I set up a free school for Afghan girls – and the Taliban blindfolded me and broke my nose and jaw

After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Basir Arian established an online English study program for girls who were banned from attending school. In May 2022, he received a call from an unfamiliar local number ordering him to come to the Taliban intelligence directorate in Herat within 20 minutes, bringing his phone.

At the directorate, Arian was searched and taken to a courtyard filled with armed Taliban fighters. After waiting for hours, a tall, young Taliban official blindfolded him, led him to a basement room, tied his hands, and beat him with a rifle butt until he lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he was in a dirty cell with a broken finger, severely beaten upper body, and broken nose and jaw.

Background and Motivation

Born in 1997 in rural Afghanistan, Arian's father, a tailor with limited education, instilled in him a belief in education despite their poverty. Arian excelled in school, becoming the first person from his area to attend Herat University's engineering faculty. After graduating in 2017, he witnessed a suicide bombing in Kabul that deeply affected him.

In 2019, Arian was elected as a youth representative to the Loya Jirga, Afghanistan's traditional assembly. By 2020, as the US withdrew troops and the country approached collapse, he began studying urban planning in Iran. When the Taliban took control in August 2021, he was visiting Afghanistan and felt abandoned by the world.

Establishing the School

After seeing his sister cry when she was barred from secondary school, Arian contacted an American teacher on LinkedIn to create a free online English school. He registered hundreds of Afghan girls as students while the American recruited 23 volunteer teachers worldwide. Classes were sometimes held in the middle of night due to time zone differences.

During a May 2022 visit to Afghanistan to renew his visa, Arian received the call that led to his abduction. After being beaten and held overnight, he was forced to sign a statement apologizing for his activities and warned not to speak about the incident. He was released and taken to the hospital where X-rays revealed his nose was broken in four places and his jaw was broken.

Aftermath and Recovery

Arian underwent surgeries to repair his jaw and nose before returning to Iran. He attempted to continue the online school with a volunteer but stopped new recruitment due to his mental devastation. 'It was just not fair. I couldn't forgive them,' he said. After about a month, he returned to the gym, which helped him recover, and eventually finished his dissertation and graduated.

Despite the violence and threats, Arian remains determined to continue his educational work for Afghan girls, though he now operates with extreme caution. His story highlights the ongoing struggle for women's education rights under Taliban rule and the personal risks taken by those who defy the regime.