Joya has always been opposed to the occupation but she has also opposed the Karzai government and the warlords. She pointed out in parliament that there were warlords with atrocious human rights records in the Karzai govt. The reward for her criticism was to be suspended from the body. Apparently such criticism violates the rules. What kind of parliament is that? She has been a thorn in the side of both the Taliban, the Warlords and the occupation forces and as a result she wears the burqa whenever she goes out to avoid being recognised and no doubt assassinated.
'Liberation was just a big lie'Outspoken Afghan MP says Canadian mission is a big waste of time
By Olivia Ward
Malalai Joya, who was in Toronto to promote her book, A Woman Among Warlords, says Canada and the United States should pull their troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. (Nov. 18, 2009)
She sleeps in safe houses, with a rotating squad of bodyguards securing the doors. She goes out only in a billowing burqa. Even her wedding was held in secret.
Elected the youngest member of the Afghan parliament – and suspended for her outspoken criticism of the country's top officials – Malalai Joya has been labelled the bravest woman in Afghanistan.
Small, soft-spoken and now 31, she has survived at least four assassination attempts and is angry at the oppressive life she is forced to lead, dodging enemies she has denounced as bloody-handed warlords and drug kingpins.
As Afghan President Hamid Karzai is inaugurated Thursday for another four years in office after a fiercely disputed election, she says his term is already tainted by the corruption, criminality and violence of those around him.
"(Prime Minister) Stephen Harper says this election was a success," she said. "But Karzai has not only insulted, but betrayed the Afghan people."
Karzai has vowed to launch anti-corruption investigations under pressure from Washington. But, Joya insists, Canada is wasting blood and treasure on keeping his government in power.
"Canada should pull its troops out now," she said in Toronto on Wednesday, where she was promoting her book A Woman Among Warlords, co-written with Canadian peace activist Derrick O'Keefe.
And, she says, U.S. President Barack Obama, who is considering a surge in troop levels to battle Al Qaeda and the Taliban, should think again.
"The United States should go, too. As long as foreign troops are in the country we will be fighting two enemies instead of one."
Yes, she says, there is a risk of civil war, as happened when the Soviet Union gave up the fight against U.S.-backed Afghan Islamists 20 years ago. But it would still be better than "night raids, torture and aerial bombardment" that killed hundreds of Afghan civilians while the Taliban made steady gains.
"Liberation was just a big lie." Joya believes Afghans are now better prepared to battle the Taliban alone – if the warlords are disarmed, and the international community helps build a society that can push back against extremism.
It is a tall order, she admits. But "resistance has increased, and people are becoming more aware of democracy and human rights. They need humanitarian and educational support."
But not, she adds, at the point of a gun.
Joya has firsthand experience with the Taliban, as well as the brutal warlords who forced her family into refugee camps after the exit of the Soviets in 1989.
As a teacher in the secret schools that educated girls – strictly banned by the Taliban – she walked around western Afghanistan at the end of the 1990s with books hidden beneath the enveloping burqa.
"Once we were stopped and searched but the burqa saved me," she recalled in her book. "They ordered me to stretch out my arms but because they did not pat me down they never found the school books."
But after the Taliban's violent repression of women, Joya says, Karzai's Afghanistan has done little to ease their plight.
Religious extremism is rife, and even a 25 per cent quota for women in parliament has produced few female politicians who are willing to fight for women's rights.
That is what makes Joya an inspiration for those who greet her tearfully on her heavily guarded visits to clinics, community groups and an orphanage she supports.
It has also made her a target for radicals, as well as the warlord factions she denounces. Since she called for the prosecution of highly placed warlords and drug smugglers in a landmark 2003 meeting on the country's constitution, the threats have not stopped.
When Joya returns to Afghanistan this month, she will resume her perilous career as a rallying point for the country's downtrodden and disenchanted – and hope she will live to see genuine change.
"It will be a long struggle," she wrote. "A river is made drop by drop ... you can kill me, but you can never kill my spirit."
Showing posts with label Malalai Joya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malalai Joya. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Afghan clerics warn Karzai against missionaries
This is from Yahoo.
This article neglects to mention that the Afghan convert who was spirited out of Afghanistan had been condemned to death, the Sharia law punishment for conversion of a Muslim to Christianity. The article also somehow has overlooked the re-establishment of the ministry of virtue and vice a prominent ministry in the Taliban regime. As Malalai Joya said:
They haven’t even bothered to change the name,” said Malalai Joya, a courageous female MP whose outspokenness means she has to travel with bodyguards and move every day because of threats to her life. Joya, 28, was physically attacked in parliament in May after she criticised warlords.
Afghan clerics warn Karzai against missionaries By Sayed Salahuddin
Sat Jan 5, 5:19 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Islamic council has told President Hamid Karzai to stop foreign aid groups from converting locals to Christianity and also demanded the reintroduction of public executions.
