Excerpt, minor editing by Carolyn Bennett
Afghan social activist, politician Malalai Joya
Party
In a meeting with progressive MPs, Malalai Joya says a Finnish member of the European Parliament asked about the name of her party. “I told her that my party has no name,” Joya says, “but it is a powerful party whose members are the helpless, barefoot, and hungry people of my country; … they are the ordinary people of Afghanistan. …
“They are most loyal to me and have never abandoned me. If I am still alive today, it is because of the support of this strong party, which is not in power now.”
Priorities
“…I do not want to encourage the idea prevalent in the West that the burqa is the only or the most important problem facing Afghan women.
“Without security or a justice system that protects women from rape, without employment, food, and basic services, the issue of the burqa is secondary.”
People united for good
“My goal abroad has always been the same as when I am inside Afghanistan: to unite people and to build power to destroy the domination of the warlords and the Taliban, and to end the occupation of our country.
“My wish is that this international solidarity will build strength and unity, and that when people become aware, they will rise like a storm that brings the truth.
“One voice—or even many isolated voices—is powerless; but when we weave our voices and our efforts together, we can become unbreakable.
“This movement we are weaving must come from struggles in every corner of the world:
Our voice of resistance in Afghanistan
The cries of agony of the children of Palestine
The tears for democracy denied in Burma
The young freedom-loving students of Iran
The struggle of men and women in Turkey
from whom I hear inspiring stories of bravery and courage
in the face of horrible torture and killings
in the Turkish prisons
The endeavors of Venezuela, Chile, Cuba,
Bolivia, and progressive movements in other American nations
The fight of African people for just and free societies
“Our sufferings—and enemies—are the same…. Our happiness is the same.” Malalai Joya
Source
A Woman among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice by Malalai Joya and Derrick O'Keefe (2009), pages 172, 175-176
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