Excerpts, editing by Carolyn Bennett
Leading into the September 11, 2001-September 11, 2010, more from Afghan truth teller Malalai Joya, A woman among warlords
“We Afghans remain trapped between two enemies: the Taliban on the one side and US/NATO forces and their warlord hirelings on the other. We are feeling the squeeze and it is costing us in blood and tears. But the situation is not hopeless. I believe in the power of the people, and I know that there are millions of women and men standing and waiting—eager to play their role in history. Afghans have lost all patience with the corruption and violence that surround them, and they are just one spark away from an uprising that will once more demonstrate their power and show their thirst for freedom and justice.”
“The unjust and criminal occupation of Afghanistan and its puppet regime cannot last forever.
The use, abuse, and destabilization of Afghanistan by great powers and neighboring countries cannot last forever.
The domination of our country by warlords, Taliban, and their so-called intellectual lobbyists cannot last forever.
The impunity of war criminals—whether sitting in the Parliament or Kabul or at the ranch in Texas—cannot last forever.
The subjugation of women as second-class citizens cannot last forever.
The unpunished rape, abduction, murder, and mistreatment of women and girls cannot last forever.
The government and NGO corruption and embezzlement, the drug running and profiteering, all of which deny Afghans basic services such as health care and education, cannot last forever.
The terrorizing of honest journalists and the silencing of dissenting voices through violence and intimidation cannot last forever.
The suppression of the democratic and progressive people and parties in Afghanistan cannot and must not last forever.”
Entrenched policy experienced firsthand
“The people of Afghanistan can see very clearly that the warlords are supported and protected by the United States and other foreign troops. They could not continue their fascist agenda for even one day without the backing of the United States and NATO …
“Intervening against countries where governments take action against U.S. corporate interests is the policy of every president. It is, after all—militarism —imperialism—that has given the United States a dominant position in the world. Without war its empire will have no future. American foreign policy, in reality, is set; the job of the president is simply to implement it.
“If we look at the historical record, the policies of U.S. governments have been very consistent for decades. War making has been the policy of every president.…
“… Recent world events prove that ‘exporting democracy’ is just a hoax behind U.S. foreign policy.… Some of the closest allies of the United States are anything but democratic. In the Middle East, two key pillars of U.S. influence in the region are the dictatorship in Egypt and the fundamentalist monarchy in Saudi Arabia. When we analyze this record, it should not be too surprising to see the type of antidemocratic figures that the United States is propping up in positions of power in Afghanistan…
“Although the U.S./NATO forces say they are staying in Afghanistan to hunt down bin Laden and a resurgent Taliban, they might consider beginning their search in Kabul. … The new Afghan government is not only a photocopy of the Taliban, but some of the prominent figures from that former regime have been recycled and repackaged and now hold positions of power.”
This goes to show that the United States “has been less interested in destroying the Taliban than in cultivating ‘our Taliban,’ the ‘good Taliban,’ or any other ‘good’ fundamentalists who will serve their interests.…”
With a situation like this, “our country cannot stand on its own feet and will remain dependent on foreign troops.” The policy of the U.S. government “is to keep us in this situation [and] if things continue on this course, I believe the foreign powers could even lead us toward the breakup of our country along ethnic lines.… [Afghans] must fight against the disintegration of our national unity. We do not want to lose our Afghanistan.”
Terror inside out
“There are all kinds of terror in the world [Afghanistan in the past thirty years has been subjected to every kind of atrocity in the name of socialism, religion, freedom, democracy and liberation, now in the name of a ‘war on terror’ ],” Joya writes. “We live every day of our lives in the terror of endless war.”
“The ‘war on terror’ today serves as an excuse for war and intervention. As in the past, when many democratic governments were overthrown and replaced with dictatorships in the name of ‘fighting communism,’ so it is today with the language of ‘fighting terrorism.’…
“This so-called war on terror is in fact an extremely dishonest policy.” The only way this war needs to last decades is if the real purpose is for the United States and its allies to establish permanent bases to serve their strategic aims.
“To our people, the idea that the United States, with all its military might, technology, and power, could not have already defeated these medieval-minded groups—assuming that was the real American war aim—is like a bad joke. Instead, it looks like they are playing a game of cat-and-mouse in order to justify keeping their military in Afghanistan…
“What is important for the world is not whether the president is black or white, but what his ideas and his actions are. You cannot eat symbolism, and for us [U.S. President] Obama will only become a symbol of an unjust policy of war and domination if he continues down the path he has chosen to follow.”
“I believe only the people in the United States and other countries, once they understand their responsibility, can change this situation.…”
People unbowed
Afghans are more than just a handful of warlords, Taliban, drug lords, and lackeys. I have a country full of people who know what I know and believe what I believe, Joya writes.
That we Afghans can govern ourselves without foreign interference
That democracy is possible here but can never be imposed at gunpoint“With the help of peace-loving people around the world, I know that the Afghan women and men are ready to do their part to stop this cycle of misery and build a better future. The ‘war on terror’ is a dead end for the people in the Middle East, in Central Asia, and in the West. Only a great, united movement of people can put an end to this foolish policy.”
That the blood of millions of freedom-loving martyrs runs through our veins, and their memories live on in every corner of our country
That Afghan women have been at the forefront of our struggle throughout our proud history [and] they inspire us to pick up the flag and carry on the struggle for justice and freedom.
It is a battle we will never surrender.”
“Our enemies can cut down the flower, but nothing can stop the coming of the spring.…”
“Our fight for independence has gone on for centuries, and it will continue because it is a just and dignified struggle.”
“A river is made drop by drop. It is a long struggle but if we unite for justice and democracy, our people will be like a flood that no one can stop.
Social activist and politician Malalai Joya was born in Afghanistan’s remote Farah Province. She grew up in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan and is the youngest person ever to be elected to the Afghan Parliament. She was suspended from that Parliament in 2007 for continuing to denounce warlords and their cronies in government. In that year, Joya received a nomination for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Source
Her book A Woman among Warlords: The extraordinary story of an Afghan who dared to raise her voice (2009 with Derrick O'Keefe), excerpts from pages 196-210
WEEKEND NEWS
Afghanistan
Ten people died Saturday in Kandahar and more than a dozen suffered wounds in two separate attacks. Among the dead were police officers and civilians including a child [http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/09/201094161033100180.html].
Hundreds of Afghans have been unsuccessful in withdrawing money from the country’s largest bank, amid concerns that it could collapse. “The panic was sparked by reports that Kabul Bank has lent millions of dollars to members of the political elite, who used the money to make risky investments” [http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/09/20109592512818877.html].
Neighboring Pakistan
Sixty-five people died after a suicide bomb exploded in a Shia Muslim procession Friday in the Pakistani city of Quetta. More than 150 people suffered wounds. In the past three years, more than 3,660 people have died as a result of “a series of suicide attacks and bomb explosions, many of them carried out by the Taliban and other al-Qaeda-linked fighters” [http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/09/2010948413333315.html]
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