For almost the past 2 weeks I have endured verbal violence from white women on social media. Whether it is tone policing, centering, spiritual bypassing, &/or white savior complex

I am seeing white women use the burqa, use our clothing, use our jewelry, use our pain - always for their own agenda

When these women are called out for their behaviors - they resort to verbal violence

For the past 2 weeks I have missed Afghanistan so deeply. I watch Ahmad Zahir videos and can’t help but burst into tears. I read Afghan poetry and literally crumble emotionally

I want to access my culture. My mother is older. My sisters children cannot speak our languages. Afghanistan is in shambles. I am watching my existence fade.

I am forgetting both Farsi and Pashto. I hear myself stutter when speaking to my parents.

The pain of being disconnected from wataan is so deep. And then to deal with white women attacking me online for voicing this frustration- I can’t express the anger.

But growing up u made me answer for the Taliban, for al Qaeda, for groups your governments helped to form. And now u have the audacity to steal my existence and chastise me for asking you to make it more accessible to me and my people

My body is here - my heart is always in Afghanistan. How could you ruin something so precious? We crawl to your shores and you stab us in our backs.

I am so tired of being angry all the time. I am tired of being defensive. I am tired of being distrustful. I am tired of telling you how to do better.

As tired as I am I remember my grandmother’s feet & how many steps she took. So I will always be relentless and I will always be a thorn in your side. I might be tired but I am never defeated because that is what Afghan women are made of

You may drop drones physically and you may steal culturally but we are Phoenixes - we will always collect the ashes you have left and rebuild. Keep trying to silence me and my sisters but u are just making us stronger.