22 Facts About Homeira Qaderi

Homeira Qaderi born in 1980 is an Afghan writer, advocate for women's rights, and professor of Persian literature, currently serving as a Robert G James Scholar Fellow at Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Research, Harvard University.

Homeira Qaderi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the Russian occupation to an artist mother and a high school teacher father.

Homeira Qaderi attended the Golden Needle Sewing School, a clandestine circle where she and other young girls pursued their education concentrating on literary writing skills under the supervision of Ustad Moahmmad Naser Rahyab.

In 2001 Homeira Qaderi went to Iran and pursued her disrupted education.

Homeira Qaderi earned a bachelor's degree in Persian literature from Shaheed Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran, in 2005, and a master's degree in literature from Allame Tabatabai University in Tehran in 2007.

Homeira Qaderi was a doctoral candidate at Tehran University when the 2008 Iranian uprisings took place.

Homeira Qaderi joined political rallies protesting the Iranian government's suppression of basic human rights.

Consequently, Homeira Qaderi was expelled from Iran without giving her a chance to complete her doctorate studies.

In 2011, Homeira Qaderi became an advisor to the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs Affairs, and the Disabled in Afghanistan.

Homeira Qaderi focused her efforts on improving the living conditions of widows and orphans and established training programs for their self sufficiency.

Homeira Qaderi was appointed senior advisor to the Minister of Education in 2019 and remained in that post until the spring of 2021.

Homeira Qaderi is presently editor-in-chief of Ravi-e Zan and she is the founder of the Golden Needle Literary Association where she is training young women writers to become assertive in expressing themselves.

Homeira Qaderi continues to be an advocate for human rights, women's rights, and for peace in Afghanistan.

Homeira Qaderi has published numerous articles, essays, short stories, and novels in both Persian and English, and her work has been translated into several languages.

In 2003, three of Homeira Qaderi's stories, including Zair-e Gonbad-e Kabood, were published in Herat, Afghanistan.

Homeira Qaderi was the only Afghan woman writer published in Afghanistan that year.

Homeira Qaderi writes candidly about her childhood, marriage, and the challenges she faced as a woman and a writer in a society that often oppresses both.

Homeira Qaderi has been recognized for her work as a civil society activist for women and children's affairs in Afghanistan and has participated in several international conferences, advocating for human rights.

Homeira Qaderi took part in The Second Bonn International Conference on Afghanistan in December 2011, in Germany, speaking before the general assembly about the plight of Afghan women and their struggle for equal rights.

In 2014, Homeira Qaderi was a panelist at the International Labor Organization Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, where she advocated for the improvement of working conditions for women in Afghanistan.

Homeira Qaderi has been featured in several media outlets, including The New York Times, BBC, and NPR, Time magazine and People magazine where she has shared her insights and experiences as a writer, scholar, and activist.

Homeira Qaderi has been the subject of several documentaries, including The Afghan Women's Odyssey, and The Women of Kabul, and was the inspiration for The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan by Mitchell Zuckoff.