of my sisters were artists, social influencers, and entrepreneurs – an achievement that took decades of hard work and enormous sacrifices for my family to make, especially as women. All three of my sisters were trailblazers and pioneers in their own right and pursued their dreams while paving the way for other women to feel empowered to do the same.
Freshta received her degree in cosmetics and skincare from Advance Beauty College in California and was the first Afghan woman in the country who was professionally trained and had a license. Her goal was to standardize the cosmetics industry in the country and empower Afghan women to become independent through art and entrepreneurship. Freshta organized one of Afghanistan’s first-ever co-ed fashion shows. She fully embraced the promises of freedoms for women brought to Afghanistan two decades ago and continues to foster future goals as a businesswoman.
Zainab, on the other hand, was an actress. At the age of 17, she had her first role in one of Afghanistan’s most popular songs “Khanda Ko – “smile” – by Shafiq Mureed. This song celebrated the vibrant Afghan culture and heritage and was an ode to our nation’s tapestry of history. It also garnered a lot of hatred and even death threats and abuse from hard-liners who have been aggressively postured against women’s involvement in the arts. Zainab is a vibrant soul who loves to share her joy of her culture and people as a personal blogger, model, and social media personality. She uses her voice and her platform to not only help people celebrate Afghanistan but also to bring awareness to important issues and topics, as a social media activist.
As a single mother, my sister Soraya overcame gargantuan odds to become Afghanistan’s first female tattoo artist. She was also a fashion show model, a social media influencer, and the only woman who boldly rode a motorcycle in the streets of Kabul. Soraya’s life story is marked with staunch defiance of those male-dominated norms in Afghanistan that historically chained women in every aspect of their lives. She said no to anything that wanted to take away a woman’s freedom. When she was in an abusive marriage, she fought against all odds and divorced her drug-addicted husband who abused her. She took full custody of her son, Rasa, and has ensured that he is raised in a stable, protective, and loving home. Being a single mom is no easy thing in Afghanistan. To stand up for her own rights and protect herself against a patriarchal society where men keep their women dependent forever, Soraya went to learn new skills and opened her own business. She became a nail artist. She then went on to become a fashion show model to forever change the public perception of women and introduce a new image of Afghan women – one who is strong, independent, and audacious.
Soraya has been my hero. Every time I was afraid or on the verge of losing hope, I looked up to her. She has been a symbol of strength and faith for me. Despite all the threats and insults she received, she continued her resistance. One day while walking on the streets of Kabul, she was assaulted by a mob of angry men who believed that she breached the Islam religion and the Afghan “honor” with her fashion show posters in public and her widespread presence on Afghan media. She was wounded and traumatized, but never ever gave up. According to Soraya, “the thing Afghan men fear the most and hate me for is that I’ll eventually influence their women to break their chains one day and become independent like me.” She became Afghanistan’s first female tattoo artist and opened a salon where she inked strength and hope on the skins of many Afghan men and women.
My sisters employed dozens of Afghan girls and women in their beauty salon, and trained over a hundred Afghan girls, empowering them to become independent entrepreneurs in their own communities.
Soraya, her son Rasa, my younger brother Mohammad, and my other sisters Freshta and Zainab, are safe for now. Thanks to the Italian government, after two horrendous nights in the Kabul airport, my family was evacuated and relocated to Rome, Italy. However, we have lost everything we had in Kabul: our home, our past, and all those achievements that my sisters made in Afghanistan. And now, their fate is unknown.
My sisters are in a refugee camp in Italy right now and do not have any immigration status. They will be out of the refugee camp soon and on their own in a new country, with an entirely different culture and language. My goal is to help them get relocated to the United States where we hope to be together again as a family and build a home here. The donations received through this campaign will help us to work with our lawyer to complete their humanitarian parole applications. Each application has a filing fee of $590, and there are six of my family members in the refugee camp in Italy. Additionally, my elderly parents are still in Afghanistan and are currently in hiding. They couldn’t make it to the Kabul airport during the chaos of the evacuation crisis, due to their age and health issues. Currently, as refugees with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their hope for the future, none of my refugee family has access to sources of income or aid. I am also extremely worried about the safety and well-being of my parents.
Some of these donations will be used toward the evacuation of my parents to a safe place outside Afghanistan and ultimately with the goal of relocating them to America. The rest of the donations will be used for the expenses related to the resettlement of my sisters to America, as well as their housing, living, and health expenses once they are in America until they are granted work permits that could enable them to have jobs and work here. These donations will also cover any future legal expenses related to their permanent residence status once they arrive in America. My family consists of some of the hardest-working, determined women I know, and having seen them overcome the impossible before, I know we can do it again. In times of unbelievable pain, there is also immeasurable kindness, and I ask the community to extend this kindness to them now, in their greatest time of need, as they seek to resettle and rebuild their lives.
Here is a link to a documentary by VICE about Soraya’s tattoo work in Afghanistan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcymT2P-TCc&t=86s
A report on Soraya's work in Afghanistan by Reuters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acK2eZjLOeI&t=1s
Zainab Shahidy as one of the first women who drove a car in Kabul, Afghanistan, a report by the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/10/13/women-drivers-in-afghanistan-must-brave-the-traffic-and-the-stares/
A link to Zainab’s first acting role in the song “Khanda Ko”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n4OyOFlxa8
Co-organizers (3)
Ali Shahidy
Organizer
Carbondale, IL
Bri Freeman
Co-organizer
Kat Halstead
Co-organizer