Afghan women train in Shaolin martial arts

Emil Lendof

featured

Feb 1, 2017

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Shaolin martial arts students follow their trainer, Sima Azimi, 20, in black, during a practice session on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan. The students are preparing for the day that Afghanistan can send its women’s team to the Shaolin world championship in China. AP

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A Shaolin martial arts student practices the splits on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan. In religiously conservative Afghanistan, girls are often discouraged from aggressive sports. AP

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Shaolin martial arts trainer, Sima Azimi, 20, performs on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP

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Shaolin martial arts students practice on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Teacher Sima Azimi, 20, not pictured, who is originally from Jaghuri in central Afghanistan, trains… AP

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Shaolin martial arts students practice on a hilltop in the snow, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017. The ten ethnic Hazara women are preparing for the day that Afghanistan… AP

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A Shaolin martial arts student practices on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017. The students are preparing for the day that Afghanistan can send its women’s team… AP

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Shaolin martial arts students follow their trainer, Sima Azimi, 20, in black, during a training session on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Sima Azimi, 20, who… AP

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Shaolin martial arts students and their trainer have a snowball fight after their training session. AP

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When they aren’t training on the snow covered hills that surround Kabul, the students train in a grungy, dark club financed by a young cinema actor. AP

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A Shaolin martial arts student talks on her phone during a pause in a training session. AP

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At first the women could not find uniforms, but, undeterred, they designed and ordered uniforms made by a Kabul tailor. AP

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Most of the students are teenagers, while a few of the older students study in universities. The head trainer, Azimi charges between $2 and $5 a month depending on what they can afford. AP

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Shaolin martial arts students practice at their club in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017. When they aren’t training on the snow covered hills that surround Kabul, the students train… AP

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Shaolin martial arts students practice at their club in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017. They are preparing for the day that Afghanistan can send its women’s team to the… AP

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A Shaolin Wushu martial arts student practices on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2017, preparing for the day that Afghanistan can send its women’s team to the… AP

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