A Tribute to Her Courage

As I was reading latest news fron the net, I came across this article. Reading thru it and how I admire her courage and could only imagine what she and her family had go through. So I am sharing the story with you... May her courage be apart of us too in pursuing our dreams...

http://www.citizensugar.com/1782754

Odd Disappearance of Afghanistan's Only Female Olympian

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Time magazine this week has a feature on the bizarre story of the mysterious disappearance of Afghanistan's only female, Olympics-bound runner. The 19-year-old Afghan middle distance runner, Mehbooba Andyar, went missing in Italy last week while on her way to the Olympics in China. Friends and co-athletes have not seen her since July 4, when she left her training facility in Formia, Italy.

Police are not ruling out any possibilities, although her missing bags and passport do indicate that she may have left on her own. Some believe she's seeking asylum in Europe over fear of Muslim extremists in her homeland where she faced constant rumors of prostitution and repeated threats of violence.

In a recent interview, Andyar said, "I'm the model for my country, being a woman in a typical Muslim nation. I'm very proud to say that I will be participating in the Olympic Games. By virtue of these opportunities, many women from my country are participating in many sports, and this will help to develop a better managed country."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article4304884.ece

Fears ease after missing Afghan athlete found

by Owen Slot July 10, 2008

Mehbooba Ahadgar, who was the only Afghan female scheduled to be competing in the Beijing Olympic Games next month, has resurfaced after going missing in Italy last week and is en route to Norway, where she will be seeking asylum.

When Ahadgar could not be found at her training camp in Formia on Thursday, there were fears that her disappearance may have been linked to a series of death threats that she had received at home from Muslim extremists, who are opposed to the concept of a woman running in the Olympics.

However, concerns for her family's safety are not over because, since Ahadgar's mysterious disappearance, her parents have been under so much pressure from the Afghan Olympic Committee in Kabul to get their daughter back into her spikes that they have been threatened with imprisonment. Her parents, though, were also in the dark as to her whereabouts until she phoned them on Tuesday.

While her safety is a relief within Olympic circles, her decision to go into hiding a month before the Games is a galling blow because, as an Afghan woman who is proud of her athleticism and her Muslim religion, she became a poster girl for the Games. Ahadgar had been on a scholarship from the Olympic Solidarity programme, which financed training camps in Kuala Lumpur and Italy, even though her running times in her event, the 1,500 metres, meant that she would struggle to finish within a minute of the winners.

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Ahadgar is not the first Olympic Solidarity scholar to seek asylum in this way. Two Bangladeshi athletes also vanished last year and a runner from Gabon did the same in 2001.

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Mehbooba, I wish you all the best and pray to Allah that you will win a gold medal... you go girl! The dream is yours and nobody can take it from you...

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