A Woman's Place

The beginnings of a new Afghanistan can be found in Razia Aqbalzada's classroom at the Shinbul Girl's Primary School. The blackboard has been taken over by a visiting election officer who is telling the students about the Sept. 18 vote for the country's parliament and provincial councils. But the students at the back of the room are more interested in the sudden appearance of a reporter than in how to mark a ballot. That's until their teacher slams her hand on the desk. "Why are you not listening?" she chides. "You must pay attention to how the elections will work, so...