TikTok influencer faces backlash for posing with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A social media influencer travelling through Afghanistan and posing with Taliban fighters has been attacked for her posts about the hardline regime. In the country, millions of girls and women are denied education, jobs, and other basic rights.

Somali-American influencer Marian Abdi, who goes by the name Geenyada Madow on her social media channels, was seen posting her photos and videos from Kabul, Bamyan, and other Afghan cities, mainly dressed in a full-length burqa.

Several Afghan women pointed out their erasure from public spaces by the militants as Ms Abdi posted her videos marking Afghanistan as a tourist destination. One of her posts on Twitter/X was captioned “Met with the Tali*an”, accompanied by the hashtag #viral2024. Social media users asked the TikToker and YouTuber if she asked the Taliban why they have stoned women and banned them from schools and colleges.

“ln a time when Afghan girls and women are deprived of their most basic rights, it is deeply troubling and unacceptable to see someone like Geenyada Madow, who has gone to Afghanistan and lobbies for the Taliban,” said Niloofar Naeimi, a human rights activist on Afghan women’s issues. “This action disregards the suffering and pain of millions of Afghan women who face oppression and persecution under the Taliban’s rule,” she said.

Videos by the influencer also showed the grim reality of Afghanistan under the Taliban, as women didn’t often feature in the videos she shot in the country. Ms Abdi was seen strolling the markets of Kabul and driving around in the city but in the company of a male tourist guide.

Ms Abdi was seen being greeted by Afghan men on the streets and markets as she claimed that she was the first Black Muslim person to have travelled to the war-ravaged nation. In her social media bio on Twitter/X, Ms Abdi said she “loves exploring and sharing the realities of misunderstood countries”.

In one of her videos on YouTube she said she met with Taliban fighters but did not record the interaction as she was not allowed to do so. Ms Abdi said she was “confused” and “scared”.

"I was super nervous, I am confused… the fact that they would even allow me to talk to them. I couldn’t record our conversation because they wouldn’t allow me and my battery died. They asked me where I am from as they can see I’m a foreigner,” she said in her video.

“I said I’m Somali; they’re like okay are you from the West. I said yes, I’m from America they’re like okay welcome,” she said.

The influencer also claimed that she asked the Taliban why Afghan girls and women were not allowed to study beyond the sixth grade. She said she was met with different “reactions of their faces” and replies. She said she took their permission before asking the question to be “respectful” to them.

“The only answer that made sense that came out of one of their mouths was we’re a new country... new government and things will change… everything takes time. I was like that’s it, they said yeah,” the content creator said.

She defended herself against the remarks and addressed the social media backlash, claiming that she only asked for the photo to show to people that she met the Taliban fighters.

“It is simply to say this is my experience, this is what I saw, this is how they treated me. I actually asked for the photo to show the people that I met them and that this is the interaction we had. I am for all women’s rights and I would love to see one day women getting education and working. Please don’t take everything out of context. Don’t judge me for one photo,” the influencer said.

“Nice memories with the Taliban; did you ask about the stoning of Afghan girls or you were just too busy posing for photos with the Taliban?” asked another user on Twitter/X.

“Anyone supporting the Taliban’s oppressive regime while living in comfort abroad is part of the problem. They’re turning a blind eye to the suffering of millions of women and girls trapped in their homes, stripped of their basic rights and freedoms,” said Freshta Razbaan, lawyer and co-chair of the Afghan Advisory Committee at Prosecutors For Prosecutors (PFP) Campaign.

“Promoting such a brutal regime is inexcusable. Instead of being silent or complicit, we should all be standing up against this cruelty,” she said.