On the Taliban takeover

“In a matter of 24 hours, I saw a democracy that we all worked so hard for [for] 20 years collapse. Completely. It was completely gone. And I kept thinking, ‘Dear God, what is this? Is this because it was so breakable? Because it was so false? Because it was not the right thing for Afghanistan?’

“In the beginning, the Taliban was not inside the city of Kabul. The Taliban was everywhere else in Afghanistan, but not inside the city because, inside the city on the 15th of August, there were still the foreign troops, the Americans.

“But then [the Taliban] arrived and everyone left. Thank God, thank Allah that we did not see a river of blood flow because it was very possible. But then a whole lot of ugliness came, slowly.”

On raising young girls and boys

“That day, I made a promise to myself: That I would not leave my sisters and my daughters. Twenty million women [in Afghanistan]—and though a whole bunch of them left, not all the 20 million women have left. So what will happen to the ones that are [still] there? Who’s going to be the voice of reason in this country? 

“I’m not saying that religious education is bad, but I’m just saying that it should be really well-thought-of. Right now, we have young boys and these young boys are seeing madrasa (educational institutions offering instruction in Islamic subjects) influences. They are seeing how their mothers and sisters are being treated. Not in their own families, but outside in the streets, in Kabul, in the city by the government, by the media.

“They see that the girls’ rights are being taken away from them; the right to sit underneath the shade of a tree with your family in the park is taken away; the right to see a doctor while not escorted by a mahram (family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful) is taken away. Can you imagine if this thing continues for a few more years? What is going to happen to a whole generation in my country? It’s going to break the girls and it’s going to have an impact on the boys, and it is going to teach them a false message.”

Read more: From profit to purpose: How to build an impact-driven business

On how to stand up against the Taliban

“Something that I learned about the Taliban from the very beginning is that [they] are not going to challenge somebody who is not afraid. If you don’t show fear—truly, honestly—they [will] back [off]. And because I didn’t have anything to be fearful of—I haven’t taken the money of Afghanistan, I haven’t been corrupt—I was not afraid.

“So when the Taliban came to my shelter one night, I told them, ‘We are helping the women. The women are so important to us and I feel responsible for keeping them safe, like you do as the men of Afghanistan. I’m not going to give that up.’”

On the importance of commitment

“I am always afraid. It’s not that I’m not afraid. I’m not a brave person, I’m not a martyr and I know a lot of people braver than myself. But I have a certain belief in my heart that this is something that I have to do and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.

“[So the key takeaway is:] If you’re committed to doing something, please be committed 100 percent, and give 120 percent, 140 percent, 160 percent. Once you do that, you can change the whole dynamic of things—and it will change in a way that will absolutely surprise you.”

Read more articles from the Tatler Gen.T Summit 2023.

The Tatler Gen.T Summit is sponsored by Standard Chartered Private Bank, Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong and MTR Lab, organised in partnership with M+, Regent, Black Sheep and Cathay Pacific and supported by Brand Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tourism Board and InvestHK.

NOW READ 

What startup founders can learn from one of the world’s greatest squash player

How empowering girls and women through sport and information will benefit the economy

Tommie Lo is redefining the boundaries of a classroom to fit our 21st century lifestyle