Women of Courage Ceremony

First lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton present the 2010 International Women of Courage Award to Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi of Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Only good can come from empowering women

By Kathleen Parker
Sunday, March 14, 2010; A19
If your impression of an Afghan woman is of a shapeless, frightened form engulfed in yards of heat-trapping fabric, you haven’t met Shafiqa Quraishi.

Read the entire article here in the Washington Post

A Culture Rich in Tradition

General Mangal, Deputy Minister of Interior for Security, in his office after his fourth star was announced

The Afghan culture is one that is built upon hospitality and tradition.  If you are an invited guest in an Afghan home or office, your host will spare no expense to make you feel welcome, and each meeting starts with chai and some sort of snack ranging from cookies to the golden raisins and pistachios native to the country.  Authors Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Mark’s book Three Cups of Tea recounts the Balti proverb about three cups of tea, whereby when you share the first cup you are a stranger, when you share the second you are a friend and the third, you are family.

More on the inspiring Col Quraishi

Deputy Minister Siddiqi, Brigadier General Ann Macdonald and Col Quraishi cut the cake at the Afghan Women's Day celebration

 Col Quraishi was honored in a special ceremony for International Women’s Day in Afghanistan on 4 March.  Although International Women’s Day isn’t until 10 March, this early ceremony allowed Col Quraishi to attend a ceremony in Washington DC on the 10th, where she will be formally recognized by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while still receiving well-earned accolades for her bravery at home. 

International Women’s Day

Today, March 8th, is International Women’s Day.  International Women’s Day was established in the early 1900s as part of the early women’s rights movements worldwide.  The theme for this, its 99th year, was established by the UN as “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities:  Progress for All” and will be celebrated in an awards ceremony in the United States to honor women of courage worldwide.

Afghan National Police Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi will be in Washington DC as one of ten women worldwide to receive the Secretary of State 2010 International Women of Courage Award. We are honoring her and other courageous Afghan Women on our webpage today.  For more information on Colonel Quraishi’s inspiring story, please visit read the story on the NTM-A/CSTC-A webpage linked below.

Link to:  A Woman of Courage

Link to:  NTM-A Homepage