 Dr. Sakena Yacoobi
An Interview with Sakena Yacoobi
In the face of great personal risk, Dr. Sakena Yacoobi founded the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) in 1995, eventually establishing 80 underground schools and educating 3,000 women and girls, defying Taliban rule. Today, AIL educates over 350,000 women and children every year and has reached over one million people. Click here to read the interview in its entirety.
CPWR: Tell us about your work with the Afghan Institute of Learning.
S. Yacoobi: I was in the U.S. completing my education when Russia invaded my country. I did not know if my family was alive or dead. I was very worried, so as soon as I completed my education, I returned home to find my country completely destroyed read more...
CPWR: What sort of education does Afghan Institute of Learning provide?
S. Yacoobi: The best way to provide education is to provide teacher training, because if you have a good teacher, you keep students engaged. But if you don’t have a good teacher, especially for students who are traumatized, students who are just in the refugee camp, students who don’t have shelter, they will not stay in school read more...
 CPWR: Twenty years ago you came to realize your unique role in the empowerment of women and girls in Afghanistan. How did you go about establishing the underground schools? How did you recruit the potential teachers for the teacher training?
S. Yacoobi: During the Russian system of education, the Taliban didn’t support education. It was forbidden to provide education for women. I visited the refugee camp and I tried to convince a mullah to be a teacher and, of course, he thought I was crazy. I told him, “No, I will train you.” read more...
CPWR: You sound optimistic about the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
S. Yacoobi: Absolutely. It is important for people to understand that education is a human right. Every individual has the right to education. Before they didn’t understand; they didn’t understand that Islam gives this opportunity, that Islam provides gender equality. It provides a principle for democracy read more...
CPWR: Would you say that your work has become easier since the Taliban lost power?
S. Yacoobi: Yes, it has become much easier, because we did not have to be underground – we didn’t have to be hiding. Our main problem is lack of security. We are now allowed to do the work, but women are scared to travel, women are scared be by themselves. Nothing compares to the time of the Taliban read more...
CPWR: Your country has been making headlines recently. Over $1 trillion in natural resources were discovered and reports say Afghanistan may be one of the most important mining centers in the world. How do you think this will affect Afghanistan’s future?
S. Yacoobi: Well, to tell you the truth, the people of Afghanistan always knew that Afghanistan has lots of natural resources. They knew because so many people are trying to get into Afghanistan. Always somebody comes and raids us, one after another, and we knew that something must be special about this country read more...
CPWR: Do you think the discovery of these natural resources will or can help strengthen your cause?
S. Yacoobi: It should go to education because if this goes to the right area, Afghanistan society will benefit. Education is the key issue for infrastructure. If this resource is being spent in the right place, we can educate society; society that is well educated will have good lawyers, good doctors, good scientists, and good teachers read more...
Click here to read the interview in its entirety.
Council Updates
- Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director, recently visited Brussels, Belgium and will visit Dallas, Texas and Guadalajara, Mexico in the coming month to engage religious communities and city officials around their city's bids to hold the 2014 Parliament.
- Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, Chair of the Board of Trustees, gave the keynote address at the conference, “So That You May Know One Another: A Christian-Muslim-Jewish Encounter, Istanbul 2010” hosted by the Council for Christians and Jews.
- Rev. William Lesher, Chair Emeritus, had meetings in Asia on behalf of the Council with Mr. Terasaki, Executive Director of the Soka Gakkai International Office of Peace Affairs in Japan and Dr. Tong, President of the Confucian Academy in Hong Kong.
- Zabrina Santiago, Deputy Director, will be attending the Council on Foreign Relation’s "Religion and Foreign Policy" Summer Workshop. CFR serves as a resource for religious and congregational leaders, scholars, and thinkers whose perspectives inform the national foreign policy debate. Council Trustee, John T. Pawlikowski will also be in attendance.
- Alisa Roadcup, Communications Director, was recently selected for participation in the Emerging Leaders of Chicago program sponsored by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) and will also be presenting at the upcoming North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) conference made possible by the NAIN Youth Scholars award.
- CPWR is proud to welcome Beatitudes Society Summer Fellow Emily M. Rostkowski. Emily recently graduated in May with an MA in theology from Chicago Theological Union and will pursue an MSFS in international development at Georgetown University this fall. Learn more about the Beatitudes Society.
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