Khadija Haidary’s letters reach readers in ChinaCEFR A2
28 Mar 2026
Adapted from Lina Ma, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Kuzzat Altay, Unsplash
A month-long email exchange by Khadija Haidary was translated and published on a medium-sized WeChat account in October 2024. The messages drew attention to social changes after the Taliban recaptured Kabul in 2021.
Haidary later collected the emails in a book called “A Letter from an Afghan Woman.” She described how women lost basic rights between 2021 and 2024, for example being forced out of work and barred from schools. A Chinese journalist contacted her in September 2024, and by early October 2024 she and her family had moved to Pakistan.
The book was published in August 2025 and many readers in China shared and supported her story online.
Difficult words
- translate — change words from one language to anothertranslated
- recapture — take control again of a placerecaptured
- collect — gather things together in one placecollected
- publish — make a text available to the publicpublished
- journalist — person who reports news for media
- right — legal or moral freedom or powerrights
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think readers in China shared and supported her story online?
- How would you feel if you could not go to work or school?
- Have you ever read a translated personal story online?
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