My Forbidden Face

This book gives an insight into people's (especially women's) lives under the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is an unbelievable story of man's inhumanity to man; of non-ending terror imposed by ignorant men, brainwashed to carry out the most horrific treatment against their fellow human beings. It is a story of disregard of the lives of a whole race of people by a powerful, murderous group of unthinking, despots motivated to carry out the most grotesque acts by evil but, unfortunately, influential Mullahs.For women, it shows the utter despair for them under a regime where they are regarded as vermin to be raped, mutilated or destroyed.One very harrowing thing about reading this book is coming to terms with a the most tragic, desperate situation imaginable. It is a nighmare without end.

'You're only a woman. You have no right to speak. You have no right to raise your voice. You have no right to take off your burqa. The time when you travelled and walked without a burqa is gone'When we westerners think about Afghanistan, I'm fairly certain many of us think mainly of events that have been in the news in recent years. My own awareness of Afghanistan (or indeed of the Taliban) probably only began after the September 11th attacks on the USA, orchestrated by Al Qaeda, with Taliban backing, an event that resulted in British and American troops being deployed over there. Since then, my knowledge has still pretty much been limited to news reports listing the latest casualties, or speaking of flare ups in remote mountain regions of the country.Reading Latifa's story presents a very different Afghanistan, at least initially. Although not a country that has enjoyed any significant period of peace during Latifass limetime (she was born in 1980) it was actually a country where life, for women, was relatively good. They had the vote, were able to work , wear make up, ride bicycles, and even wear a skirt or trousers if they chose.Latifa was a pretty ordinary teenage girl. She went to school, and had just completed a preliminary entrance exam for a university, where she hoped to study journalism. She liked chilling out with her mixed sex group of friends, listening to music, watching bollywood films, and talking about fashion and makeup.Her parents had married for love, and her father was a relatively comfortably off businessman, whilst her mother also earned a respectsble wage as a doctor. Her sister worked as an air hostess, and the family had two beloved pets, a dog and a canary .All that changed when one morning in 1996 , Latifas cousin Farad knocks on the door. The family have been kept awake all night by the sounds of fighting in Kabul. A look outside reveals that the mosque is now flying a white flag - the symbol of the Taliban, who have overtaken the city, and with it taken the reigns of government. Within minutes, the life of the family has changed - after all, they know from radio reports how the Taliban have behaved in other areas where they have seized power, restricting the freedom of the people, and brutally punishing anyone who goes against their interpretation of the law of Shariah .Indeed, on this first morning of their occupation, two bodies are swinging in the breeze on the main square. Not just any bodies either, but the body of President Najibullah and his brother, dragged forcibly by the Taliban from the UN building. And people who might wish to look away from such a sight are being whipped with thick metal cables and forced to look.The family decide to hole up indoors, stocking up first on batteries for their radio (electricity in Kabul being somewhat unreliable). What they hear on the radio makes it clear very quickly that life, especially for women, is changing drastically. Amongst the new decrees read out on the radio are the following :Girls and women are not allowed to work outside the home.All women who leave their homes must be accompanied by a mahram (a husband or male relative)Women and Girls must wear the burqa.Women and girls are forbidden to wear brightly coloured clothes beneath the burqa.Nail Polish, lipstick, and makeup are forbidden.No male doctor is permitted to touch the body of a woman under the pretext of a consultation.There are many more - banning all manner of things - music, photos, paintings, home movies, but as this book largely centres on the life of women in Afghanistan, I have highlighted these particular ones. Two in particular to note are the one forbidding women from working outside the home, and the one forbidding male doctors to touch women .In one swoop, Latifa's mother and sister are jobless . Especially for he mother as a doctor, it mush have been doubly distressing to know that male doctors were no longer allowed to treat women - essentially leaving Afghani women without any medical care available at all .Latifas mother, despite illness and depression, chose to treat some women in secret in her home - something that was made difficult as she was unable to purchase medical supplies. It was also incredibly distressing - especially when a group of women travelled many miles after being gang raped and suffering genital mutilation at the hands of the taliban.Day to day life wasn't much fun either - Latifa witnessed a group of burqa clad women being harshly beaten in the street . Their crime ? Wearing white trainers. We also hear of women having their fingers cut off, simply for wearing nail varnish.With no school to attend, and no future job prospects, Latifa sinks into misery and illness, until she decided with her friends to set up a secret school to teach children the things the Taliban does not want them to know . This is essentially everything, as the Taliban only taught their won beliefs. Latifa and her friends taught science, poetry, english, history and other subjects in their own homes, with children arriving at random times, and being sure to leave when nobody was about . Latifa and her family friends risked torture and even death in order to do this - but that didn't deter them from travelling in secret to Paris to talk to Elle Magazine about the issues for women in their country - an action that resulted in their home being seized and a fatwa being issued against them.Perhaps the most shocking thing about this tale is the fact that, to an Afghan woman, none of this is probably that shocking at all, but probably just an accepted part of everyday life. The book was published in 2001, just after the September 11 attacks, and so is a little out of date. The Taliban no longer have the power in Kabul, but continue to be powerful in other parts of Afghanistan, so this could still be a simple story of day to day life for many many women.This book is very gripping, and I found it easy to read yet very educating . I had no idea just how much freedom Afghan women had previously had, and just how much that freedom had been eroded in recent years. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone - it is a story that deserves to be heard , and to be listened to. It is not the most confortable read, and some scenes are downright upsetting , but I do think it is an important book.Five Stars

