An eighteen-year-old girl from Afghanistan is being threatened with physical violence and only because she dreams of performing at the Olympic Games, reports Alexander Brius, a sports observer for the MIR 24 TV channel.
Her only fault is that she is dancing break dance. For Afghan girls, doing any kind of sport can bring big trouble anyway, and then in the company of men and without a burqa.
Manizha is in 11th grade and every day after school rushes to break dance classes. She came to dance school only two and a half months ago and was then the only girl. Later her friends followed her advice. You have to train with the guys, and local laws do not welcome this.
“I often hear bad things about myself. People say that we are Muslims and dancing in Afghanistan is a sin. Some even threaten me. They promise they'll cut me to pieces someday. I'm scared, but I don't want to give up,”said Manizha Talash.
Manija is the first girl in Afghanistan to study break dance. Her dream is to compete in the Olympic Games. She is confident that she will be able to represent her country with dignity. If only at home she was not criticized, but encouraged.
While the Taliban ruled in Afghanistan, women were generally prohibited from playing sports. After the overthrow of the regime, the situation has changed somewhat, but the majority of the male population lives with old stereotypes.
In many families, women's sports are openly criticized. It happens that parents simply forbid their daughters to go to training. If the husband let his wife go to the gym, then, as a rule, he started having problems at work.
“This is really a problem. You can't even imagine what we hear from men every day on our way here. Many are even afraid to go out, but we are trying to change the situation,”said fencer Argavan Alizade.
Gender equality in Afghanistan is still akin to fantasy. If a woman disobeys a man and, for example, continues to play sports, then she will face severe punishment - usually physical. This is extra heavy housework. And it happened that they committed lynching.
