What We're Reading
Afghan women play soccer, defying Taliban
- CBS News, Sunday, November 28, 2010 10:55 PM
Soccer is more than a game for women playing the sport in Afghanistan, where the Taliban, which prohibited women from sports when it was in power, continues to threaten. Sajay
Sahar, 19, was told to stop playing by family friends, but she didn't listen. She's a top scorer for the team and sees playing as a form of protest against the militants. By taking on the
Taliban head on, she believes, it will help bring about their defeat.
Khatol Shahzad Amarkhel quit for three months because of the Taliban. "Someone called my home
number," she says. "He promised to kill me if I continued to play. I changed my number, but I am still scared."
The women practice every other day, but rarely play games in Afghanistan.
They have traveled to Germany, Jordan and China for matches. They also recently played coalition forces in Afghanistan and won, 1-0.
"They say stop playing, but I cannot stop playing," said
Sahar. "I can stop living, but I cannot stop playing football."
