Afghanistan Idol
By: Lisa Brence
Updated: March 13, 2008
Its a milestone for the post-Taliban Afghanistan. For the first time, a woman is a finalist in an "American Idol"-type competition. Lima Sahar is one of the final three on "Afghan Star," a singing competition on Afghan TV. She beat out 2,000 other hopefuls who auditioned. Sahar has faced some criticism for her involvement, but says there wont be any progress for women unless people take the steps. Until the Taliban was overthrown, women were not allowed to leave their homes unaccompanied -- and music and TV were banned. She says she has not received any threats from anyone, though. The two other finalists are men. One of the trio will be voted off on Friday. The winner will take home about $5,000 U.S.
