Special Dispatch | No. 2497 | August 20, 2009
Afghanistan/Reform Project
Afghan Politician Malalai Joya, 'Bravest Woman in Afghanistan': 'I Do Not Fear Death – I Only Fear Political Silence in the Face of Tyranny'
Afghan politician Malalai Joya, who in 2004 became the youngest person to enter the Afghan parliament and was dubbed "the bravest woman in Afghanistan" by the international media, was the subject of an August 3, 2009 article in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. The article traces her history from her first appearance at the Loya Jirga at age 24, when she challenged senior tribal and Afghan leaders; it notes that "what annoyed Malalai the most after the collapse of the Taliban regime was the support given by the U.S. and its allies to the wrong people in Afghanistan."
Currently, Joya is "touring the world to make her voice heard," promoting her soon-to-be published book A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice, and "conveying her message to decision-makers that NATO forces must pull out of Afghanistan."
The following are excerpts from the article, "Malalai Joya: Fighting the Afghan Warlords," in the original English:(1)
Speaking at the Loya Jirga, 2003
"Malalai Joya, the youngest individual to enter the Afghan parliament, who was dubbed the 'bravest woman in Afghanistan' by international media, now lives in her own country like a ghost, after being suspended from parliament in 2007 for calling the Wolesi Jirga [Afghan parliament] 'a stable or zoo.'
"Today, she tours the world to make her voice heard, promoting her recently released book [sic] and conveying her message to decision-makers that NATO forces must pull out of Afghanistan.
"Malalai Joya was barely 24 when she first caught the world’s attention by challenging senior tribal leaders and Afghan leaders at the Loya Jirga (a grand council in Afghanistan that convenes to discuss important issues on the national level). At this meeting, she stood among 500 representatives from all over the country who had gathered to vote on the new constitution in 2003, after spending days trying to convince the committee chairman to give her the right to speak.
"She accused some of her colleagues within the council of being murderers and criminals. She spoke loudly as she struggled to reach the microphone... She was also busy trying to fix her headscarf, that almost fell off her head as she stood among hundreds of bearded men who were looking daggers at her. She was shouting and demanding that criminals be tried in international courts instead of letting them determine the fate of the country.
"Joya’s words shook the council. Some members applauded her, whilst the white-bearded warlords raised their voices and called for her to be thrown out of the hall. Some of them tried to confront her. She walked out of the council meeting surrounded by others who supported her views but were too scared to say what she said. Her life has never been the same since.
"'My life changed after my speech in 2003 when I disgraced the warlords,' [she said]. She lived under maximum security protection with 12 security men guarding her wherever she went in Afghanistan.
"After spending a few days in hiding, and with help from the United Nations, she returned to the Loya Jirga, but in a different way. In her book, she says, 'I arrived in a UN vehicle and in the company of strong security men who I didn’t know. They would follow me wherever I went.'
"Nevertheless, she was not daunted by security fears. In 2005, she ran for a seat in Afghan parliament and was elected to represent her province, Farah. However, she was not able to serve her full term. She was suspended from parliament two years after being elected after being accused of openly insulting parliament."
In Parliament, 2005
"Malalai explained that when the Taliban regime first fell, the Afghans were delighted, 'but the developments that followed were extremely frustrating and disappointing.' She added, 'The corrupt warlords were everywhere, and the rule of the Taliban was replaced by fear and chaos.' As a result, she decided to push on with her rebellion, but this time against the warlords who replaced the Taliban.
"When she entered parliament in December 2005... she opened her speech by offering her condolences to the Afghan people, whilst other parliament members were expressing congratulations. But only seconds after she began her speech, the microphone into which she was speaking stopped working.
"Throughout the two years Malalai spent in parliament, this would happen time and again whenever she wanted to speak. 'The time I spent in parliament left me worn out, as I was always subjected to attacks and insults. Nobody wanted to discuss the key issues affecting our country. I felt tremendous pressure to speak up for my people, but I was never given the chance. Sometimes I would raise the red card in objection or even walk out of a session in disgust. I was always mocked and insulted, and my life was threatened by other members of the council.'
"Less than two years after entering parliament, Malalai was on a tour in the U.S., during which she gave an interview to Afghan Aryan television channel. In the televised interview, she stated that if parliament continued to operate in the same manner, people would have no choice but to call it 'a stable or a zoo.'
"Upon her return to Afghanistan, the Afghan MPs were waiting for her so that they could vote for her to be suspended from parliament and to prevent her from serving her full five-year term. She was not given the right to defend herself, nor was she allowed to speak before the vote took place..."
The U.S. "Should Back Democratic Mindsets in Afghanistan"
"It is apparent that what annoyed Malalai the most after the collapse of the Taliban regime was the support given by the U.S. and its allies to the wrong people in Afghanistan. 'They should back democratic mindsets in Afghanistan, of which we have many. This isn’t a country swarming with extremists.' She likens the 'terrorists' that they support, such as Mullah Omar and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, to some of history’s most fascist leaders; Pinochet, Mussolini and Hitler....