I read this straight after reading a Thousand Splendid Suns - which is truly fantastic - and whilst this is nowhere in the same league in terms of the writing, I did find it helpful in filling in some of the gaps in my knowledge and understanding of the history of Afghanistan, as well as being quite thought provoking. Being a first-hand account, this is more of a testimony to events and as such you cant help but put yourself in the author's shoes, particularly when she describes the enforced transformation from being previously rather westernised and 'free' under the communists to having to wear a burka for the first time. Thought provoking and definitely worth a read if for no other reason than to put a human 'face' on events in Afghanistan and the impact of the Taliban on the girls and women who really aren't much different to you or me.

A story that describes the real struggle of a young girl who has dreams of becoming a journalist under the siege of the Taliban. A heartwarming tale of her bravery and courage despite the odds against her to triumph over the darkness.

This often harrowing book opened my eyes to the plight of women in Afghanistan. It's well worth reading if you have a genuine interest in how women's lives changed when the Taliban took control. Can you imagine how a previously educated girl might cope with a life with no music, no books, no school, no freedom to show even a small part of your face in public? Well done Latifa for finding a way out and for telling it as it really was.

I can only feel immense admiration for the author of this very important book and the women of AfganistanI am shocked to realise the part the British played in the formation of the hateful Taliban.As a British woman,I apologise for this as it has led to so much suffering especially for the women.I will be recommending this book to everyone I know and on Facebook.

This offered a fascinating insight into Afghani culture and politics. It's not a subject I know much about so I can't say for sure if it was accurate and unbiased, but I found it a good introduction to life under the Taliban. It was a bit on the depressing side and a few times I felt close to tears. It would be interesting to read a follow up, to see how life panned out for Latifa after becoming a refugee following attempts to expose the Taliban's treatment of women to the Western media.

It started so very well, really powerful and meaningful and told a hugely important story. I was hooked after the sampe and I bought the whole book. The second half, however, was far too full of flashbacks, flashforwards and family background which did not further the central story, which is about Taliban Afghanistan. Despite the publication date of 2008, there is absolutely no opinion on the conflicts since, which I found odd.

great book. the book gets right into "action", and starts when the taliban took over Afghanistan. Latifa is such a strong character. the book talks about her and her family and friends and Afghanistan's strugle during the taliban period. a great read. i would have liked to know more of what Latifa was thinking and feeling. however apart from that. excellent.

Ich habe dieses Buch vor Jahren für meine Fachbereichsarbeit (im Gymnasium) bestellt. Guter Schreibstil, berührende und aufwühlende Geschichte!Wer kein Sachbuch lesen und trotzdem über die Geschehnisse der Welt informiert sein möchte, für den ist dieses Buch genau richtig.

