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Navigating Crisis: The Fall of Kabul and the Rise of Women's and Diasporic Resistance - Hosted by the AIIA Queensland
Join us either in-person or online with PhD candidate at ANU, Aryana Mohmood, lecturer at SCU and ACU, Dr. Mujib Abid and student at Griffith University, Fahima Ahmadi, who will participate in a panel discussion on women, peace and security in Afghanistan.
📍 If you are attending in-person, please arrive at Holding Redlich at 5.30pm for registration and drinks.
💻If you are attending online, you will receive a follow-up confirmation email on the day containing further details on how to join the webinar.
🎟️ AIIA QLD members are entitled to free in-person entry. The price for other tickets can be found after clicking the 'register' button.
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The Taliban's sweeping takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 shocked many. In just ten days, the group seized control of towns and cities across the country. Although the takeover ended large-scale armed conflict, prospects for long-term stability remain uncertain. Afghanistan is grappling with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Three years on, the economic situation remains dire, malnutrition rates are rising, women's rights are being curtailed, and migration and internal displacement are increasing. Women, ethnic and religious minorities, and dissenters are being policed and disciplined by de facto authorities. Yet, the roots of this crisis lie in Afghanistan's history of protracted violence, marked by conflicts involving intrusive outsiders and internal strife over the country's natural and cultural wealth. This history also reveals the forms of resistance Afghans have employed against hegemonic rule, a phenomenon that continues today. Afghans within the country and in the diaspora continue to aspire for a better future. Diverse women of Afghanistan rely on dissenting practices, both formal and informal, organized and every day, to resist, demand their rights, undermine the Taliban, and strive for a renegotiated status quo.
What factors contributed to the re-emergence of the Taliban Emirate in August 2021? How do diverse Afghan women within Afghanistan and in the diaspora continue to resist the forces of patriarchy and oppression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan? How can we understand the feelings and experiences of minority populations? And how does the post-'war on terror' international context shape this situation? This event opens a conversation about Afghanistan's past to understand the current situation, creates a dialogue about Afghanistan's present to illuminate the scale and nature of the crisis, and draws on these discussions to develop a path forward for Afghan society.
Agenda
- Panel Discussion
Dr. Mujib Abid•Fahima Ahmadi•Aryana Mohmood
Dr. Mujib Abid
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of MelbourneDr Mujib Abid is an Afghan-Australian scholar of modern Afghan history, peace studies, and political theory. Mujib’s work foregrounds critical traditions that self-locate in the Global South, including postcolonial and decolonial approaches, as well as other traditional and Islamic knowledge perspectives. Mujib is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne. He currently works on a project titled ‘The Longest War: Australian Encounters with Afghanistan, 2001-2021’. Focusing on Australia’s multifaceted encounters with Afghanistan, the project studies the social and cultural dimensions of post-2001 Australian involvement in the ‘war on terror’ and statebuilding regimes in Afghanistan. Mujib is a co-founder of the Salaam Center for Dialogue (SCD), a Virginia-based non-profit organisation that specialises in dialogue facilitation, peace research, and advocacy. Mujib holds a Ph.D from the University of Queensland, a Master's Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney and a B.A. from the American University of Afghanistan.
More information about speaker
Fahima Ahmadi
University Student and Afghan Youth and Refugee AdvocateBorn and raised in Iran as a result of the Taliban’s genocidal persecution of Hazaras, Fahima learned from a young age the importance of fighting for human rights and gender equality. Her family’s persecution under the Taliban and her experience growing up as a woman under the harsh theocratic regime in Iran have made her a keen advocate for women’s rights and the rights of persecuted people.
More information about speaker
Since her arrival in Australia, Fahima has been actively engaged with a variety of communities and organisations to welcome newly arrived refugees and shed light on the hardship and struggles of refugees.
Arriving in Australia as a teenager without knowledge of English, Fahima is now a law student at Griffith University and studies a Double Degree in Laws (Honours)/ Political Science and International Relations. She is passionate about social justice issues, Australian politics and the impact of representation within our society.
