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Indybay Feature

MALALAI JOYA, of the Afghan Parliament!: "The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan" -- Berkeley

Date:
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Time:
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Event Type:
Speaker
Email:
Phone:
510-845-3815
Location Details:
WHEN: Sunday November 8, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
WHERE: Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley CA
directions & map: http://www.northbrae.org/directions.html

Also:

WHAT: CodePINK Benefit Dinner Featuring Malalai Joya
WHEN: Sun, Nov 8, 2009, 6:00 PM
WHERE: Redwood Gardens Residence Bldg, 2951 Derby St, Berkeley
directions & map: http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=2951+derby+st.++Berkeley,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=15&om=1&iwloc=addr

WHAT: A Discussion with MALALAI JOYA: "The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan"

*TWO* EVENTS IN BERKELEY ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON!:

WHEN: Sunday November 8, 2:30 - 4:30 pm
WHERE: Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley CA
http://www.gawba.org/current_actions.htm

FOR MORE INFO: call (510-845-3815) or e-mail, marpla2 [at] hotmail.com

Also:

WHAT: CodePINK Benefit Dinner Featuring: Malalai Joya
WHEN: Sun, Nov 8, 2009, 6:00 PM
WHERE: Redwood Gardens Residence Bldg, 2951 Derby St, Berkeley
http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/bayarea.php?uid=10708


“A Woman Among Warlords” with Malalai Joya, Afghan politician, at 2:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Sponsored by Grandmothers Against the War. 845-3815.

Malalai Joya has been called "the bravest woman in Afghanistan." At a constitutional assembly in Kabul in 2003, she stood up and denounced her country's powerful NATO-backed warlords. She was twenty-five years old. Two years later, she became the youngest person elected to Afghanistan's new Parliament. In 2007, she was suspended from Parliament for her persistent criticism of the warlords and drug barons and their cronies. She has survived four assassination attempts to date, is accompanied at all times by armed guards, and sleeps only in safe houses.

Often compared to democratic leaders such as Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, this extraordinary young woman was raised in the refugee camps of Iran and Pakistan. Inspired in part by her father's activism, Malalai became a teacher in secret girls' schools, holding classes in a series of basements. She hid her books under her burqa so the Taliban couldn't find them. She also helped establish a free medical clinic and orphanage in her impoverished home province of Farah. The endless wars of Afghanistan have created a generation of children without parents. Like so many others who have lost people they care about, Malalai lost one of her orphans when the girl's family members sold her into marriage.

While many have talked about the serious plight of women in Afghanistan, Malalai Joya takes us inside the country and shows us the desperate dayto-day situations these remarkable people face at every turn. She recounts some of the many acts of rebellion that are helping to change the country -- the women who bravely take to the streets in peaceful protest against their oppression; the men who step forward and claim "I am her mahram," so the fundamentalists won't punish a woman for walking alone; and the families that give their basements as classrooms for female students.

A controversial political figure in one of the most dangerous places on earth, Malalai Joya is a hero for our times, a young woman who refused to be silent, a young woman committed to making a difference in the world, no matter the cost.

http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/bayarea.php?uid=10677

http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-11-05/events

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Woman-Among-Warlords/Malalai-Joya/9781439109465

http://www.malalaijoya.com/dcmj/english/44-announcementsevents/117-a-woman-among-warlords-malalai-joya-on-book-tour-in-the-us.html


[posted by JA]

-
Added to the calendar on Sat, Nov 7, 2009 12:26PM

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Baktash (an Afghan Canadian)
I have no idea why the international community and the human rights groups around the world are fooled by Malalai Joya's story, an ordinary woman from Afghanistan. I think probably because it is easier to raise money using her as a tool. Every Afghan is a victim of the actions of the Communist Regimes, the Mujahideen groups(warlords), and the Taliban. A wise person would not be fooled by what Malalai Joya is talking about. She asks for a withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (which she calls the occupying force) from Afghanistan without ever thinking about what would happen if the withdrawal happens. She probably knows that withdrawal of the International Force would take Afghanistan back to a stage of anarchy, but she does not want to mention it because then she would not be called a Revolutionary.

The people of Afghanistan are sick and tired of revolutions. They want gradual change, but no more revolutions. People are happy that the Afghan National Army and the Police are getting their strength. People of Afghanistan know the importance of the Army and the Police and that is why they (the wise ones) support the International Security Assistance Force in helping their country build these important institutions. Every Afghan has suffered and everyone finds the Taliban, the warlords and the previous regimes their enemies. Every Afghan wants an end to the war. Every Afghan knows about the presence of corruption in Afghan government. But Afghans do not want to throw their government out and they do not want their law enforcement agencies to be dissolved. They want gradual change, not a revolution. They hate their political leaders, but they (the wise ones) have due respect for their law enforcement agencies.

When Malalai calls for a withdrawal of International Force and tell the world to "leave Afghan people alone", she is adding her voice to that of the Taliban and the warlords. She even opposes the Afghan National Army and the Police by calling them "a dollar Army". By calling the International Security Assistance Force an “occupying army”, Malalai fuels insurgency and suicide bombing in Afghanistan. She makes Afghan’s lose hope in their government and law enforcement agencies and encourages them to revolt. She cannot be a representative of the people of Afghanistan. Her reaction and attitude is a true reflection of her personal rivalries with the members of the Afghan parliament, definitely not a voice of the Afghan people and Afghan women.

To achieve peace in Afghanistan, the military support of the International Community is badly needed. The Taliban and the Warlords cannot be finished without the establishment of a strong National Army and the Police. The presence of the International Troops provides an opportunity for the Afghan National Army and the Police to get strong and take on the responsibility to enforce the laws of Afghanistan.

I do not understand why the International Community is still fooled by Malalai Joya. There is definitely something fishy here.
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