Blog #4 The Story of Bibi Aisha, Taliban Victim, and Cover of Time Magazine

Amani Wright
2/12/11
3.40pm

The now popular photograph of Bibi Aisha on the August 1^st cover of Time is not just an award winner, but an eye opener.

Bibi Aisha’s father was fulfilling an obligation by promising her to a Taliban member. After Aisha was married (at 14 years old), abuse, neglect, and overall poor treatment began. As a reaction, she fled, only to be brought back to the abuse by her father, who had been falsely promised that the abuse would cease.

When she returned, Aisha’s husband and his brother escorted her to the mountains, where they cut off her nose and ears, and left her to die. She did not die, she only passed out, she recalled. She made it to her grandfather’s house, where he and her father had her treated at an American hospital close by.

Now in America, Aisha felt she needed to tell her story to open the eyes of people who are not aware of such atrocities.

British Sociologist, Peter Berger, and U.S. theologian, Harvey Cox, predicted in the mid 60s that as societies became diverse and modernized, the “sacred canopy” of religion would fall away, causing people to be more secular (Sernau, 215). They were correct.

The result: fundamentalism. Religious people and leaders share ideas similar to (though not always as intense as) those of Ayatollah Khomeini, who feels the west is dominating and tempting faithful people (Sernau, 215). Many religious extremist have taken to violence and fear factor to keep the world the sacred, holy, and conservative place they feel it needs to remain.

Bibi Aisha, Disfigured Afghan Woman Featured On 'Time' Cover, Visits U.S.