Dr. Aafia Siddiqui: The true Story of a Persecuted Muslim Woman
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is a Pakistani neurologist and neuroscientist, who is known internationally. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was born on March 2, 1972 in Karachi, Pakistan, into an educated and respected Muslim family. Dr. Aafia's father, Dr. Mehmood Siddiqui, was an army officer and doctor. Dr. Aafia was the third of five siblings.
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's Education and Career
She was a very talented student. After completing high school, she went to the United States for higher education. She completed her graduation in Biology and Neuroscience from the world's leading institution MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). She then obtained a PhD in Neuroscience from Brandeis University. Dr. Aafia was an important researcher in cognitive neuroscience. She also obtained certificates in various subjects. It is known that she was also a Quran reciter.
In early 1999, she served as an instructor in the General Biology Laboratory course at Brandeis University, which suggests that she was involved in teaching in addition to her PhD research and studies. In the same year, she started a charitable organization in Boston, the “Institute of Islamic Research and Teaching”. She served as its President. Later, after her return to Pakistan, there is also evidence of her working at the Aga Khan University. Although the details of her contributions or tenure are not available, there is information about her involvement in the institution.
Dr. Afia Siddiqui Married Life
In 1995, she married Pakistani-American citizen Amjad Mohammad Khan. However, their married life was not happy. Her husband was violent and mentally abusive. In 2002, Afia returned to Pakistan with her three children. During this time, her father Muhammad Saleh Siddiqui died of a heart attack. An eyewitness claimed that Amjad Khan pushed Afia's father, causing him to fall and have a heart attack. A few days later, Afia divorced Amjad Khan. They have three children—two sons and a daughter.
Dr. Afia Siddiqui's life in prison
In 2003, Dr. Afia and her three children suddenly disappeared from Karachi. It was later learned that she was secretly kidnapped and taken to Afghanistan with the help of the US intelligence agency CIA and Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI. She was not found for about five years.
In 2008, she was arrested from Bagram Base in Afghanistan and taken to the United States on charges of 'involvement in terrorism'. It was alleged that she had fired at US soldiers while in captivity, but no soldiers were injured—instead, Afia was shot. She was sentenced to 86 years in prison without a full trial in a legitimate court.
She is still in prison in the United States today. One of her sons and daughter returned to Pakistan after many years in search of their mother, while the whereabouts of the other child remained unknown for a long time.
Afia Siddiqui is now a symbol of persecuted Muslim women worldwide. Her release is not only a demand of Pakistan, but of all humanity.
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