Her Husband Cut Off Her Nose — Now She’s Speaking Out

The horrors endured by Reza Gul, a 20-year-old Afghan woman whose husband cut off her nose, have been reported by news outlets around the world. When news broke earlier this month, Gul's mother, Zarghona, told The New York Times that her daughter had long suffered at her husband's hands. Now, Gul has shared her story in an interview with WorldPost. Gul's wedding to her husband, Muhammad Khan, was anything but romantic. She was 14 at the time, and she'd never met Khan before the wedding. "I didn't know anything about him," Gul told WorldPost's Sophia Jones. "I didn't know anything about love." By Gul's account, Khan tortured her continuously for the next six years. He beat her, burned her with an iron, and this month, even attempted to shoot her, after he cut her nose off. Gul told WorldPost that the only reason she survived was because the gun jammed. (Khan fled the scene, and there are conflicting reports as to whether the Taliban has located him since the attack.) Unfortunately, as many media outlets have noted, abuse against women is all too common in Afghanistan. The United Nations lists Afghanistan as one of the worst countries for women, and the country is struggling to put an end to child marriages and domestic violence. But Gul is determined to make a better life for herself after her recovery. She was flown to Kabul, Afghanistan, for treatment on her nose, and she may need reconstructive surgery in Turkey. Wherever she is treated, Gul told WorldPost that she plans to start a new beginning for herself and her children. She said she has no intention of returning to her husband. Gul told WorldPost that she hopes to go to school and to marry someone who will respect her. "I want to pass the remainder of my life with a good person," Gul told WorldPost. "I want to enjoy my life."