Travel influencer Marian Abdi, famously known as Geenyada Madow, is receiving criticism following her recent visit to Afghanistan. This Somali American influencer has been called out for posting insensitive posts with regards to the country, most notably at a time when a woman has been sentenced to death by stoning and women are being denied their rights under the Taliban rule.
Pinterest, Instagram Abdi on August 13 shared this message on her Instagram account: “Dream come true. I am in Afghanistan.” She shared a photo with a banner saying “I heart Afghanistan” and mentioned that she would share her experiences and the resultant insight about the local culture, people, and food.
The criticism mounted when Abdi posted a picture on X, where she was smiling and surrounded by Taliban wielding AK-47s. This has raised questions among other Afghan women and activists as to whether Abdi had mentioned the Taliban’s significantly harsh restrictions and punishments imposed on women, including stoning and deprivation of education.
Met with the Tali*an 🇦🇫 #Afghanistan #afghan #kabul #travel #explore #viral #viral2024 pic.twitter.com/EidJwZ0y0y
— Geenyada Madow (@GeenyadaM) August 18, 2024
Human rights activist Niloofar Naeimi lashed out at Abdi, “When Afghan girls and women are kept away from their most basic rights, it is of a great concern and unacceptable to see the likes of Geenyada Madow, who have gone to Afghanistan and advocate for Taliban.
Former leader of Women Movement Nilofar Ayoubi also attacked Abdi: “An Afghan woman is sentenced to die by stoning and this lady Miss Madow is stanning Taliban.”
In a YouTube video, Abdi revealed she was “super nervous” facing Taliban fighters and added she was not allowed to record the conversation. She says she asked about the banning of education for Afghan girls beyond the sixth grade, and the response, she noted, was varied, before one fighter said, “We’re a new country.new government and things will change.everything takes time.”
Defending her photo with the Taliban, Abdi wrote on X: “I asked for a photo, and I did take a photo with them, and I posted it on Twitter, and it’s just outrage-people are going crazy, [saying] ‘Shame on you, you’re against women’s rights, women’s education, women’s jobs’.”.
She followed up: “‘That’s not the case— this photo was just to simply say this is my experience, this is what I saw, this is how they treated me. I am for all women’s rights and I would love to see one day women getting educations and working and everything, and I do understand my privileges, you know, but please don’t take everything out of context.'”
Since they recaptured power in 2021, the Taliban have been imposing extreme limits on Afghan women, preventing them from visiting public places, schools, and jobs, in addition to enforcing stern punishments like stoning to death for adultery.
