RAWA communiqué on the International Women's Day, March 8, 2008


Afghan women burn in the inferno of
fundamentalists and invaders



Today on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the International Women’s Day, women in the developed countries celebrate it with joy, but we still have to voice the miseries, problems and cruelties that our people and particularly women are going through in Afghanistan.

22-y Fatima's husband cut off her toes
Fatima has been abused by her husband
Women's Rights Catastrophe in Afghanistan

After the US and allies invaded Afghanistan around seven years ago, they misleadingly claimed of bringing peace and democracy and liberating Afghan women from the bleeding fetters of the Taliban. But in reality Afghan women are still burning voraciously in the inferno of fundamentalism. Women are exchanged with dogs, girls are gang-raped, men in the Jehadi-dominated society kill their wives viciously and violently, burn them by throwing hot water, cut off their nose and toes, innocent women are stoned to death and other heinous crimes are being committed. But the mafia government of Mr. Karzai is tirelessly trying to conciliate with the criminals and award medals to those who should be prosecuted for their crimes and lootings.

Unaware of the realities, some people considered the presence of tens of women in the parliament as a symbol of democracy, development, freedom and women’s rights. But it is clear now that these women are related to intelligence agencies or fundamentalist bands, are like dolls in the hands of Jehadi warlords who are calmly watching the adversity of our misfortunate women and instead of revealing and protesting against the horrible condition of women, are busy in corruption and collaboration with the sworn enemies of women’s rights and keeping their position in the parliament. If these women were truly representatives of Afghan women, they should have stood firmly beside Malalai Joya to fulfill their obligation towards our people and country with honesty and sincerity.

Saddam’s execution shook the Afghan Saddams to death as they tried hard to prevent their own similar destiny. By passing the dirty National Reconciliation bill in the parliament and formation of National Front, the fundamentalist leaders joined hands with their common-trait Khalqi and Parchami brothers to protect themselves from being brought to justice by Afghan people. Besides National Front, with the help of their so-called intellectual flunkeys they have formed a Cultural United Front against our people. These intellectuals are trying hard to whitewash and sugar-coat the criminals and through their strong propaganda machine in the media so as to portray them as democrat, progressive and freedom-loving.

If on one hand the Information Minister, Karim Khuram of Gulbuddin terrorist party, indulged in a criminal and chauvinistic act against some journalists, on the other hand the criminal “cultural” figures started a war on a few words whether to name the university in Pashto or Persian language in order to please their Iranian bosses. But both sides never speak a word about the current burning issues like insecurity, poverty, unemployment, lack of shelter, kidnappings, killing of innocent men and women by Jehadis and Taliban, death of people due to bitter cold and thousands other miseries of our people. While they are engaged in such priceless debates, they never dare to expose those responsible for the disastrous conditions of our people.

The true nature of the US “war on terror” drama has been exposed today and we witness that they are killing thousands of our innocent people under the name of “fighting terrorists” while on the other hand they are busy in dealing with the barbaric fascist Taliban trying to gloss some of them as “moderates” in order to share power with them. These treacherous acts of demagogy have revealed it once again to our people and to the world that the US government and its allies were just pursuing their strategic, economic and political gains in Afghanistan and pushing our people to increasing destitution and disasters. Installing the “Northern Alliance” brutal warlords on power and changing Afghanistan into the center of the world drug mafia, have been the first and foremost objectives of their wrong policies.

RAWA from the very first days stated that no country will grant freedom and democracy to another country and today this reality is evident to all. The US disguised the dead rats of yesterday with suits and ties thus released them like wild wolves on our people and are doing nothing about the current crimes, violation of human rights, looting of millions dollars of aid by warlords and corrupt NGOs. If the billions of dollars of aid directed in the name of reconstruction were not poured in the pockets of criminals in the parliament and cabinet, natural hazards like freezing winter would have not taken so many lives today. Even if a small portion of that money was spent for the relief of people, the life conditions of our miserable people, particularly women would have not been so tragic.

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) once again proclaims that all gloomy days and miseries of our country have roots in the existence of fundamentalist forces be it Jehadi or Taliban styles and as long as this filthy virus is not removed from the body of our country, our nation and country will never see the light of happiness and development.

We again state that although Mr. Karzai has declared that he is not in a position to bring the criminals around him to justice, but we are determined that despite many limitations and being besieged by warlords and their foreign masters, with the support of Afghan people and democratic-minded individuals and groups, we will drag the warlords and criminals of last three decades to law courts and punish them regardless of their religion and ethnic backgrounds.

Considering the above points, the celebration of the International Women’s Day has a different meaning for our women till the auspicious day of emancipation of Afghan women.

For us, the 8th March means the day to express horrifying miseries and the burning pains our women are passing through and the exposure of the criminals responsible for this catastrophe.

For us, the 8th March means the day to covenant upon the blood of the martyred women who lost their lives for the cause of freedom, women’s rights and human dignity.

8th March means the day of solidarity and standing up against fundamentalism of any kind either Jehadi or Taliban.

Finally 8th March is the day to renew our pact for establishment of freedom; democracy and justice in an Afghanistan free of fundamentalists and their foreign guardians.

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)

March 8, 2008 - Kabul



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RAWA event in Kabul on March 8, 2008



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