Three Afghan Women Named Among BBC's 100 Most Influential Figures

Athlete Zakia Khudadadi, singer and composer Elaha Soroor, and media and education entrepreneur Hamida Aman from Afghanistan are among this year's 100 most inspiring and influential figures.

The BBC's roster includes five categories of influential figures in the sectors of climate pioneers, culture and education, entertainment and sports, politics and science, health and technology.

In this list, Afghan athlete Zakia Khudadadi has been introduced as one of the 100 most influential figures in the sports and entertainment sector. She made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games as the first member of the Paralympic refugee team to win a medal.

According to the BBC, the athlete had been secretly training in taekwondo clubs in her hometown of Herat since the age of 11 and left Afghanistan after the Taliban's return.

Khudadadi told the BBC, "My path to an Olympic medal speaks about the resilience of Afghan women, refugee women and every other woman. By not giving up, we are showing that there is nothing a woman cannot do."

In the entertainment and sports category, singer Elaha Soroor has also been named one of the 100 most influential figures of 2024.

The BBC wrote, "At a time when the voices of women in Afghanistan are being erased from public life, singer Elaha Soroor wrote the anthem Naan, Kar, Azadi! (Bread, Work, Freedom!) to counter this suppression and send a message of encouragement."

In the Culture and Education category, Hamida Aman, a media and education entrepreneur from Afghanistan, has been named one of the BBC's 100 most influential and inspiring figures. She has launched the Begum online academy to create a free educational space for out-of-school girls.

According to the BBC, the platform provided more than 8,500 videos in Dari and Pashto last year, covering curricula for grades 7 to 12.

Every year, the BBC publishes a list of 100 most influential artists, activists, leaders and well-known figures around the world.