Shukria Barakzai

Shukria Barakzai
Shukria Barakzai in March 2011
Born	1972 (age 44–45) Kabul, Afghanistan
Nationality	Afghan
Occupation	Politician,
Known for	Elected to Wolesi Jirga in 2005

Shukria Barakzai is an Afghan politician, journalist and a prominent Muslim feminist.

She was born in 1970 in Kabul, Afghanistan. "Barakzai" is a common name among the Pashtun, one of the country's main ethnic groups, and was shared by its rulers from the 1830s until the overthrow of the last king, She speaks both of Afghanistan's official languages, Pashto and Dari, as well as English. Her paternal grandfather was a chef while her maternal grandfather was a senator during the times of King Zahir Khan.

Barakzai went to Kabul University in the 1990s. Halfway through a degree, she had to break off her studies because of mounting violence between the government and the Mujahideen. In September 1996 the Taliban captured Kabul. By then, many citizens, especially the educated middle classes, had left for a life in exile, and she moved to Peshawar, Pakistan as well. She spent most of her time in Pakistan during the 90's, contrary to the claims she makes on International media.

Following the fall of the Taliban regime, Barakzai capitalized on the opportunity and in 2002 Barakzai founded Aina-E-Zan (Women’s Mirror), a national weekly newspaper. She campaigns on issues such as maternal and infant mortality, areas in which Afghanistan has great difficulty. (The World Health Organization (WHO) calculated that Afghanistan in 2003 had the world's highest proportion of women dying in childbirth (Maternal Mortality Ratio) at 1900 per 100 000 live births.) Barakzai states, "Child marriage, forced marriage, and violence against women are still common and accepted practices." She focuses on large issues, saying, "in my opinion the burka is not that important. What is important is education, democracy and freedom." She stresses unity among women as well as the role that men have to play.