The council, an influential group but without binding authority, is made up of Islamic clergy and ulema (scholars) from various parts of Afghanistan and made the warning in a statement during a meeting with Karzai on Friday.
The ulema have always played a crucial role in Muslim Afghanistan and have been behind a series of revolts against past governments.
But since the ousting of Taliban's radical Islamic administration by U.S.-led troops in 2001, Afghanistan has seen an unprecedented period of freedoms.
"The council is concerned about the activities of some ... missionary and atheistic organs and considers such acts against Islamic sharia (law), the constitution, and political stability," said a copy of the statement obtained by Reuters.
"If not prevented, God forbid, catastrophe will emerge, which will not only destabilize the country, but the region and the world."
Quoting what he said were reliable sources, Ahmad Ali Jebrayeli, a member of the council and also a member of parliament, said unnamed Christian missionaries had offices in Kabul and in the provinces to convert Afghans.
"Some NGOs are encouraging them (to convert), give them books (Bibles) and promise to send them abroad," he told Reuters on Saturday.
STRONG CHRISTIAN LINKS
Numerous foreign aid groups and charities operating in Afghanistan have strong direct or indirect links to Christian organizations, but they insist they are not proselytizing.
Some 23 South Korean missionaries, were kidnapped by the Taliban last year and, amongst other things, accused of trying to convert Muslims. Two of the group were murdered before the rest, almost all women, were freed following a complex secret deal.
The conversion and spiriting out of an Afghan Christian convert following the intervention of several Western leaders and Pope Benedict in 2006 also sparked a series of protests locally.
Strict interpretations of Islam as practiced in Afghanistan treat conversions as apostasy, which is punishable by death.
The council also urged Karzai to stop local TV stations from airing Indian soap operas and movies -- enormously popular in Afghanistan -- which they said showed obscenities and scenes which threatened the morality of society.
The council also demanded a return to public executions for murderers as well as a crackdown against graft.
The Taliban, leading an insurgency against Karzai's government and foreign troops, used to publicly execute those convicted of capital crimes -- usually on Fridays after midday prayers.
While Afghanistan still has the death penalty on its books, it has been rarely been carried out since the Taliban's fall and never in public.
Karzai instructed various government departments to address the demands of the council, but stopped short of committing to change, Jebrayeli said.
"If he fails to listen to the Ulema, people will further distance themselves from the government (and) there will be more pessimism and instability," he said.
(Editing by David Fox and Bill Tarrant)
This article neglects to mention that the Afghan convert who was spirited out of Afghanistan had been condemned to death, the Sharia law punishment for conversion of a Muslim to Christianity. The article also somehow has overlooked the re-establishment of the ministry of virtue and vice a prominent ministry in the Taliban regime. As Malalai Joya said:
They haven’t even bothered to change the name,” said Malalai Joya, a courageous female MP whose outspokenness means she has to travel with bodyguards and move every day because of threats to her life. Joya, 28, was physically attacked in parliament in May after she criticised warlords.
Afghan clerics warn Karzai against missionaries By Sayed Salahuddin
Sat Jan 5, 5:19 AM ET
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Islamic council has told President Hamid Karzai to stop foreign aid groups from converting locals to Christianity and also demanded the reintroduction of public executions.
The council, an influential group but without binding authority, is made up of Islamic clergy and ulema (scholars) from various parts of Afghanistan and made the warning in a statement during a meeting with Karzai on Friday.
The ulema have always played a crucial role in Muslim Afghanistan and have been behind a series of revolts against past governments.
But since the ousting of Taliban's radical Islamic administration by U.S.-led troops in 2001, Afghanistan has seen an unprecedented period of freedoms.
"The council is concerned about the activities of some ... missionary and atheistic organs and considers such acts against Islamic sharia (law), the constitution, and political stability," said a copy of the statement obtained by Reuters.
"If not prevented, God forbid, catastrophe will emerge, which will not only destabilize the country, but the region and the world."
Quoting what he said were reliable sources, Ahmad Ali Jebrayeli, a member of the council and also a member of parliament, said unnamed Christian missionaries had offices in Kabul and in the provinces to convert Afghans.
"Some NGOs are encouraging them (to convert), give them books (Bibles) and promise to send them abroad," he told Reuters on Saturday.
STRONG CHRISTIAN LINKS
Numerous foreign aid groups and charities operating in Afghanistan have strong direct or indirect links to Christian organizations, but they insist they are not proselytizing.
Some 23 South Korean missionaries, were kidnapped by the Taliban last year and, amongst other things, accused of trying to convert Muslims. Two of the group were murdered before the rest, almost all women, were freed following a complex secret deal.
