Noor Fellowship: meet the fellows and discover their work

The Noor Fellowship (‘Noor’ or ‘نور’, meaning ‘light’) is a four-month online program that provides mentoring in open-source intelligence, verification, fact-checking and network building to selected journalists, researchers, advocates, and human rights reporters working on Afghanistan.

Omid Sobhani – Visibility of Minority Land Grabbing on Afghan Media

Omid Sobhani is an Afghan journalist who has collaborated with major international media outlets like ABC News Australia, as well as various local media organisations in Afghanistan.

Omid’s research delves into the issue of land-grabbing affecting Hazara and Uzbek minorities since August 20021. Despite numerous documented incidents, Afghan media coverage has been minimal—just two articles and two reports, primarily focused on Taliban efforts to reclaim state land. Minority communities were rarely mentioned, highlighting a gap in reporting. His work examines the reasons behind this limited coverage, including media control by the Taliban and the financial difficulties faced by Afghan outlets, leading to self-censorship.

Shahrbanu Haidari – Digital Resistance: women’s activism under Taliban rule

Shahrbanu Haidari is a women’s rights activist whose research area is focused on diaspora studies, peace building and women activism.

Shahrbanu’s research investigates digital platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, where women advocate for their rights, share experiences, and organise across borders. She highlights the challenges activists face, including limited internet access, trauma, and security concerns under Taliban control. Her study also shows how diaspora activists play a key role in amplifying the voices of women still in Afghanistan, creating a bridge for global engagement.

Humayoon – Women’s Visibility in Afghan Media Before and After the Taliban Takeover in August 2021

Humayoon is an Afghan journalist writing about a range of topics on Afghanistan, from combat to car bombs, human rights, gender-based violence, climate change, social development, corruption, and foreign aid.

Humayoon’s work explores how the post-2001 period saw unprecedented female participation in Afghanistan’s media, a trend that was reversed in 2021. Since then, female journalists have faced censorship, job losses, and threats, significantly reducing their presence. Humayoon highlights the effects of these restrictions on the wider media landscape and calls for measures to preserve media freedom and ensure the continued inclusion of women in Afghan journalism.

Ali Reza Hussaini – The Role of the #StopHazaraGenocide Advocacy in Afghanistan Digital Public Sphere

Ali is a research fellow at Leipzig University. He specialises in researching the utilisation of social media by the Taliban and Afghanistan diaspora communities.

Ali’s research examines the #StopHazaraGenocide campaign as a case study of digital activism in Afghanistan’s emerging digital public sphere. It highlights the role of social media in mobilising the Hazara community, driven largely by the Afghan diaspora, and documents the campaign’s success in trending for 12 days. The study underscores the importance of rapid responsiveness, diaspora engagement, and influencer involvement, while noting challenges in fostering engagement and logistics for future campaigns.