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Student, College President Discuss Program to Bring Afghan Students to U.S. to Study

Aired August 27, 2002 - 13:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: What a difference a year has made for Afghan women interested in learning. Under the Taliban, education for women was forbidden. Many of them studied in secrecy and fear. But that's all changing now.
Joining us now from Providence, Rhode Island, Mahbuba Babrakzai, an Afghan scholarship student at Roger Williams University, and the university's president, Dr. Roy Nirschel. He is also with us.

Thank you both for being with us.

ROY NIRSCHEL, PRESIDENT, ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

MAHBUBA BABRAKZAI, STUDENT: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Mahbuba, I hope I'm saying your name properly.

BABRAKZAI: OK, very good.

Do me a favor and take me back to when you were in Afghanistan -- actually, you still live there, but you are here going to school. Tell me what it was like it learn. How did you learn? How did you read?

BABRAKZAI: At first, when the Taliban came, I was in sixth (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of my school. And then when they came, they closed the doors of schools and also they had lots of crisis there in Afghanistan. So we went to Pakistan for study there. And because I was the oldest child of my family, they wanted me to become something and do something for my country, and so they moved to Pakistan. And there I was studying. And finally, I finished this year my school.

PHILLIPS: Wow! Your English is fantastic too.

Was there ever a point that you became very angry at your country or very angry at the Taliban rule for not having a chance to learn like the men could learn?

BABRAKZAI: Yes. There was not only -- they didn't stop just women to study, but also they were not, unfortunately for men also, there were not enough materials in school and also universities, so they couldn't study also. And this was not limited just for woman, but they couldn't study. And for men also.

PHILLIPS: So now that the war on terrorism has taken place and U.S. soldiers brought down the Taliban, how do you feel about that and how do you feel about this opportunity that you are having in the United States?

BABRAKZAI: I feel very much good this year. And also in Afghanistan, all of the people are very much happy, and they get safety with the soldiers, international soldiers, there. And I feel very much good in here. We have really good hospitalities. And I'm feeling well.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Nirschel, you must be so proud. Why don't you tell me how your university got involved and how did you decide what students would come on these scholarships.

NIRSCHEL: Actually, the idea was my wife's. And the reason she is not here is right now she is bringing one young woman to Ohio, to Notre Dame College in Ohio, and another young woman to the University of Montana. We read about the women of Afghanistan shrouded in the burka and denied basic human rights, including the rights of education.

My wife, in November, made acquaintance in Providence, (UNINTELLIGIBLE); they became fast friends. My wife asked what we as a university could do in a small way it help the women or a woman of Afghanistan. So we began a program. There was a search, a highly competitive search, for women who really wanted to learn. And we have not only one, we have two young women, including Mahbuba, who have enrolled at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. And we're so delighted that four other universities actually have taken our challenge and they are providing full scholarships to young women as well.

They all arrived on Saturday. We picked them up at JFK. We brought them to Roger Williams in Rhode Island. And they are off to a terrific start as freshman at American universities.

PHILLIPS: So Dr. Nirschel, what do you expect from these students, especially Mahbuba?

NIRSCHEL: She told me that she is going to pursue computer science in our school of engineering, which I am very excited about. I think she and the other young women will be a role model to our students. They have struggled to learn under the worst possible conditions, and they are going to be role model for other students here. I think our students here are going to learn an awful lot about Afghanistan, Islam, and these young women are going to learn from our students as well. We hope that they all go back to Afghanistan and help in the rebuilding of that society.

This is an investment by all of the universities involved, including Roger Williams, but it is money well spent. And we hope that other universities heed our call, take the challenge that my wife, Paula Nirschel, has issued and support our State Department now and others and that next year we not only have six, but we have 60 young women and young men from Afghanistan learning in the United States and to rebuild their society.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Roy Nirschel, thank you so much.

And Mahbuba, before we let you go, what do you say you go back to Afghanistan and run for president? Can we count on you?

BABRAKZAI: Excuse me?

PHILLIPS: Are you ready to go back to Afghanistan and run for president.

BABRAKZAI: Yes, why not. I want to go to Afghanistan as soon as I could do something for my poor people and for my poor Afghanistan, which is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right now.

PHILLIPS: We salute you. We definitely salute you, both of you. Thank you so much.

NIRSCHEL: Thank you so much.

BABRAKZAI: Thank you.

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