"Malalai insists that conditions today are now far worse than they were back then [when the Taliban first came to power]. 'When the Taliban were in power, crimes were committed against the Afghan people. But at least we knew that the perpetrators were those backward ignorant terrorists who have a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages. But today, all these crimes are being committed in the name of democracy.'...
"She believes that innocent civilians are the main victims of this war led by the US against the Taliban. In reference to statistics issued by humanitarian organizations, she points out that 'less than 2,000 elements of the Taliban were killed, while over 8,000 innocent civilians lost their lives.'"
Afghanistan's "Marital Rape Law" – "Sunni and Shia Women Have No Rights"
"Malalai says that while women breathed a small sigh of relief after the fall of the Taliban, their conditions are still bad. 'Some women in major cities like Kabul, Herat and Mazari Sharif can work and get an education. Yet the majority of those women also wear the burqa for security reasons.' She added, 'Some laws that have been enacted by the current parliament are very similar to those that were enforced by the Taliban, such as the law that forbids Shia women from going out, consulting a physician or getting a job without asking their husbands’ permission first. Even President Hamid Karzai signed that bill. Sunni and Shia women have no rights.'
"The law to which Malalai referred is the Shia Personal Status Law. It is widely known as the 'rape law.' It was given this name by the Western press because it compels a woman to have sexual intercourse with her husband unless she is sick or menstruating. This law, presented by a cleric who is considered a Shia religious leader, Mohammed Asif Mohseni, also limits the freedom of women and forces them to ask permission from their husbands before stepping out of the house. The parliament approved the legislation and it was signed by President Karzai...."
Instead Of the NATO Presence and Its Fight Against the Taliban, We Need NATO’s Withdrawal and "Support For Liberal Democrats In Our Country Rather Than Warlords"
"Malalai is convinced that Afghanistan would benefit more from NATO’s withdrawal. She is completely convinced that it is impossible to establish peace through war but, on the other hand, she realizes that Afghanistan will not be able to establish itself without the help of the international community. She said, 'We need genuine help, not an occupation force. We would like them to help us in the fields of education and health... The United Nations could help Afghanistan by preventing countries such as Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Russia from supporting the Taliban.'
"Despite the fact that Western countries invest in building schools and hospitals in Afghanistan, Malalai believes that this is still not enough... In her opinion, the only alternative to NATO’s presence and its fight against the Taliban is NATO’s withdrawal and 'support for liberal democrats in our country rather than warlords, and guaranteeing education for the Afghan people so that they can manage their own affairs. Even the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan will not change anything because the next president will be chosen behind the closed doors of the Pentagon.'
"[She said,] 'It does not matter who votes, it is those who count the votes that matter. Democrats are allowed to run for presidency, but they are never allowed to win. Instead, one puppet replaces the other." she said...
"She criticized women MPs, who make up 68 out of a total 248 MPs, as well as male MPs. 'Most of them [women] are like the men, who do not represent the Afghan people in the correct manner. They cheat and adopt the same methods. Unfortunately, gender is not important. Everyone is equal. Women enter parliament to fool the international community and play a nominal role. Democratic MPs are a minority in the parliament,' she said.
Five Assassination Attempts
"Since she began to stand up against corruption in Afghanistan, she has reportedly been exposed to at least five assassination attempts. “They always threaten to kill me, over the phone or through other indirect means. Even inside parliament, one of them once said, ‘We have expelled her, but that is not enough. We must punish her with a machine gun.’ The main reason I am still alive today is my supporters.”
"She spends a lot of her time between Afghanistan and other countries where she can voice her concerns. Before travelling abroad to promote her book, she spent four months in Afghanistan. It hurts her that the first word that comes to mind when people think of Afghanistan is 'terrorism.' This is what urged her to write her memoirs. 'We have human rights activists who died defending what they believe in, not only terrorists,' she said.
"She lives in her country hiding behind the burqa and surrounded by security men who follow her wherever she goes. She relies on her relatives and supporters to accommodate her. She sometimes changes her place of residence three or four times a week."
"I Do Not Fear Death – I Only Fear Political Silence in the Face of Tyranny"
"Malalai Joya is not her real name. She chose that name after returning to Afghanistan during the Taliban era in order to protect her family. She does not like to speak about her family because she fears for their safety. She only says that they live in Afghanistan, but not in the Farah province.
"Even the identity of her husband, who she wed in 2005, just a few months before winning her seat in parliament, is unknown. She says that before they married, he knew that her political struggle was her priority, and that she could be assassinated at any moment. Nevertheless, he married her. Sometimes he stays with her at the homes of her relatives and friends. They live lives that are far from ordinary.
"Asked whether or not she lives in fear, Malalai said, 'I do not fear death, I only fear political silence in the face of tyranny. I carry out my duty by telling the truth, and I exert every possible effort to stay safe, as I am still young and I have a lot of energy."
Endnotes:
(1) The article has been lightly edited for clarity. Subheadings added by MEMRI.
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