For Shahira Mohseni cycling is a feminist issue, an issue of opportunity, education and a fundamental human right. These are her words.

I was born and brought up in Kabul, Afghanistan, the country that has been in the news headlines for many decades. I was born during the civil war in Kabul city, where rockets and bomb explosions shook the ground every day. My parents hid in the basement to avoid being killed or taken by the warlords. Thousands of Afghans were killed, and millions fled the country and became refugees.

After the fall of the Mujahideen, the Taliban, a group of Islamic fundamentalists, took over the country and ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until being toppled by US forces in late 2001. I was a little girl during that time. The Taliban banned education for girls. Women had no rights, they weren’t allowed to go to school or university, work or even leave home without a male companion, and they had to wear a burqa. Girls faced many challenges starting from child marriages to lashings and being beaten by the Taliban. Music, entertainment, singing, playing musical instruments, photography and movies were prohibited during these dark years. 

I will never forget the day that my younger brother started school during the Taliban regime and my mum told me that the Taliban had forbidden me from going to school. I was crying and, as an innocent child, didn’t know why I was banned from school. Fortunately, I had the opportunity of having literate parents who taught me how to read and write at home. Today, with a degree in literature from Kabul University and a Masters in Business (with distinction) from Wollongong University, I have accomplished things that were never possible for me while living in Afghanistan.

My parents taught me the value of education and equality for women, even in the hardest of circumstances. When I grew up, I learned that women in my country had suffered the most during different regimes, from not having an education to getting married at a very young age. With the support and guidance of my parents, I wanted to bring change, support girls to have education, to know their rights. Before moving to Australia to continue my education, I volunteered and worked on several projects that supported women including mentoring young women and girls at the Afghanistan Youth House. In Australia I volunteered in the SCARF and Healthy Cities Active Connections program to promote safe and inclusive exercise spaces for women including delivering cultural capacity training to Beaton Park staff to help them understand the importance of creating inclusive spaces for women. I published articles to shed light on the treatment of Afghan women using my voice to advocate for others and show leadership in my community, helping others understand these issues and encouraging them to advocate for women alongside myself.

Being born and brought up in Afghanistan, like many other women in Afghanistan and the Middle East, I never had the freedom to look after my mental or physical health. Every kind of physical activity such as bike riding, running, walking, jogging is taboo for girls and women. They are actively discouraged from participating in sport by misinformation about negative consequences on their bodies as well as fear of judgement and public criticism.

There are many fancy fitness gyms, swimming pools, and stadiums for boys to play all different kinds of sports but not for girls. My brothers had the opportunity to play sports in school, ride their bike and go to gym but I never had that opportunity to play any sport or go to gym. 

After coming to Australia in 2019 I found out about the Active Connections program through SCARF.  I tried yoga and body balance for the first time. 

I also learnt to ride a bike for the first time. Learning to ride a bike was on my ‘bucket list’ as it was one of the activities that I was forbidden from doing in Afghanistan. It’s hard to describe the elation I felt when I learnt to ride. Feeling the wind on my face and in my hair made me feel light and free as a bird! There is no one to judge me or tell me that it’s shameful to ride. I have so much fun!

I have my own bike now and ride it on the weekends with a friend. I still need to become more confident, but I want to tell my story to encourage other young girls and women like me not to be afraid. Go and learn to play sport, ride a bike or any activity you please. It’s healthy, it is not forbidden and it will make your body, mind and spirit stronger.