Narjes Hashemi is a master’s student in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. Her study explores women’s roles in preventing extremism in Afghanistan. Narjes has been working as a graduate research assistant (GRA) on the SSHRC funded project “Countering religious extremism through education in multicultural Canada”, under the direction of Dr. Ratna Ghosh. Though this work, she has learned that educational experience (or lack thereof) plays vital role in developing extremist ideologies. Hashemi’s research hope to shed light on the roles women play to counter extremist ideologies, especially in the Afghan context, where women are often extremely marginalized in the male-dominated society. Specifically, her study’s objectives are:
-to understand the phenomenon of extremism in Afghanistan,
-to identify existing practices in place that counter religious extremist ideologies through education and explore women’s roles in preventing the development of these beliefs in schools, homes and communities.
This research will give the Afghan women an opportunity to discuss their concerns that can be further looked into in future studies as well as inform policy makers who directly work with women in Afghanistan.
