Afghan woman granted refugee status in Canada
By Misbah Karim | Sun, 01/25/2009 - 23:15
The first mistake that Masoda Younasy made was that she was not willing to obey the strict rules of conduct governing women in Afghanistan.
The first mistake that Masoda Younasy made was that she was not willing to obey the strict rules of conduct governing women in Afghanistan.
The second mistake that she made was that she was willing to speak in a fearless manner regarding her disregard for customs that make many Afghan women the chattel for their husbands and fathers.
The mistakes were enough and Ms. Younasy was forced to run away from the country where, decades ago, her grandfather ruled as king. On Friday, she arrived in Toronto from Islamabad after getting an outstanding three year permit to live and work in Canada.
Federal Immigration Minster Jason Kenney signed the papers while he was on a trip to Pakistan and India. Notably, this is the first time the conservatives have extended this kind of protection to someone outside the country ever since they took charge of the office in 2006.
Mr. Kenney said that Ms. Younasy semmed like the future of a democratic Afghanistan and the case simply seemed an extraordinary one.
Kenney said that they are not in a position to do such things on a frequent basis, but said that she was definitely one whose life was in peril if she continued living in that country. Kenney is still optimistic of her chances of returning home and said that he hopes that someday she might be able to return a more peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
22-year old Younasy has established her own construction company in Kandahar and an has also established an agency that enables people to understand and use computers. She has also set up a clinic for drug addicts who are increasing in number at a very rapid pace.
Last august, she mulled over that fact that she would one day like to be the spearhead of the presidency of Afghanistan. In the interview, she described the threats on her life that were made by the Taliban as well as her own uncle who, according to her statements, was enraged by her work and her out of the box behavior.
However, at that time the immediate danger seemed to have decline, but it again became a matter of concern with a vengeance last year. At that point, her ambitions for presidency were reprinted in a newspaper published by the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the publication was made available online in both the local languages of Afghanistan.
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