The conversion and spiriting out of an Afghan Christian convert following the intervention of several Western leaders and Pope Benedict in 2006 also sparked a series of protests locally.
Strict interpretations of Islam as practiced in Afghanistan treat conversions as apostasy, which is punishable by death.
The council also urged Karzai to stop local TV stations from airing Indian soap operas and movies -- enormously popular in Afghanistan -- which they said showed obscenities and scenes which threatened the morality of society.
The council also demanded a return to public executions for murderers as well as a crackdown against graft.
The Taliban, leading an insurgency against Karzai's government and foreign troops, used to publicly execute those convicted of capital crimes -- usually on Fridays after midday prayers.
While Afghanistan still has the death penalty on its books, it has been rarely been carried out since the Taliban's fall and never in public.
Karzai instructed various government departments to address the demands of the council, but stopped short of committing to change, Jebrayeli said.
"If he fails to listen to the Ulema, people will further distance themselves from the government (and) there will be more pessimism and instability," he said.
(Editing by David Fox and Bill Tarrant)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Malalai Joya: Warlords no better than Taliban
It seems a strange democracy where one is thrown out of parliament for criticising other parliamentarians! We are propping up corrupt warlords all in the name of "democracy". Fundamentalists still are predominant as Joya points out. Not too long ago a Muslim convert to Christianity was condemned to death but managed to be spirited out to safety in Italy.
Warlords no better than Taliban, says Afghan MP
Updated Wed. Nov. 7 2007 5:42 PM ET
Michael Stittle, CTV.ca News
As Afghan police scrambled to the scene of a bomb blast Tuesday that killed five lawmakers and dozens of children, Malalai Joya, haunted by death threats and assassination attempts in Afghanistan, sat on the other side of the world, clutching a cup of tea with her eyes cast downward.
"This is not the first suicide bomb in Afghanistan and it will not be the last," she warned. "The problem is that the victims are always innocent victims -- especially children."
She was seated in a cafeteria at the University of Toronto, dressed in a thick black coat and white scarf, far removed from the burqa she's forced to wear in Afghanistan to protect her identity and her life.
Joya, 29, came to Canada this week to speak about the two issues that have put her life in jeopardy: the plight of women in Afghanistan and the role of the warlords in President Hamid Karzai's government.
In 2005, Joya was the youngest person to win a seat in the Afghan parliament's lower house, the Wolesi Jirga (House of the People).
Her foes in parliament belong to the Northern Alliance, a faction of warlords and ethnic groups who have historically fought against the Taliban. She criticizes the warlords for being no better than their rivals -- "a photocopy," she says -- and claims they committed atrocities after the former Soviet Union left Afghanistan in 1992.
Until 1996, the ensuing power vacuum sparked infighting amongst the warlords at the cost of thousands of lives. In Kabul alone, she said, the bloodshed killed 65,000 people. Her own father, a doctor, was injured in the fighting and lost part of his leg.
"The Northern Alliance fundamentalists are mentally similar to the Taliban, but superficially they have changed to suit their power by talking about democracy and the 9/11 tragedy," Joya told CTV.ca.
"Today, they control Afghanistan. Some of them are ministers, governors, commanders or ambassadors. They control Afghanistan and our people are like hostages. The Taliban make use of the situation and become powerful. And also countries like Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Uzbekistan make use of the situation, by either supporting the Taliban or the Northern Alliance. This is the reason why the situation becomes worse day by day."
Earlier this year she bluntly told a journalist that the Afghan parliament was worse than a barn, "because at least donkeys and cows are somewhat useful."
Footage of the interview was played before her fellow MPs. On May 21, they angrily voted her out under Article 70 of the Afghan parliament's Rules and Regulations. The rule, apparently under revision at the time, states that lawmakers must not publicly criticize one another.
Joya is suspended from parliament until after the current session ends in 2010. The country's supreme court is reviewing the decision, but in the meantime, she continues to speak out against her enemies in the lower house.
"Day by day, my life has become more risky, because I don't compromise with them and I expose their mask of democracy," she said.
She claimed that demonstrations to overturn her suspension, many led by journalists in the country, were quashed by the Northern Alliance.
The best way to remove them from power, she said, is to end the U.S.-led combat operations in Afghanistan, which are protecting the current government.
"The international community will not succeed in Afghanistan, because the U.S. and its allies attacked Afghanistan under the name of liberating the country and the Afghan women, but they fought against the Taliban by supporting another bunch of terrorists," she said.
'Our people are the victims'
Joya described the situation as two giants fighting -- with the Afghan people trapped in the middle. More than 5,700 Afghans have died this year alone, according to an estimate by The Associated Press. It's the worst death toll since the Taliban were removed from power.
"On one side we have the Northern Alliance, who are pro-U.S. terrorists, and on the other side the Taliban, who are anti-U.S. terrorists. Our people are the victims," she said.
