'Best intentions go awry...': US envoy's apology over tweet on Afghan women

While Afghan women continue to struggle under Taliban rule, a top diplomat from the United States has triggered social media outrage with a tweet that has been called "appalling" by many who criticised her. Karen Decker, the Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, has now apologised for the post in which she referred to the "Black Girl Magic" movement. "Are Afghans familiar with Black Girl Magic and the movement it inspired? Do Afghan girls need a similar movement? What about Afghan Women?' 'Teach me, ready to learn. @Beyonce @lizzo @ReginaKing, (sic)," she had tweeted.

Her suggestion for Afghan women to draw inspiration from Beyonce and others even as the Taliban administration continues to shut them out of schools and workplaces did not go well. "Sometimes our best intentions go awry because we haven’t listened enough or don’t truly understand others’ lived experience. My efforts to celebrate courageous African Americans this month fall in that category. I apologize to any and all who I may have offended or hurt. (sic)," she wrote on Twitter as the apology followed the barrage of criticism. Violation of rights of the women in the South Asian country has been a matter of concern ever since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The United Nations and world leaders have been vocal about women and girls not being treated as equals in the country despite the Taliban's assurance of change.

Outpouring of anger

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Meanwhile, one of the many posts that were put out amid anger against Karen's tweet were: "Allow me to introduce you to America’s idiot of the day #USAmbKabul Karen Decker. Apparently, all we should know is that Abraham Lincoln “did some stuff”. Ms Decker, we salute you, a true moron through and through. (sic)."

The Black Girl Movement a couple of years ago was meant to spark conversation on the social identity of women of colour. People on social media questioned the comparison of the two situations by the diplomat. A user posted screenshots of the now-deleted tweets, saying: "Karen Decker, the Biden Admin’s Chargés d'affaires to Taliban-led Afghanistan, has deleted these bizarre tweets. (sic)"

"This Tweet is too weird, too personal, to have resulted from some kind of collective effort at DEI. This is a window into the actual mind of Karen Decker. It's remarkable. A rare document of how this all comes together in the strange minds of the people who rule us. (sic)," read another post that gave an idea of social media sentiments.

This was not the only tweet by the US diplomat that drew anger. On former US president Abraham Lincoln's birthday, she wrote on Twitter: "Abe Lincoln born today in 1809. He did some stuff. It's also NAACP day, home of grassroots activism, inclusive communities and making sure Black voices are heard. What does that look like for Afghans struggling to be heard? #BlackHistoryMonth @NAACP @LincolnsCottage. (sic)"

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