Maryam Durrani was born in 1987 in Afghanistan. She studied at Payam Noor and American University of Afghanistan. She then got her degree in law and political science and organisations. Mr Durrani is from Kandahar province, a region with very old-fashioned thoughts about women. Kandahar has long been seen as the centre of the Taliban. Mr Durrani also defends the rights of Afghan women and girls. She is director of the charity Khadija Kubra Women's Association for Culture. The mission of this organisation is to help women gain leadership positions within Afghanistan. In 2012, Time Magazine named Mr Durrani one of ‘The 100 Most Influential People in the World’.