Joya has pleaded with Canada to follow a different path in Afghanistan, one that does not emphasize combat operations. She wants Ottawa to give financial help and security to democratic parties that are unable to promote themselves.
"The main message of our people for the Canadian government is this: if you really want to help the Afghan people, please act independently," she said. "Do not follow the policies of the U.S., which are the wrong policies. Please support democratic-minded people and parties. They are able to fight against fundamentalism and they are the future of Afghanistan."
Women still the big issue for Joya
On Tuesday evening, she spoke at a conference called "Women and War in Afghanistan," organized by Toronto members of the Stop the War Coalition. She sat at a table beside New Democrat MP Peggy Nash, with a bright yellow banner on the wall behind them that declared in red: "END THE OCCUPATION."
The room was about the size of a tennis court and organizers ran out of seats. A dozen young Afghan-Canadians sat on the floor next to three or four television cameras.
Joya told the audience that the situation for women in Afghanistan has yet to improve. Their life expectancy is just 45. And in the first six months of 2007, she said 250 women committed suicide.
She read out a list of the dead, sketching out how some took their lives. An 18-year-old girl hung herself because she was forced to marry a 60-year-old man.
"They see suicide as the only way to get rid of their misery," she told the crowd.
Joya read aloud an article from The New York Times dated from 1959. It was a profile of Afghanistan and described women freely leaving their homes to go to work, living independent lives from their husbands. It was written during the last period of stability in the country, when Mohammed Zahir Shah ruled as king from 1933 to 1973.
Now, Joya told the audience, most women are forced into arranged marriages, they have little access to education and almost no hope to improve their lives.
When it was time for questions from the audience, a woman asked what would happen if Canadian troops leave. Who would monitor and protect the money she had donated to schools for Afghan girls, the woman asked, calling them "my children." A man in the front interrupted her, shouting: "They are not your children, they are Afghani children!"
It was unclear whether Joya completely understood the question and a translator stepped in to help. Joya nodded her head, took the microphone and stood up. But she repeated what she had said earlier: Afghan women are no better off now than when the Taliban were removed from power, and both the Taliban and warlords must be brought to justice if there is any chance for lasting change.
It's a message Joya will continue to voice when she returns to Afghanistan, even at the cost of her life.
"If we have a democratic government, and if we have security, food and water, our people will rebuild their country," she said.
The debate was over. Joya may not get another chance to visit Canada. The majority of MPs in the Afghan parliament have asked the interior ministry to restrict her movements outside the country, and she may never be able to leave again.
Warlords no better than Taliban, says Afghan MP
Updated Wed. Nov. 7 2007 5:42 PM ET
Michael Stittle, CTV.ca News
As Afghan police scrambled to the scene of a bomb blast Tuesday that killed five lawmakers and dozens of children, Malalai Joya, haunted by death threats and assassination attempts in Afghanistan, sat on the other side of the world, clutching a cup of tea with her eyes cast downward.
"This is not the first suicide bomb in Afghanistan and it will not be the last," she warned. "The problem is that the victims are always innocent victims -- especially children."
She was seated in a cafeteria at the University of Toronto, dressed in a thick black coat and white scarf, far removed from the burqa she's forced to wear in Afghanistan to protect her identity and her life.
Joya, 29, came to Canada this week to speak about the two issues that have put her life in jeopardy: the plight of women in Afghanistan and the role of the warlords in President Hamid Karzai's government.
In 2005, Joya was the youngest person to win a seat in the Afghan parliament's lower house, the Wolesi Jirga (House of the People).
Her foes in parliament belong to the Northern Alliance, a faction of warlords and ethnic groups who have historically fought against the Taliban. She criticizes the warlords for being no better than their rivals -- "a photocopy," she says -- and claims they committed atrocities after the former Soviet Union left Afghanistan in 1992.
Until 1996, the ensuing power vacuum sparked infighting amongst the warlords at the cost of thousands of lives. In Kabul alone, she said, the bloodshed killed 65,000 people. Her own father, a doctor, was injured in the fighting and lost part of his leg.
"The Northern Alliance fundamentalists are mentally similar to the Taliban, but superficially they have changed to suit their power by talking about democracy and the 9/11 tragedy," Joya told CTV.ca.
"Today, they control Afghanistan. Some of them are ministers, governors, commanders or ambassadors. They control Afghanistan and our people are like hostages. The Taliban make use of the situation and become powerful. And also countries like Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Uzbekistan make use of the situation, by either supporting the Taliban or the Northern Alliance. This is the reason why the situation becomes worse day by day."
Earlier this year she bluntly told a journalist that the Afghan parliament was worse than a barn, "because at least donkeys and cows are somewhat useful."
