Farida Ahmadi

Farida Ahmadi (born March 26, 1957 in Kabul) is an Afghan author, speaker, and women's rights activist, residing in Oslo .
In 2008 she published the book Silent Screams, which describes immigrant women's experiences with isolation, exclusion, health issues, and difficulties in securing permanent employment . Ahmadi is a member of The Foreign Commission Federation of Afghan Refugee Organizations of Europe, and is the founder of the organization Global Happiness .
In 1991, Ahmadi came to Norway as a refugee, initially staying at a reception center in Haugesund before settling in Oslo . In 1994, she founded the organization 'Women Against Fundamentalism.' By 2020, she became a board member of the Green Women's Network, which is part of the Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne)
==Jail==
Due to her efforts for human rights and democracy, she has been imprisoned in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
She was imprisoned twice in Afghanistan. The first time, she was arrested as a student during a demonstration against the Soviet occupation . The second time she was arrested in Afghanistan, she was also tortured. Therefore, she participated in the Permanent People's Tribunal at Sorbonne University in Paris on December 16, 1982, to speak about the torture she and other women had endured, as well as about other women's arrests by the occupying forces.
Ahmadi also experienced imprisonment in Pakistan. As the Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan and the democracy movement worked for a freer state, many were killed and arrested. Ahmadi was arrested among several other intellectuals. Amnesty International actively campaigned for Ahmadi's release from prison in Pakistan. Upon her release from prison in Pakistan, she fled to Norway.
==Education==
Ahmadi attended Malalai High School in Kabul, an international school with French-language instruction. Consequently, she is fluent in French and also delivers lectures in French .
In Afghanistan, she pursued medicine, specializing in dentistry, for four years at Kabul University (1978–1982). Her studies were interrupted by the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1982. As a medical student, Ahmadi was involved in healthcare in Afghan districts, primarily focused on work related to women and children.
In Oslo, she pursued a master's degree in social anthropology at the University of Oslo (2006).
== Literary works ==
===Silent Screams (2008)===
Her book Silent Screams: Minority Women's Need for Recognition was written as part of her master's thesis and was published in 2008.Birger Thurn-Paulsen: "Farida Ahmadi about Afghanistan," Gnist no. 2, 2010 In the book, Ahmadi portrays discrimination in the Norwegian welfare society through the lives of immigrant women. She describes their challenges in securing jobs, financial stability, and understanding new political and institutional systems, as well as often experiencing a lack of autonomy within their homes. She also elaborates on issues related to prejudices in public spaces, such as with doctors, in schools, or the media. Ahmadi connects these challenges to women's health problems and perceives Norway as a country with significant class differences.
As a medical student in Afghanistan, Ahmadi often encountered women with health issues that were frequently linked to circumstances affected by war, poverty, religious fundamentalism, and a lack of knowledge and healthcare. Ahmadi describes her surprise upon arriving in Norway in the early '90s at the number of immigrant women exhibiting similar symptoms.
Ahmadi illustrates how these challenges result in health issues for minority women. She believes that multiculturalism acts as a domino effect, creating more pain and suffering. She writes that men "alongside women are caught up in multiculturalism. They experience other pressures such as poverty, unemployment, and lack of belonging. Multiculturalism as a misleading policy is producing a domino effect."
She perceives Norway as a country with class differences but interprets multiculturalism in Norway as an unofficial phenomenon. In the book, she writes, "(M)ulticulturalism is a misunderstood political strategy because it creates an imbalance in the social contract, which is part of the basis of democracy as we know it today." According to Ahmadi, multiculturalism thus creates an imbalance between rights and obligations in society.
Silent Screams was originally written in Bokmål but has since been translated into English, Farsi, and Japanese .
===Boundless Vegetables and Herbs (2012)===
In 2012, Loveleen Rihel Brenna, the leader of Seema As, published the book Boundless Vegetables and Herbs in collaboration with The Norwegian Horticultural Society as a gift for Queen Sonja on her 75th birthday. Farida Ahmadi and many other minority women contributed to the collaboration. The book presents women's knowledge of vegetables and herbs from various nations and how to use them in Norway. Ahmadi's contribution was an article on how food is also a part of culture. She presented the dessert Peace and Justice from Afghanistan and explained how women had fought for Afghan independence through 80 years with this dessert.
===FORTHEEN YEARS WITH “SILENT SCREAMS”===
The book delves into the lives of marginalized immigrant women in Norway, exploring their challenges and experiences within Norwegian institutions. Using pseudonyms to protect identities, the author draws parallels between the struggles faced by these women in Oslo and those in her native Afghanistan. Pain, both physical and social, emerges as a central theme, stemming from societal attitudes toward "non-Western immigrants" and their daily lives. Originally published in 2008, the updated edition addresses multiculturalism's consequences, rights imbalances, and the evolving landscape of pain within minority communities. The author reflects on Norway's strengths while highlighting persistent issues impacting both minorities and the majority population, exploring a globalized "Third World War" of suffering and its polarizing impact on societies. The new chapter, "Let's Rise for Peace and Joy," expands on these ideas, examining the complexities of the war's perception and its manipulation of individuals in distant conflicts.
==Global Happiness==
In 2017, she founded the organization Global Happiness, aimed at contributing to peace and joy on Earth .
==Theater experience==
Amidst the profound performance of Silent ScreamsBirger Thurn-Paulsen: "Farida Ahmadi about Afghanistan," Gnist no. 2, 2010, our hearts united in a moment of silence, honoring the lives lost in the devastating floods that struck Okayama, Hiroshima, and neighboring regions. The poignant portrayal on stage resonated deeply, amplified by the recent tragedies.
==Bibliography==
* 2008: Silent Screams (non-fiction), Pax
Category:People from Kabul
Category:1957 births
Category:Afghan writers
Category:Activists