A mobile beauty parlour and the big ambitions of its female owner
By Alma Begum* “I’m in an English course. Stand by the Restaurant, and I’ll meet you there,” was the message from the beautician I wanted to interview about her mobile beauty parlour. At the designated time, I waited at the
The Taliban is a regime of gender apartheid!
Several female activists in Cologne, Germany, have embarked on a 12-day hunger strike to advocate for the official recognition of the Taliban’s “gender apartheid” in
Most Visited Titles
Miscarriages soar in the Herat earthquake zone
By Farshid Aram* In early October 2023, Golandam* was in the final days of her pregnancy. The 32-year-old, who lives in the village of Nayeb
Afghanistan’s Gujar community: a tale of marginalization, poverty, and discrimination
By Shuhab Aryaee* Shams ul-Haq* is a Gujar living in one of the remote villages of Tagab district, Badakhshan province. With his greying hair and
Former female military personnel live in poverty and fear
By Barfin* After completing the twelfth grade, Sanam* got a government job in one of the departments of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior in April 2018.
Latest Narratives
From medical student to janitor: One woman’s story of life under the Taliban
By Lala Shams* Aliya told her story to Zan Times journalist Lala Shams: My name is Aliya* and I am 20 years old. I studied at the Medical University to become a doctor. Now, I work as a janitor in
From medical student to janitor: One woman’s story of life under the Taliban
By Lala Shams* Aliya told her story to Zan Times journalist Lala Shams: My name is Aliya* and I am 20 years old. I studied
The Attack on Kabul University: I Heard the Footsteps of a Death Monster
By Huma* Until 2020, my life was going well, and I was happy. Then, everything changed on Tuesday, November 2. The day was sunny and
I concealed my period stains with mud
By Laila Mandgar* Sabrina told her story to Laila Mandgar: My name is Sabrina*, and I live in the earthquake-stricken district of Zindajan in Herat.
Latest Interviews
The world has forgotten Afghanistan’s LGBTQ+ community: Ali Tawakuli
Ali Tawakuli is a prominent activist for the rights of Afghanistan’s LGBTQ+ community and the founder of Rainbow Afghanistan. Before the resurgence of the Taliban, he lived in Afghanistan, where he used an alias on social media to raise awareness
Zan Times Newsletter
‘I’m fighting for equal rights’: An interview with Mohra Barakzay
For 11 days, Mohra Barakzay was on a hunger strike to get the world to recognize the gender apartheid in Afghanistan. The 22-year-old Swedish-based queer
The Taliban should be brought to trial, not the negotiation table: Rishmin Joyanda
After the return of the Taliban to power, women protested Taliban restrictions on women’s education and employment through demonstrations in Afghanistan and around the world.
‘I wish I was a woman so I could get married or a man so I could work’: an interview with a transgender
The LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan is in crisis. Marginalized under the previous government, it faces humiliation, suppression and outright oppression under the Taliban. Its members
Latest Opinions
The challenges and problems of Afghan refugees in Iran
By Omid Sharafat* Iran has hosted the largest population of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of the country in 1979. Periodically, there have been governmental pressures on the migrants and widespread anti-immigrant sentiments. Following the fall of the Afghan
The LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan is facing persecution under the Taliban
By Paiman Arman* Activists from the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan sent an open letter to the United Nations and international human rights organizations, urging them
The women’s movement in post-republic Afghanistan: Examining role, formation, and success factors
By Mostafa Matin Although the term “women’s movement” has a broader meaning than feminism, it is considered almost equivalent since women’s activism in the last
Herat earthquake: With no legitimate or capable government, we just all take responsibility
By Paiman Arman* Following the deadly earthquake that shook Herat on October 7 and killed more than 2,400 people, a new earthquake followed by two
Latest from Art & Culture
The blue bird (Short story)
By Rayhana Bayani When Hosna Jan slightly raised her head and opened her eyelids, her eyes began to burn as they were filled with dust. She lowered her head and blinked a few times. Then she opened her eyes again.
Muslim scholars urge the Taliban to release God (Political satire)
By Musa Zafar Riyadh: At the conclusion of a two-day conference, Islamic scholars from around the world issued a peculiar plea to the Taliban —
Dusty mirrors: A feminist criticism of Asef Soltanzadeh’s stories
By Rayhana Bayani Feminist criticism, or women-centric critique, is a method of modern literary criticism that aims to protest the portrayal of female characters in
The stolen part of Hell (Political satire)
By Musa Zafar The angels reported that one part of Hell had gone missing. A section of Hell was lost because all the angels were