"I think the
bicycle has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world. I
rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a feeling of
self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she
goes, the picture of
untrammelled
womanhood." – Susan B Anthony, 1896
I want to talk about bicycles. But first, we hear Jesus say
repeatedly, “Fear not little flock…Do not be afraid…Let not your hearts be
troubled.” Then we have three reported mass shootings in one week and reports
that people are becoming increasingly afraid to shop, go to school, or even go
to church.
A few days later this appears in my Facebook feed from a
former student when I was at St Timothy’s School for Girls, Fatima Haidari from
Afghanistan: “‘No, I am not really scared. It is Kabul, you never know when
it’s your time,’ Abeda, one of our students, said today seconds after the
explosion in district-3, Kabul; around 1 mile away from Asef-e-mayel High
School where our art module was taking place. “You know something is very very
wrong with a city when mass murder is normalized for it’s elementary kids. This
picture [of children doing an art project] was taken a few minutes before we
had to rush through the broken glass in the school hallway, and me answering
back to back calls from horrified parents to assure them their kid survived the
explosion. 5th day of STEAM Camp Kabul. [Science Technology Engineering Arts
Math]”
Something is very very wrong. Consider, this fall’s
collection of student backpacks includes options like bulletproof panels, and mass
murder is normalized for elementary, middle school, high school, college kids
and adults – especially adults of various specific ethnic and religious groups.
It seems impossible not to have troubled hearts until we remember that Jesus
says, “Fear not,” amidst equally turbulent and violent life under the military
occupation and oppressive rule of Rome. Crucified victims of the Empire lined
the roadways as reminders of who is in charge.
So, just how do we move forward without being paralyzed by
both the targeted and indiscriminate violence that pervades daily life? The
writer of the treatise we call Hebrews in the eleventh chapter points to Faith:
“Now faith is the reality of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen.”
The text goes on to highlight a long list of people like Abel, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Sampson, David, the prophets among them – all of whom
faced violence, catastrophe and trouble; all of whom had the vision to press
forward toward the promise of a better future, a more just future, a safer and
more secure future in God’s promise. Now what is missing, of course, in the
eleventh chapter of Hebrews are the names of women of faith who are many:
Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Ruth, Mary….and the list can go on and on.
In the midst of our nation’s current pandemic of violence and ongoing violence
in places like Afghanistan, my faith is shored-up and strengthened to hear that
one of Fatima’s young students can live out exactly what Jesus is talking about
and say, “No, I’m not really scared…you never know when it is your time.” This
is the kind of faith Hebrews means to commend. [David Steindl-Rast, OSB, reminds us that
sundials in old monasteries bore one of two inscriptions: memento mori, or
memento vivere – remember you will die/remember to live – and that there is
really no difference between these two admonitions. In Speaking of Silence, Paulist
Press, p. 24]
For faith is not some kind of personal internal belief. It
is not a platitude about belief, but a highly provocative claim that faith
itself moves in the direction of the realization of those things that are
presently beyond demonstration. Like the young student in Kabul, we all know
the end-game. Faith is the choice to continue to live despite our known end,
and despite all current circumstances. Hebrews asserts that in faith those of
us whom Jesus tells to “Fear Not” already anticipate the final outcome, the
final reality of the very vision of life lived as God calls us to live: loving
God and loving neighbor – which means justice and peace for all people and
respecting the dignity of every human being.
As I read Fatima’s report about life in Kabul I had two
thoughts. One was that presently we all live in Kabul – we all increasingly face
similar if not the same circumstances. I also recalled an earlier episode in
Fatima’s life. While home one summer she recalled how much fun it was as a
child to ride her bike. As she got older the Taliban had restricted women from
most modes of transportation, and even required them to remain in the home.
After Taliban rule was suspended things improved, but women riding bicycles is
still rare. With help and support from Girl Up, a group from the UN Foundation
that advocates for girls around the world, Fatima began a girl’s cycling club.
It is not uncommon for a woman to be taunted and scolded for riding a bicycle
in public in Kabul, but Fatima believed that it would be freeing and empowering
to have a once a week bicycle ride through the city. But it is about more than
biking. “We're trying to push women to have equal presence in society, and
biking is just part of it,” she says.
Now twenty girls strong, they ride through the streets
together. There have been incidents, like the time one girl was pushed off her
bike – in front of the Ministry of Education. Recalls Fatima, “It was right in
front of the Ministry of Education, where there were guards. And they didn't do
anything! The Ministry of Education is supposed to inform people about human
rights and that women should use their freedom. But the guards were just
staring. It was really ironic that there was nobody to protect us — or at least
to call the person out.”
The next week, however was different. “On our second group
bike ride in Darlaman, an old man stopped us. To be honest, all of us were
scared, but he told us: ‘You girls raise Afghanistan’s flag. Foreigners will
change their minds about Afghanistan when they see you biking around. Let me
tell you something, I am in charge of that park right there and I am not
allowed to let bicycles inside, but today is a good day, and I am proud of you
so I can make an exception!’”
Now faith is the reality of things hoped for, the proof of
things not seen. Here is an example of such faith when an 18 year-old girl
could see the future for herself, for other women and for her country. “I hope
one day the domination of one sex in an activity stops, because a society
really develops when both men and women can participate in all the activities.
If bike riding for girls is not acceptable for people, it means we have a long
way to civilization. Let girls bike, and civilization will be right in front of
our doors.”
Fatima and her friends illustrate what Jesus and his
disciples understood “Fear Not” to mean. There will be obstacles along the way,
but to enter into a life of faith is to live the reality you know to be just
and true. Walter Rauschenbusch, in a little book The Social Principles of
Jesus, wrote in 1916, “Faith does not ‘believe.’ Faith is that quality of
vision of those among us who have the power of projection into the future.
Faith is the quality of mind which sees things before they are visible, which
acts on ideals before they are realities, and which feels the distant kingdom
of God to be more dear, substantial and attractive than the edible profitable
present.” Fatima Haidari, Malala Yousafzai, Dorothy Day, Mother Theresa, Toni
Morrison, Rosa Parks and countless numbers of women demonstrate what faith
looks like amidst the challenges facing us all – like teaching or riding your
bike in Kabul. At the end of the day, it looks as if we all live in Kabul.
Biking On The Streets of Kabul, by Fatima Haidari
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