Aryana Mohmood
PhD Candidate and Afghan Afghanistan Journalist and Radio ProducerAryana is a PhD candidate at the College of Asia and the Pacific (CAP), The Australian National University and an Afghan-Australian journalist and radio producer for ABC Canberra. Aryana has worked for over seven years as a journalist and reporter for commercial media organisations and as a radio announcer and news producer for community radio stations based in Queensland, Australia. She has published numerous articles relating to women’s resistance in Afghanistan, refugee and migrant issues in Australia, Indigenous leadership and rights in Australia, and Australian politics and national affairs. Alongside working in the journalism industry, Aryana has worked closely with diverse communities leading media and communications strategies for community organisations to address social issues such as women’s political participation, youth leadership and mental health education in refugee and migrant communities. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Arts degree (BJ/BA) majoring in International Relations, and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies (MIR/ MPaCS) from the University of Queensland (UQ). Aryana currently researches the dynamic relationship between diverse women’s resistance efforts, emotions, and media representations through a de-colonial feminist lens. Her regional focus is on Afghanistan.
More information about speaker
- Online and In-person Questions from the Audience
Dr. Mujib Abid•Fahima Ahmadi•Aryana MohmoodDr. Mujib Abid
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of MelbourneDr Mujib Abid is an Afghan-Australian scholar of modern Afghan history, peace studies, and political theory. Mujib’s work foregrounds critical traditions that self-locate in the Global South, including postcolonial and decolonial approaches, as well as other traditional and Islamic knowledge perspectives. Mujib is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne. He currently works on a project titled ‘The Longest War: Australian Encounters with Afghanistan, 2001-2021’. Focusing on Australia’s multifaceted encounters with Afghanistan, the project studies the social and cultural dimensions of post-2001 Australian involvement in the ‘war on terror’ and statebuilding regimes in Afghanistan. Mujib is a co-founder of the Salaam Center for Dialogue (SCD), a Virginia-based non-profit organisation that specialises in dialogue facilitation, peace research, and advocacy. Mujib holds a Ph.D from the University of Queensland, a Master's Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney and a B.A. from the American University of Afghanistan.
More information about speakerFahima Ahmadi
University Student and Afghan Youth and Refugee AdvocateBorn and raised in Iran as a result of the Taliban’s genocidal persecution of Hazaras, Fahima learned from a young age the importance of fighting for human rights and gender equality. Her family’s persecution under the Taliban and her experience growing up as a woman under the harsh theocratic regime in Iran have made her a keen advocate for women’s rights and the rights of persecuted people.
More information about speaker
Since her arrival in Australia, Fahima has been actively engaged with a variety of communities and organisations to welcome newly arrived refugees and shed light on the hardship and struggles of refugees.
Arriving in Australia as a teenager without knowledge of English, Fahima is now a law student at Griffith University and studies a Double Degree in Laws (Honours)/ Political Science and International Relations. She is passionate about social justice issues, Australian politics and the impact of representation within our society.Aryana Mohmood
PhD Candidate and Afghan Afghanistan Journalist and Radio ProducerAryana is a PhD candidate at the College of Asia and the Pacific (CAP), The Australian National University and an Afghan-Australian journalist and radio producer for ABC Canberra. Aryana has worked for over seven years as a journalist and reporter for commercial media organisations and as a radio announcer and news producer for community radio stations based in Queensland, Australia. She has published numerous articles relating to women’s resistance in Afghanistan, refugee and migrant issues in Australia, Indigenous leadership and rights in Australia, and Australian politics and national affairs. Alongside working in the journalism industry, Aryana has worked closely with diverse communities leading media and communications strategies for community organisations to address social issues such as women’s political participation, youth leadership and mental health education in refugee and migrant communities. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Arts degree (BJ/BA) majoring in International Relations, and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies (MIR/ MPaCS) from the University of Queensland (UQ). Aryana currently researches the dynamic relationship between diverse women’s resistance efforts, emotions, and media representations through a de-colonial feminist lens. Her regional focus is on Afghanistan.
More information about speaker
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