Bibi Aisha
Encyclopedia
Bibi Aisha is an Afghan
woman whose mutilated face appeared on the cover of Time magazine
in summer 2010. Her story first appeared in the Daily Beast in December of 2009, which prompted doctors to write in offering to help her. The Grossman Burn Foundation in California pledged to perform reconstructive surgery on her and began organizing for her visa in the early spring of 2010. Diane Sawyer of ABC News also covered her ordeal in March of 2010.
Aisha's father promised her to a Taliban fighter when she was 12 years old to satisfy an obligation, in a practice known as baad
. She was married at 14 and abused. At 18, she fled the abuse but was caught. Her father returned her to his in-laws. To discourage kidnapping in the village, they took her into the mountains, cut off her nose and her ears, and left her to die. Some sources dispute the role of any members of the Taliban in her mutilation at the time it happened.
Aisha was featured on a July 2010 cover of Time
magazine and in a corresponding article, Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban. The cover image generated enormous controversy. The image and the accompanying cover title, What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan, fueled debate about the merits of the Afghan War
.
The photo was taken by the South African photographer Jodi Bieber and was awarded the World Press Photo
Award for 2010. The image of Aisha is sometimes compared to the 'Afghan Girl' photograph of Sharbat Gula taken by Steve McCurry
.
Shortly after Times cover ran, Aisha was flown to the United States to receive free reconstructive surgery
.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
woman whose mutilated face appeared on the cover of Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
in summer 2010. Her story first appeared in the Daily Beast in December of 2009, which prompted doctors to write in offering to help her. The Grossman Burn Foundation in California pledged to perform reconstructive surgery on her and began organizing for her visa in the early spring of 2010. Diane Sawyer of ABC News also covered her ordeal in March of 2010.
Aisha's father promised her to a Taliban fighter when she was 12 years old to satisfy an obligation, in a practice known as baad
Baad (practice)
Baad is a traditional practice of settling disputes in Pakistan and Afghanistan among Pushtun tribes in which a young girl is traded to settle a dispute for her older relatives. This may involve being used as payment for a financial dispute, as a means to avoid larger or longer-lasting arguments...
. She was married at 14 and abused. At 18, she fled the abuse but was caught. Her father returned her to his in-laws. To discourage kidnapping in the village, they took her into the mountains, cut off her nose and her ears, and left her to die. Some sources dispute the role of any members of the Taliban in her mutilation at the time it happened.
Aisha was featured on a July 2010 cover of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine and in a corresponding article, Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban. The cover image generated enormous controversy. The image and the accompanying cover title, What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan, fueled debate about the merits of the Afghan War
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
.
The photo was taken by the South African photographer Jodi Bieber and was awarded the World Press Photo
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
Award for 2010. The image of Aisha is sometimes compared to the 'Afghan Girl' photograph of Sharbat Gula taken by Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry is an American photojournalist best known for his photograph, "Afghan Girl" that originally appeared in National Geographic magazine.-Early life:...
.
Shortly after Times cover ran, Aisha was flown to the United States to receive free reconstructive surgery
Reconstructive surgery
Reconstructive surgery is, in its broadest sense, the use of surgery to restore the form and function of the body, although Maxillo-Facial Surgeons, Plastic Surgeons and Otolaryngologists do reconstructive surgery on faces after trauma and to reconstruct the head and neck after cancer.Other...
.
External links
- Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban, the cover story in Time magazine
- JP Foto
- Brutalized Afghan Woman Finds Strength Diane Sawyer ABC News Special on Bibi Aisha
- An Unspeakable Crime, Original Daily Beast Story by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
- Grossman Burn Foundation Bibi Aisha page