Footage of the interview was played before her fellow MPs. On May 21, they angrily voted her out under Article 70 of the Afghan parliament's Rules and Regulations. The rule, apparently under revision at the time, states that lawmakers must not publicly criticize one another.
Joya is suspended from parliament until after the current session ends in 2010. The country's supreme court is reviewing the decision, but in the meantime, she continues to speak out against her enemies in the lower house.
"Day by day, my life has become more risky, because I don't compromise with them and I expose their mask of democracy," she said.
She claimed that demonstrations to overturn her suspension, many led by journalists in the country, were quashed by the Northern Alliance.
The best way to remove them from power, she said, is to end the U.S.-led combat operations in Afghanistan, which are protecting the current government.
"The international community will not succeed in Afghanistan, because the U.S. and its allies attacked Afghanistan under the name of liberating the country and the Afghan women, but they fought against the Taliban by supporting another bunch of terrorists," she said.
'Our people are the victims'
Joya described the situation as two giants fighting -- with the Afghan people trapped in the middle. More than 5,700 Afghans have died this year alone, according to an estimate by The Associated Press. It's the worst death toll since the Taliban were removed from power.
"On one side we have the Northern Alliance, who are pro-U.S. terrorists, and on the other side the Taliban, who are anti-U.S. terrorists. Our people are the victims," she said.
Joya has pleaded with Canada to follow a different path in Afghanistan, one that does not emphasize combat operations. She wants Ottawa to give financial help and security to democratic parties that are unable to promote themselves.
"The main message of our people for the Canadian government is this: if you really want to help the Afghan people, please act independently," she said. "Do not follow the policies of the U.S., which are the wrong policies. Please support democratic-minded people and parties. They are able to fight against fundamentalism and they are the future of Afghanistan."
Women still the big issue for Joya
On Tuesday evening, she spoke at a conference called "Women and War in Afghanistan," organized by Toronto members of the Stop the War Coalition. She sat at a table beside New Democrat MP Peggy Nash, with a bright yellow banner on the wall behind them that declared in red: "END THE OCCUPATION."
The room was about the size of a tennis court and organizers ran out of seats. A dozen young Afghan-Canadians sat on the floor next to three or four television cameras.
Joya told the audience that the situation for women in Afghanistan has yet to improve. Their life expectancy is just 45. And in the first six months of 2007, she said 250 women committed suicide.
She read out a list of the dead, sketching out how some took their lives. An 18-year-old girl hung herself because she was forced to marry a 60-year-old man.
"They see suicide as the only way to get rid of their misery," she told the crowd.
Joya read aloud an article from The New York Times dated from 1959. It was a profile of Afghanistan and described women freely leaving their homes to go to work, living independent lives from their husbands. It was written during the last period of stability in the country, when Mohammed Zahir Shah ruled as king from 1933 to 1973.
Now, Joya told the audience, most women are forced into arranged marriages, they have little access to education and almost no hope to improve their lives.
When it was time for questions from the audience, a woman asked what would happen if Canadian troops leave. Who would monitor and protect the money she had donated to schools for Afghan girls, the woman asked, calling them "my children." A man in the front interrupted her, shouting: "They are not your children, they are Afghani children!"
It was unclear whether Joya completely understood the question and a translator stepped in to help. Joya nodded her head, took the microphone and stood up. But she repeated what she had said earlier: Afghan women are no better off now than when the Taliban were removed from power, and both the Taliban and warlords must be brought to justice if there is any chance for lasting change.
It's a message Joya will continue to voice when she returns to Afghanistan, even at the cost of her life.
"If we have a democratic government, and if we have security, food and water, our people will rebuild their country," she said.
The debate was over. Joya may not get another chance to visit Canada. The majority of MPs in the Afghan parliament have asked the interior ministry to restrict her movements outside the country, and she may never be able to leave again.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Malalai Joya
If one of our MPs had their home bombed and survived four assasination attempts it would be news but the press here is not interested when it happens in Afghanistan even though she is standing up for democratic rights and the rights of women.
This is from the following site through Rabble.
Afghanistan: Government an 'obstacle' to progress, says MP
Rome, 12 Oct. (AKI) - One of Afghanistan's most outspoken female parliamentarians, Malalai Joya, says there is no democracy in her country and the government is an 'obstacle' to progress.
Malalai Joya, the 28-year-old from the remote western province of Farah, is the youngest member of the 249-seat National Assembly.
Visiting Rome for an international conference on women's abuse, Joya told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the country was dominated by warlords who were a power unto themselves.
"These warlords are like the Taliban, different in appearance but in the end they are the same," she told AKI. "They are dangerous because they have arms and wealth due to drugs."
In a country known for its repression of women, Joya has become a symbol of change and an advocate of women's rights. The former health worker said too many women shared the values of the warlords and were failing to advance the progress of women.
