Angelina Jolie Interviews Afghani Refugee Bibi Aisha From Iconic 2010 ‘Time’ Magazine Cover

Angelina Jolie revisiting an icon of survival.

In a new video interview for Time magazine, the actress spoke with Bibi Aisha, who was featured in a now-iconic cover photo for the publication in 2010.

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Born in Afghanistan, Aisha was 14-years-old when she was forced into a marriage with a Taliban fighter. After attempting an escape and being recaptured, her husband and other Taliban members disfigured her, cutting off her nose and ears, leaving her to die.

But she managed to find help, surviving her terrifying ordeal, and after being featured on the Time cover, she had successful reconstructive surgery.

Recalling her story of survival, Aisha told Jolie in the new interview, “I walked. I went to my uncle’s house and he didn’t want to open the door to me. But something was powering me that night. I knocked on doors and told my story. I decided that I wanted to survive. I went to an American hospital and did my treatment for two and a half months, and they treated me like a family member. They saved my life.”

“You were brave in showing your wonderful self to the world, and what was done to you. Now, after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the same people who harmed you are in charge. All that we learned and are outraged about, we know is happening every day,” Jolie noted.

Aisha said, “It’s really hard for me. I put myself in the shoes of an Afghanistan woman. They had freedom for 20 years, and then suddenly they shut down everything for them. And they don’t have any rights.”

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She added of the plight of those women in Afghanistan today under Taliban rule, “When you don’t have an education, you cannot do anything in your life. My teacher said ‘when you learn mathematics and algebra, you’re slapping the Taliban in the face.’ That made me so happy. The most important thing you can do is to educate women so they can help themselves.”

After coming to America as a refugee, Aisha found an adoptive family in Maryland, saying of her life there now, “When I came to Maryland and met my adoptive parents, I didn’t tell my whole story to them. They just accepted me. I am surrounded by so many good people.”