Suspension of Afghan Fulbright Program shatters dreams for 140 semifinalists now stuck under Taliban rule

They are Afghanistan’s best and brightest, part of a young generation of future scientists, journalists, climatologists, government officials, educators and business leaders keen to rebuild their country at a critical juncture in its history.

At least those were the futures they wished for when they became semifinalists for a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to pursue graduate studies and research in the United States. Now, that pathway has vanished. On Jan. 29, after waiting for months filled with hope and expectation, the 140 Afghans received a crushing email from the program run by the State Department:

“Regrettably … ” the correspondence began.

Today, like thousands of Afghans aligned with the United States who remain under threat inside their country, many of the Fulbright applicants feel abandoned by the Biden administration. Many had turned down scholarship opportunities in Europe and elsewhere in the hope of competing for a Fulbright. Now, they say, they have joined the list of casualties of a disorganized end to America’s longest war that has left them fearing the future.

 “Everyone feels like the United States has betrayed them,” said Ubaidullah Karimi, 26, a semifinalist who wanted to enroll in international peace and conflict studies.

The final email from the Fulbright Program notified the semifinalists that the “selection process for 2022-2023 academic year will not go forward,” citing “significant barriers” to the program’s ability to “provide a safe and high-quality academic exchange experience.” The email also indicated that the program would resume only “if conditions change.”

A State Department official described the barriers as “safety and security, logistical issues and programmatic issues” but declined to provide details, including whether there were any specific threats against the applicants. The “program is not canceled,” he said, adding that it is supporting about 110 Afghan Fulbright scholars currently in the United States. The program will resume, he said, “when conditions are right.”

 “We are continuing to monitor conditions,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity according to diplomatic protocol. “We are committed to this relationship and overcoming whatever barriers are presented.”

Five semifinalists said in interviews that they didn’t believe the State Department’s explanation. Even though there’s no longer a U.S. Embassy in Kabul, interviews to select the roughly 60 to 70 fellowship recipients could have been conducted online, they said, as was done for the previous year’s Fulbright class because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are daily commercial flights out of Afghanistan, the semifinalists noted, with few, if any, restrictions imposed by the Taliban on travelers.

“We understand American values,” said Mohammed Baqer Niazi, 32, a semifinalist who wanted to enter an educational leadership program. “We understand democracy. We speak English and have the basic skills and knowledge to work in the U.S. But they denied that opportunity to us. I am totally shocked.”

Other semifinalists said the Biden administration has a moral obligation not to abandon Afghans at this critical point in their history.

“America is a beacon of democracy,” said Azizullah Jahish, 31, who wanted to earn a master’s degree in water resource management. “How could they possibly cancel an education program when education is a basic right for everyone?”

‘It was crushing’

After the Taliban’s ouster in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks, the Fulbright Program emerged as a significant emblem of the U.S. presence, one that would impact America’s legacy here.

Each year, about 4,000 students from as many as 155 countries are awarded the fellowships. Scholars receive tuition, airfare, a living stipend, health insurance and other necessities for the duration of their studies, typically two years.

Since 2003, more than 950 Afghan Fulbright scholars have studied at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. Most returned to their country to high-profile positions with government, media, the United Nations and aid organizations. Others founded private companies or became community leaders.

“Every Afghan kid wants to be a Fulbrighter,” Niazi said.

They included 24-year-old Terina Yusufzai. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her class at Kabul University, earning a bachelor’s degree in management information systems, she said. She wanted to study systems engineering in a graduate program in the United States, she said.

In April, while working for a U.N. agency, she was notified that she was a Fulbright semifinalist. Soon after, the Biden administration announced the Sept. 11 deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces and the Taliban was pushing toward Kabul.

After seizing control on Aug. 15, the militants ordered women to stay at home, and Yusufzai’s widowed mother lost her government job. Yusufzai, too, was ordered not to work, but the U.N. agency director persuaded the Taliban to issue a letter allowing women to stay on the job, Yusufzai said. Her bosses, she said, had approved a two-year leave of absence for her education if she was selected for a Fulbright. After earning her master’s degree, she planned to return to Afghanistan, even with the Taliban in charge, “to continue my work with the U.N.”

“I have been dreaming about a Fulbright for 10 years,” said Yusufzai, a faint smile revealing her disappointment.

