But not all viewers are sure that Sahar’s star turn translates as progress in women’s rights. “This superficial show is light-years away from the reality of most Afghan women, who still live in miserable conditions,” says Maleha Ahmadzai, a Kabul schoolteacher. “Her presence may even become an excuse for traditional parents to stop girls [from] going to school.” Others fear that Sahar will meet the fate of music-show host Shaima Rezayee, who was gunned down in Kabul in 2005 after the conservative clerics’ council protested her Western-style dress and uncovered head. The same mullahs have been unsuccessful in shutting down “Afghan Star.” But their opposition shows just how shaky the status of Afghan women remains.
