INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Afghan women&s rights activists opened a library in Kabul on Wednesday, hoping to provide an oasis for women.Since taking over Afghanistan a
year ago, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) have said women should not leave the home without a male relative and must cover their
faces, though some women in urban centers ignore the rule.We have opened the library with two purposes: one, for those girls who cannot go
to school and second, for those women who lost their jobs and have nothing to do,& said Zhulia Parsi, one of the library&s founders.An IEA
spokesman did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.The library&s more than 1,000 books includes novels and picture books
as well as non-fiction titles on politics, economics and science
The books were mostly donated by teachers, poets and authors to the Crystal Bayat Foundation, an Afghan women&s rights organization which
helped set up the library.Several women&s activists who have taken part in protests in recent months also helped establish the library in a
rented shop in a mall that has a number of stores catering to women.The post Afghan women open library to counter growing isolation first
