:Mahbouba Seraj
{{Short description|Afghan activist humanist feminist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mahbouba Seraj
| image =
| caption =
| native_name = {{nobold|محبوبه سراج}}
| native_name_lang = fa
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1948}}
| birth_place = Kabul, Afghanistan
| occupation = Journalist, Women's rights activist
| known_for = Co-founder of Afghan Women's Network, Creator of radio program "Our Beloved Afghanistan by Mahbouba Seraj"
| notable_works =
| awards = BBC's 100 Women of 2021, Time 100 (2021)
}}
MahboubaAlso spelled as Mahbooba Seraj (Pashto/Persian: محبوبه سراج) is an Afghan journalist and women's right activist.
Early life and career
Born in 1948 in Kabul,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-godmother-of-afghan-womens-rights-stays-to-fight-for-the-future/|title = Godmother of Afghan women's rights stays to fight for the future|newspaper = The Globe and Mail|date = 4 October 2021|last1 = MacKinnon|first1 = Mark}} Seraj attended Malalai High School and later studied at Kabul University.{{Cite web|title=Biography of Mahbouba Seraj|url=https://awsdc.org.af/biography-of-mahbouba-seraj/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Afghan Women Skills Development Center|language=en-US}} In 2022, in an interview with Afghanistan International she claimed that her grandmother was an enslaved Hazara.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=YaxOkBCd9yGSXRGx&v=mXxyV2o4Vpo&feature=youtu.be |title=محبوبه سراج در میدان |date=2022-11-15 |last=Afghanistan International |access-date=2025-03-23 |via=YouTube}}
In 1978, Seraj and her husband were put in prison by the Communist Party of Afghanistan and later that year declared persona non grata.{{Cite web|last=van Lierde|first=Frank|date=2020-01-10|title=Afghan women, frontline defenders of Afghan democracy|url=https://www.cordaid.org/en/news/women-frontline-defenders-afghan-democracy/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Cordaid International|language=en}} She then left for the United States, at least initially New York City,{{Cite magazine|date=2021-02-27|title=Last Exit from Afghanistan|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/08/last-exit-from-afghanistan|access-date=2021-08-23|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-US}} and lived there in exile for some 26 years, before returning to Afghanistan in 2003.{{Cite web|title=Mahbouba Seraj - Contributor|url=https://www.huffpost.com/author/mahbouba-seraj|access-date=2021-08-23|website=www.huffpost.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Akhauri|first=Tanvi|date=2021-08-19|title=Who Is Mahbouba Seraj? One Of The Strongest Afghan Voices For Women's Rights|url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/who-is-mahbouba-seraj-afghanistan-womens-rights-taliban/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=She the People - the Women's channel|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Hilal|first=Elizabeth Weingarten, Leila|title=A Step Forward for Afghan Women?|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/03/a-step-forward-for-afghan-women/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Foreign Policy|language=en-US}} Following her return, she co-founded a number of organizations to address corruption and women and children's rights issues. Most notably as a member of the non-profit Afghan Women's Network, she has dedicated her cause to championing children's health, battling corruption and empowering victims of domestic violence. She is the creator and announcer of a radio program for women by the name of “Our Beloved Afghanistan by Mahbouba Seraj” which has been broadcast all over Afghanistan. She has also advocated for women to be part of the political discourse, through a National Action Plan, promoted by the UN.
When the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Seraj refused to flee the country, deciding to remain in Kabul to continue to work with women and children.{{Cite magazine|title=Mahbouba Seraj: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021|url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096014/mahbouba-seraj/|access-date=2021-10-10|magazine=Time|language=en}}{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Emily Alfin|last2=ElBardicy|first2=Mohamad|last3=Rezvani|first3=Arezou|date=2021-08-17|title=She Is Staying In Afghanistan To Ensure Women's Gains Aren't Lost Under Taliban Rule|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028422817/afghanistan-women-taliban-afghan-womens-network-mahbooba-seraj|access-date=2021-10-10}} In September 2021, she was included in the Time 100, Time{{'}}s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.{{cite web |last1=Taddonio |first1=Patrice |title='I Cannot Protect Her': A Disappearance. An Activist Unable to Help. |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/taliban-afghanistan-womens-rights-mahbouba-seraj/ |website=Frontline |access-date=November 15, 2021 |language=en |date=October 12, 2021}}
She has launched many campaigns both inside and outside Afghanistan to end the hatred of Iranians towards Afghans.https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-godmother-of-afghan-womens-rights-stays-to-fight-for-the-future/
Recognition
She was recognized as one of the BBC’s 100 women of 2021.{{Cite news |date=2021-12-07 |title=BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-59514598 |access-date=2022-12-16}}
The documentary short The Noble Guardian,{{Cite web |date=2023-07-12 |title="Documentary - The Noble Guardian directed by Anna Coren CNN" |url=https://annacoren.com/documentary/ |place=Afghanistan |language=en-US, Pashto, Dari |publication-place=Afghanistan |via=IMDb}} directed by Anna Coren, is about her. At the 2023 LA Shorts International Film Festival, it won best documentary
References and footnotes
= Footnotes =
{{reflist|group=note}}
= References =
{{Reflist}}
{{100 Women by BBC in 2021}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Afghanistan|Journalism|Society}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seraj, Mahbouba}}