"Many women sit in the Parliament in Kabul but most of them are at the service of the 'warlords' and believe in the same values," she said.
As a result, Joya said there was disillusionment about the progress of politics in Kabul. She said the government was "not democratic" and an "obstacle to the progress of the country".
She said many, particularly young people, wanted change, but too many women had lost hope and even committed suicide in a brutal way because they could not see any other way out.
Joya appealed to Italy and other European countries to continue to press Afghanistan to introduce true democracy.
"I want to make an appeal to Italy and Europe because they support the voices that are truly democratic in my country - for me it is a commitment to make them know our real situation," she said.
The young MP has constantly spoken out against the warlords since she was elected in Afghanistan's landmark elections in 2005.
She has been subjected to many death threats for her provocative political views, surviving at least four assassination attempts and the bombing of her home.
This is from the following site through Rabble.
Afghanistan: Government an 'obstacle' to progress, says MP
Rome, 12 Oct. (AKI) - One of Afghanistan's most outspoken female parliamentarians, Malalai Joya, says there is no democracy in her country and the government is an 'obstacle' to progress.
Malalai Joya, the 28-year-old from the remote western province of Farah, is the youngest member of the 249-seat National Assembly.
Visiting Rome for an international conference on women's abuse, Joya told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the country was dominated by warlords who were a power unto themselves.
"These warlords are like the Taliban, different in appearance but in the end they are the same," she told AKI. "They are dangerous because they have arms and wealth due to drugs."
In a country known for its repression of women, Joya has become a symbol of change and an advocate of women's rights. The former health worker said too many women shared the values of the warlords and were failing to advance the progress of women.
"Many women sit in the Parliament in Kabul but most of them are at the service of the 'warlords' and believe in the same values," she said.
As a result, Joya said there was disillusionment about the progress of politics in Kabul. She said the government was "not democratic" and an "obstacle to the progress of the country".
She said many, particularly young people, wanted change, but too many women had lost hope and even committed suicide in a brutal way because they could not see any other way out.
Joya appealed to Italy and other European countries to continue to press Afghanistan to introduce true democracy.
"I want to make an appeal to Italy and Europe because they support the voices that are truly democratic in my country - for me it is a commitment to make them know our real situation," she said.
The young MP has constantly spoken out against the warlords since she was elected in Afghanistan's landmark elections in 2005.
She has been subjected to many death threats for her provocative political views, surviving at least four assassination attempts and the bombing of her home.
Suspended Afghan parliamentarian to visit Canada
The military government of Myanmar (or the now politically correct Burma apparently) is fair game and so Aung Kyi can safely be awarded honorary citizenship and other awards. This does little to help the Burmese. The Chinese are probably accomplishing more while saying very little critical of Burma. It has helped arrange what meetings there have been apparently with the UN envoy and the opposition and is no doubt pressuring the military govt. to talk with the democratic opposition. Joya on the other hand, is opposing a government that we are fighting to prop up. A government that kicked her out of the parliament for pointing out the obvious that warlords and human rights violators were part of the government! One could point out as well that we prop up a government that produces the vast majority of world heroin and opium production. A government that has even suggested that the Taliban terrorists could be part of a coalition government while our own government claims that there should be no negotiation with terrorists.
Suspended Afghan parliamentarian to visit Canada
There are no honourary citizenships on offer for those who deviate from the script that justifies Canada’s war in Afghanistan.
>by Gina Whitfield
October 24, 2007
In the Throne Speech, Stephen Harper included a promise to give honourary Canadian citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi, a move that was whole-heartedly endorsed by all parties. Who could argue, after all, against highlighting the courageous efforts of a woman who has come to symbolize the struggle for democracy against a repressive regime?
Too bad such a posture by our government stops in Burma. In Afghanistan, where Canada plays a direct military role in backing the government, the Conservatives have remained completely silent about the plight of Malalai Joya, the outspoken 29 year-old who was banned from parliament and lives under constant threat for criticizing the presence of warlords in the Karzai regime.
Five months ago in this space I noted that Harper had not a word to say about Joya’s initial suspension, and nothing has changed in this regard. Efforts by NDP critics to get a word on the matter out of Conservatives in parliamentary committees have been met with evasion and silence.
A typical example was this recent frustrating exchange in the Foreign Affairs committee:
Ms. Alexa McDonough: Mr. Speaker, if I could, we wouldn’t want the record to show that once again five ministers remained dumb as an oyster in the face of Malalai Joya’s plight, so I wonder if I could ask for a response around the status of Malalai Joya and whether it is still the government’s position that they have no comment on this grotesque, undemocratic, arbitrary suspension for having criticized the corruption and the ineffectiveness of parliament?
Hon. Peter MacKay: Some oysters have pearls, Mr. Chair. I’ll allow my pearl to the left to respond to that question.
