One of 23 children, Fawzia Koofi grew up in a male-dominated society and went on to not only become a member of Afghanistan's Parliament but its first deputy speaker.

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Part Three of The Current

Afghan MP Fawzia Koofi

We started this segment with a clip from Fawzia Koofi. And the letter she is reading is one she wrote to her two daughters - in case she was killed. Fawzia Koofi did not die. But the fact that in her 30s she felt she needed to prepare her girls for her sudden death points to a life that is quite out of the ordinary. Many would call it improbable. Fawzia Koofi is the 19th of 23 children born in a rural mountain village in Afghanistan into a culture that favours boys.

She prevailed against those odds, has lived through years of war and instability and not only rose to become a member of the Afghan parliament but its first-ever female deputy speaker. Fawzia Koofi today remains one of Afghanistan's most prominent MPs, and has just published a memoir, Letters to my Daughters. She joined us in Toronto.

Related Links:

• Fawzia Koofi: The face of what Afghanistan could be By Susan Sachs -
  Globe and Mail
• Fawzia Koofi Support Committee Website
• An Afghan woman's life - A Politician's gripping memoir of her struggles against the Taliban By Chris Cobb - The Ottawa Citizen

Last Word - Groupon Sites

We ended the program today with a preview of something The Current's Heba Aly is working on for Monday's show. Some of you may get them in your inbox ... daily web deals on local goods and services. Groupon-style websites - and the group discount coupons they offer - have become highly popular in Canada. But the bigger they get, the more people are complaining.

Kate Raynes-Goldie is one of those people. She purchased a web group coupon for a butcher shop in Toronto, and emailed her order. But it took weeks for her to get her delivery. And she says the meat she received was poor quality. And when she called and asked for a refund, she said the store owner hung up on her. Kate Raynes-Goldie got the last word today.

Other segments from today's show:

• Opposition Leader: Jack Layton
• Peter Miliken & Letters