My wish for Aisha and Leyla

I've been following the debate recently surrounding the two young supposedly Norwegian women Aisha Shezadi and Leyla Hasic. Aisha has worn the niqab for a while and Leyla has taken it up very recently, apparently after being picked on for wearing the hijab. I could say a lot about both of them - about Aisha traveling around on what is basically tax money lecturing school kids about her decision to segregate herself from normal society, and about Leyla's total lack of understanding of the concept of freedom of religion. But whatever. Let them wander around like the Ink Blot, let them wallow in their ignorance and let them think everybody's against them through no fault of their own. Let them support the Taliban and wish for sharia to their hearts' content.

But I have a wish for them too. I wish that Aisha and Leyla could get the chance to live the life that they dream of. I wish that Aisha and Leyla could spend some time - let's say ten years, that will give them enough time to really immerse themselves in the culture and learn it inside out - in Afghanistan. Let's say in Nuristan, that's probably the best area for them to go. The situation there is the closest to what they would like to see, AFAIK. I wish that Aisha and Leyla could get the chance to go there, stay there and live the life that is fit for a woman under their ideology. Then after those ten years, I wish they could come back here and tell us all just how great they really think that society is and just how it really is the best way to live for women.

This will of course never happen - both Aisha and Leyla will stay here and enjoy all the freedom and wealth of the West. They'd be crazy to do anything else. But a girl can dream.