Everyone who is interested in humanity,and freedom that we take for granted in Australia,and the western countries,thank you again.sandra joy

When reading this book I was hoping for a detailed personal account of a woman under Taliban rule, and in a way that is what this book delivered. This book does share some small personal accounts of life under the Taliban, of the atrocities committed by Talib soldiers, and of the repression of women and of freedom itself.However, due to what I can only assume was poor editing, the story is very jumbled. It reads as a string of consciousness which was recounted to an interviewer who was probing for information for the story, rather than a finished book. I thought this might be in order to get a current release in 2001 following Taliban attacks on America, but when I saw the publication date was 2008, I have no explanation. I believe this book would be five stars if it was edited into chronological order of the girl's life events and if it was proof-read a few more times. There are many homonyms which are confusing and I assume the result of a language barrier, dropped letters in spelling the same word twice in one paragraph, etc. I think a good editor could easily fix these problems.I did learn a lot while reading this book, but it was usually by looking up terms I didn't understand on wikipedia and learning more there. I must credit the book for sparking my interest in the struggles of the Afghani people and learning more about the general civil war going on in Afghanistan itself, fueled by many foreign influences who seem to have little understanding of the situation.Bottom line: I'd recommend it to a friend, but not before recommending a book like Infidel, which is a chronological account of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, born between three governments in Somalia, her life, and the global events taking place around it. Although this is a book taking place in a different region, I believe it shares many of the same themes regarding the repression of women, the perversion of religious government, and the difficulties of a refugee when their nation is destroyed.

This book was choppy to understand at times but well written for someone whose first language is not English. This book should be seen as a historical account of Afghanistan’s relationship with Russia (which most Americans are not aware of). It was fascinating to learn of the freedoms women had before the Taliban took control. As an ignorant, disconnected American, I thought women had always been harshly restricted in their dress, life, etc. but to learn that they knew what freedom felt like and then have to become so isolated and stripped of everyday freedoms would be maddening. I am anxious to get on the internet and try to find out how this young lady and her family are doing now. The book climaxed and then ended rather abruptly but it’s real life and not a fictional story. Definitely worth reading especially out of respect for what women have suffered through in Afghanistan.

Home became prison for women when the Taliban arrived. And I don't think Taliban rule was a picnic for most men either. "Latifah" did a great job of describing the deep depression of women whose lives suddenly became worth nothing with no hope and no dreams allowed.This book was mentioned in a reader review of the book "A Thousand Splendid Suns". A reviewer implied that that the author plagiarized "Latifah's" book. I was curious so I bought "My Forbidden Face". I see no signs of any plagiarism at all. Can't imagine what the reviewer was thinking.Another reviewer of "My Forbidden Face" wanted to know the reasoning behind the Taliban rules so that she could understand better. The Taliban wanted to demoralize and subjugate the people for complete control. That was the reason behind every crazy pronouncement.I have to agree that the editing was poor and the timelines confusing. I had to re-read some portions of the book because I thought I missed segments. Turns out I didn't miss anything--what I was looking for wasn't there.Definitely worth reading for the young woman's account of what life was like in Afghanistan during that time period. Scary and heartbreaking.

This book was purchased for a class assignment. Politically, it is beyond what my 14 year old has known and understood at this point. In my opinion, it may have been written from a teenager's point of view, but with adult knowledge thrown in at a later date regarding the war and who was where and at what battlefront. A teenager, the baby of the family, concerned with fingernail polish and dresses will not be concerned with the cold, hard details of war.

My daughter had to read this for her schoolwork. She then asked me to buy her a copy to keep as she really enjoyed the book.

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It was alright, interesting in some areas, dragged in others. One thing that did bother me was that it was never clear when a flashback started which made it much harder to follow.

I teach a class on Women of Islam. I recently taught a class to a teen group and I used Latifa's story - reading from her own words. I told the kids to put themselves in her place and think about how her life changed overnight. I asked them to think about how they would handle that change. It stirred up a very lively discussion. Everyone should read this book to understand what women in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries deal with everyday. I pray that our military will be able to free these women and empower them to change. My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story their world. My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story

Facts that I wanted to know....and I'm sure others as well. We need to learn about the real Islam, from one who is going through it. Not the Islam that is the touted to us by the media.

The first half of this book I was really intrigued, but as it went on the storyline kinda drifted off and I wasn't sure of the plot of it.

Eye opening. So glad I was born in the USA.

Very happy !