"[1] When the Taliban were in power, Basel defied the laws against educating women and taught English out of her home between 1996 and 2001.
[1] Her students, some of whom were wives of Taliban adherents, warned her if they knew she was going to be visited by the Ministry for the Protection of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
[2] Despite being told to respect the customs of the country she was visiting, on her return, she faced severe criticism for not always wearing a chador to cover her hair.
[2] There was controversy over whether she was fired, but Basel was recorded as saying that she left to join UNICEF to help create a juvenile justice program.
[6] Because of the lack of support systems for immigrants in the United States, she chose to move to Canada.