Some hon. members: Oh, Oh!
Hon. Josée Verner: Mr. Chairman, I appreciate being given the opportunity to remind all of my colleagues of the degree of commitment of the Canadian government and my department to women and to girls. Within our world of communications, news travels fast and we have perhaps forgotten what the Taliban regime meant for women…
Mr. Verner, of course, never did respond to the question about Joya, which is pretty typical behaviour by government spokespeople.
Grassroots organizations and women’s groups around the world have, for their part, had a response to Joya’s suspension, and have mobilized in solidarity with her case. On June 21 an international day of action was organized, with rallies held in cities around the world to demand Joya be reinstated to her elected position.
Since her suspension, Joya has made a number of tours at the invitation of international supporters. In Germany last month, she gave her view of how Afghans see the foreign troops in their country. “Today we need security and liberation, but in the name of security, the foreign troops deprived us of our liberation. We need international support, but we don’t want occupation,” Joya explained.
Here in Canada, the shameful silence of our government is one of the reasons that the peace movement and feminist activists have decided to organize a visit by Malalai Joya herself. She arrives in Vancouver on October 26, and will participate in a number of events in British Columbia before visiting Toronto in early November. She will, in fact, be the featured speaker at peace rallies in both Vancouver and Victoria this weekend.
In this case as with so many before, it’s women’s rights activists themselves – already up to their necks fighting Conservative funding cuts – who have had to organize to raise awareness and to defend the basic rights of a woman under attack in a country that Canada is currently occupying. While in Ottawa government officials share some banter and a laugh, the threats against, and suspension of, a brave advocate for her people are ignored.
There are no honourary citizenships on offer for those who deviate from the script that justifies Canada’s war in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, especially during her visit over the next couple of weeks, the people of Canada have a chance – indeed a responsibility – to welcome Joya and to hear firsthand from someone who has inspired women both in Afghanistan and around the world.
Living in constant danger these past few years, Joya has remained defiant. In response to the assassination attempts, she has said, “You can cut the flower, but you cannot stop the coming of spring.” Harper and his government are, with their silence, in utter complicity with those who would cut down this woman’s voice. It’s up to the rest of us to help ensure that it gets heard.
Suspended Afghan parliamentarian to visit Canada
There are no honourary citizenships on offer for those who deviate from the script that justifies Canada’s war in Afghanistan.
>by Gina Whitfield
October 24, 2007
In the Throne Speech, Stephen Harper included a promise to give honourary Canadian citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi, a move that was whole-heartedly endorsed by all parties. Who could argue, after all, against highlighting the courageous efforts of a woman who has come to symbolize the struggle for democracy against a repressive regime?
Too bad such a posture by our government stops in Burma. In Afghanistan, where Canada plays a direct military role in backing the government, the Conservatives have remained completely silent about the plight of Malalai Joya, the outspoken 29 year-old who was banned from parliament and lives under constant threat for criticizing the presence of warlords in the Karzai regime.
Five months ago in this space I noted that Harper had not a word to say about Joya’s initial suspension, and nothing has changed in this regard. Efforts by NDP critics to get a word on the matter out of Conservatives in parliamentary committees have been met with evasion and silence.
A typical example was this recent frustrating exchange in the Foreign Affairs committee:
Ms. Alexa McDonough: Mr. Speaker, if I could, we wouldn’t want the record to show that once again five ministers remained dumb as an oyster in the face of Malalai Joya’s plight, so I wonder if I could ask for a response around the status of Malalai Joya and whether it is still the government’s position that they have no comment on this grotesque, undemocratic, arbitrary suspension for having criticized the corruption and the ineffectiveness of parliament?
Hon. Peter MacKay: Some oysters have pearls, Mr. Chair. I’ll allow my pearl to the left to respond to that question.
Some hon. members: Oh, Oh!
Hon. Josée Verner: Mr. Chairman, I appreciate being given the opportunity to remind all of my colleagues of the degree of commitment of the Canadian government and my department to women and to girls. Within our world of communications, news travels fast and we have perhaps forgotten what the Taliban regime meant for women…
Mr. Verner, of course, never did respond to the question about Joya, which is pretty typical behaviour by government spokespeople.
Grassroots organizations and women’s groups around the world have, for their part, had a response to Joya’s suspension, and have mobilized in solidarity with her case. On June 21 an international day of action was organized, with rallies held in cities around the world to demand Joya be reinstated to her elected position.
Since her suspension, Joya has made a number of tours at the invitation of international supporters. In Germany last month, she gave her view of how Afghans see the foreign troops in their country. “Today we need security and liberation, but in the name of security, the foreign troops deprived us of our liberation. We need international support, but we don’t want occupation,” Joya explained.
