Living Behind a White Lie as an Afghan-American Muslim Woman

I am an Afghan-American Muslim woman. Afghan woman are a minority of a minority. A very small percent of Afghan women have an education and don't get to be successful because the culture discourages independence for women. In fact, this happens not just in Afghanistan, but in the United States as well. In fact, it happens in my own family. My cousin has an arranged marriage and has been denied an education by her husband. In a culture dominated by males, even the women internalize those views. As I have grown up and expressed my desires to get an education and have a career, my grandmother has discouraged me most of my life. My father restricts my comings and goings even now, even during the daytime hours. While my friends are partying, I'm required to be at home.
Being from Afghanistan, I was ashamed to show my true identity, so I assumed a false identity. …