[ An ethnic ]Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
, she is also the older sister of Ahmad Zahir
Ahmad Zahir (Dari/Pashto: ; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer. Dubbed the "Elvis of Afghanistan", he is widely considered the all-time greatest singer of Afghanistan. The majority of his songs were sung ...
, called the "Afghan Elvis". Zahira is a graduate of, and later a teacher at, Zarghuna High School, reported to have been the leading school for girls in Kabul.
Life in the United States
Zahira moved to the United States in 1975, when her husband was Afghanistan's envoy to the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.[
]
After the Communist coup in 1978 her brother was murdered, her father put under house arrest, and all her family's assets were seized.[
Around the time of the Communist coup in Afghanistan she and her husband separated.
Zahira described working for ]Milton Pitts
Milton Pitts (4 July 1912 – 25 December 1994) was the White House barber for Republican U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.
While Pitts was a staunch Republican, he always maintained that "my sc ...
, President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's barber, accompanying him to the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
to give the President a manicure while he got his hair cut, and being asked whether Reagan should authorize giving the Afghan resistance stinger missiles
The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters as the Air-to-Ai ...
.[
Zahira also started cutting ]George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
's hair, as well as Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously was ...
,[ ]Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
and other dignitaries.al Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
's attacks on September 11, 2001, and being brought to tears by George H.W. Bush's thoughtfulness. He contacted her personally, following the attacks, telling her:
When he learned of the prejudice she was experiencing he sent her an autographed photo, and organized autographed photos from several other Presidents who knew her.[
]
Legacy
In 2003, Zahira raised funds to restore schools for girls in Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
.[
]
References
External links
www.zahiraschools.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahir, Zahira
Pashtun women
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Afghan emigrants to the United States
People from Washington, D.C.
Barbers
Pashtun people