Here in Canada, the shameful silence of our government is one of the reasons that the peace movement and feminist activists have decided to organize a visit by Malalai Joya herself. She arrives in Vancouver on October 26, and will participate in a number of events in British Columbia before visiting Toronto in early November. She will, in fact, be the featured speaker at peace rallies in both Vancouver and Victoria this weekend.
In this case as with so many before, it’s women’s rights activists themselves – already up to their necks fighting Conservative funding cuts – who have had to organize to raise awareness and to defend the basic rights of a woman under attack in a country that Canada is currently occupying. While in Ottawa government officials share some banter and a laugh, the threats against, and suspension of, a brave advocate for her people are ignored.
There are no honourary citizenships on offer for those who deviate from the script that justifies Canada’s war in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, especially during her visit over the next couple of weeks, the people of Canada have a chance – indeed a responsibility – to welcome Joya and to hear firsthand from someone who has inspired women both in Afghanistan and around the world.
Living in constant danger these past few years, Joya has remained defiant. In response to the assassination attempts, she has said, “You can cut the flower, but you cannot stop the coming of spring.” Harper and his government are, with their silence, in utter complicity with those who would cut down this woman’s voice. It’s up to the rest of us to help ensure that it gets heard.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Dewmonstrations Against Suspension of Female Legislator
Parliament's rules prohibit legislators from criticising one another! What sort of idiotic rule is that! If Canada's legislators were suspended each time they criticised another legislator then parliament would be empty!
New protest against suspension of Afghan female MP
May 30, 2007
KABUL -- About 300 people marched through the Afghan capital Kabul Wednesday in the latest in a series of countrywide demonstrations against parliament's removal this month of an outspoken woman legislator.
Men and women, a handful of them hidden beneath blue burqas, shouted slogans in support of Malalai Joya and praised her criticism of fellow MPs who played a role in the 1992-96 civil war that left 80,000 dead in Kabul alone.
Marchers chanted "Down with fundamentalists, down with criminals who are in parliament" as they marched past offices of the United Nations and government ministries.
"She is the only person who is fighting against the warlords - these people who had killed Afghan people during their war," said one protestor, a bearded and elderly farmer named Shah Hussein, from the southern province of Kandahar.
The lower house of parliament suspended Joya, 28, May 21 until parliament is dissolved before the 2010 parliamentary elections after she was shown in a television interview comparing parliament to a stable.
Human Rights Watch said days later that while parliament's rules forbid lawmakers from criticizing one another, MPs had regularly done so without anyone else having been suspended.
Many seats of the parliament elected in 2005 are filled by former heroes of the anti-Soviet resistance accused of rights abuses and war crimes in the subsequent civil war. They are still powerful.
"Some people in parliament are against peace in Afghanistan," said a young teacher, Aria Ahmad. "She says things as they are."
A declaration distributed by organizers of the march said that parliament's "unjust action" had caused "nationwide anger."
Joya, who was elected in her home province of Farah in the 2005 parliamentary polls, was "the rightful representative of her people and no person or organization has the right to suspend her," it said.
There have been a series of small demonstrations in support of Joya in a handful of towns across the country.
New protest against suspension of Afghan female MP
May 30, 2007
KABUL -- About 300 people marched through the Afghan capital Kabul Wednesday in the latest in a series of countrywide demonstrations against parliament's removal this month of an outspoken woman legislator.
Men and women, a handful of them hidden beneath blue burqas, shouted slogans in support of Malalai Joya and praised her criticism of fellow MPs who played a role in the 1992-96 civil war that left 80,000 dead in Kabul alone.
Marchers chanted "Down with fundamentalists, down with criminals who are in parliament" as they marched past offices of the United Nations and government ministries.
"She is the only person who is fighting against the warlords - these people who had killed Afghan people during their war," said one protestor, a bearded and elderly farmer named Shah Hussein, from the southern province of Kandahar.
The lower house of parliament suspended Joya, 28, May 21 until parliament is dissolved before the 2010 parliamentary elections after she was shown in a television interview comparing parliament to a stable.
Human Rights Watch said days later that while parliament's rules forbid lawmakers from criticizing one another, MPs had regularly done so without anyone else having been suspended.
Many seats of the parliament elected in 2005 are filled by former heroes of the anti-Soviet resistance accused of rights abuses and war crimes in the subsequent civil war. They are still powerful.
"Some people in parliament are against peace in Afghanistan," said a young teacher, Aria Ahmad. "She says things as they are."
A declaration distributed by organizers of the march said that parliament's "unjust action" had caused "nationwide anger."
Joya, who was elected in her home province of Farah in the 2005 parliamentary polls, was "the rightful representative of her people and no person or organization has the right to suspend her," it said.
There have been a series of small demonstrations in support of Joya in a handful of towns across the country.
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