Even as the Taliban captured district after district earlier in the year, the semifinalists were receiving reassurances from the State Department, according to emails seen by The Washington Post.

In early May, the semifinalists received an email saying that online interviews would take place in June, and applicants were urged to take part in a Zoom session on meeting test requirements for U.S. colleges and graduate schools. In late May, applicants were told that the interviews would be postponed until September.

On Aug. 31, as chaos enveloped Kabul, another State Department email arrived, saying that “we are following events in Afghanistan closely” and that an update would be sent “in the coming weeks.” The September interviews were postponed.

“We were in limbo,” Yusufzai recalled. “It really affected me.”

In October, another email informed the semifinalists that the selection process was on hold “while we address significant safety, logistical and programmatic constraints.”

Then, in mid-December, an email arrived informing them that “a safe and viable way forward” has not yet been identified but “we continue to explore options for proceeding with the program.”

Then, in late January, the final email.

“After months of delaying the process, after months of giving us hope that they would make a good and fair decision, they turned all the hopes upside down,” said Mohammad Mokhtar, 28, who wanted to obtain a master’s degree in journalism. “It was crushing.”

The State Department official said the agency had been “straightforward” and transparent with the applicants with “status updates.”

‘Living in uncertainty’

Within an hour after receiving the email, many logged into a WhatsApp group where roughly 70 semifinalists vented their anger and frustration. Others took to social media, denouncing the program’s suspension under the hashtag #reviewfulbright4AFG.

Some are convinced that the State Department is concerned that Fulbright scholars would enter the United States and seek political asylum to evade the Taliban.

 “I still believe I am more useful in Afghanistan than in the U.S., even under the Taliban,” Niazi said.

Other semifinalists said the Fulbright Program has become politicized and they are casualties of America’s humiliating defeat by the Taliban. “This is political,” Karimi said. “They don’t recognize the Taliban government. I don’t think they can go forward.”

The State Department official denied that there was politicization or any concerns that Fulbright scholars would seek asylum, saying, “That is not part of the calculus.”

Today, the semifinalists are trying to find a way to persuade the State Department to reinstate the program. They have held live Twitter Space events that have included Fulbright alumni expressing their concerns. They are planning to reach out to U.S. lawmakers for help. Some said they are considering a class-action lawsuit against the Biden administration.

For now, though, the semifinalists are caught between looking back and forging a path forward. Many declined other opportunities in the hope of winning a Fulbright.

Yusufzai said she turned down a scholarship to study at a European university that covered half her tuition. Despite the Taliban’s restriction on girls’ education, she said she is “not going to give up” on getting a master’s degree. But the obstacles are significant. Last month, she tried to meet a fee deadline to apply to study at the University of Virginia in the fall, but she couldn’t because of the collapse of the Afghan banking system.

Niazi rejected a partial scholarship to study in Germany. Now, he’s worried. He’s a graduate of the American University in Kabul and has worked on U.S. government projects, making him a target of the Taliban, he said. He’s also an ethnic Hazara, a minority that has been persecuted by the militants as well as the Islamic State.

“My life is more than ever in danger because I am educated,” he said.

Karimi, too, turned down an opportunity to study in Germany. “I could have gone in August,” said Karimi, who is spearheading the social media campaign. “We are now planning to send emails to universities asking for scholarships.”

Mokhtar could have been evacuated in September, joining many of his colleagues at the Etilaatroz investigative newspaper who are now in the United States. But he felt strongly that going to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship, rather than for political asylum, would be better for his career. He listed the graduate journalism program at Columbia University as his top choice. His goal, he said, was to improve his skills and return to Afghanistan “to raise the voices of the oppressed.”

Now, he remains a target of the Taliban. “Being an investigative reporter is not legally allowed,” said Mokhtar, who studied Spanish at Kabul University. “We are living in uncertainty about what will come next.”

Jahish was turned down three previous times for a Fulbright. The hydrostructural engineer still wants to help his country address its challenging water problems. He will find other ways, he said, but the Fulbright decision has shattered America’s moral authority.

“The cancellation will affect us personally, but I think it will have a greater effect on the United States,” he said. “People around the world, especially Afghans, will not trust the U.S. anymore.”