MEET FRIBA REZAYEE

I’m very lucky to be born in a very modern Afghan family. I was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. We are hazara, an ethnic minority. I was born a very hard-headed rebellious child. I had ideas on how to fight for my rights and how to have equal rights among my brothers and among other boys. I’ve always been interested in sports and wanted to see equal opportunity for girls. Growing up and seeing the injustice of how women are treated, that part of me made me a big women’s rights fighter.

My love for Judo goes back to 2000 when Muhammed Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali, was fighting in the championships. We were refugees in Pakistan at the time. I was watching her match and I was very young at that time. I told my entire family that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to start boxing. I was the only girl in the country boxing. People would send threats to my family, telling my parents that they shouldn’t send their daughters into sports. They said I was a bad example and a bad role model for other girls–that I could mislead and corrupt other Muslim girls. But, I persevered. In 2004, I became the first Afghan girl in any sport to participate in the Olympics. For me it’s important that women are empowered and can choose their careers and choose what they would like to make out of their lives. I want others to have the opportunity to choose and not be forced by their families or cultures. My advocacy for Afghan women's rights to education continues.