The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) commemorated their leader and founder’s 33rd martyrdom anniversary on February 6, 2020 in a function in Kabul. Thirty three years back, on February 4, 1987, KHAD agents collaborated with the infamous criminals of Gulbuddin’s gang, and strangled Meena and her two accomplices to death and deprived Afghanistan and especially the Afghan women, of a wise leader. After her martyrdom, Meena’s followers inspired by this sacrifice at her young age, took a solemn oath to follow her path.
The monologue of the function honored Meena’s life and called for her followers to continue her path:
“Dear sisters,
The aim of commemorating Meena’s martyrdom anniversary is to renew our oath to our great leader and all those that have sacrificed their lives in the fight for independence, justice, freedom, prosperity and for the freedom of women from manifold oppression and cruelties.
In the current situation where the Jehadi and Taliban murderers, their technocrat embezzlers and the US criminals are committing crimes and treachery; the fascist Gulbuddin is given a red carpet welcome to Kabul; where the US wants the bloodthirsty Taliban to join its circle of lackeys through the ridiculous peace process; and where poverty, terror, unemployment, refugees’ influx, drug epidemic and thousands of other excruciating hardships have become the life of our people, it is up to us and the honest followers of Meena and other freedom-fighting martyrs who fought against despotism and exploitation, to commit ourselves to the interests of the people, for the realization of our revolutionary goals and attainment of independence, freedom and building of a democratic system.”
Nahid pointed to the national issue in a Pashto speech:
“Afghanistan is not only burning in the fire of occupation and fundamentalism and poverty and ignorance but the intervention of different countries has enflamed ethnic, regional, religious divisions and separatism.
The separatists under the banner of federalism, Pashtun chauvinists and non-Pashtun nationalists have been as traitorous as the US and other neighbouring countries in creating and deepening ethnical and lingual divisions.
It is the duty of every progressive body, including RAWA, to expose and condemn these treacherous policies.”
Hajira read brief biographies of five prominent women strugglers from across the world: Arin Mirkan, a prominent commander of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) who sacrificed her life in a suicide attack against ISIS; Anuradha Ghandy, one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Indian (Maoist); Monika Ertl, the woman who bravely avenged Che Guevara’s death by killing Colonel Roberto Quintanilla; Azam Roohi Aahangarani, a prominent fighter in the Organization of Iranian People’s Fedaian; and Simone Seguin, a French resistance fighter during the Second World War. The resistance and struggle of these bright stars of the path of freedom are a symbol and model for Afghan women strugglers and inspires them in their difficult struggle.
Sara touched upon current political situation, intellectuals, elections, peace process, and the tumultuous situation of Iran in her speech. She began with:
“Our people have been burning in the inferno of occupation, invasion, barbarism, crimes, and humiliation for the past forty years and the most disastrous has been the condition of our defenceless women who didn’t just experience the roughshod riding of the Jehadis and Taliban brutes, but also lived to hear the deafening chants of “women’s rights”, “human rights” of the puppet regimes of Karzai, Ghani and Abdullah. These chants have only changed the lives of a handful of traitorous women like Sima Samar, Fawzia Koofi, Shukria Barekzai, Habiba Sarabi, Nahid Farid, Farkhunda Zahra Nadiri, Adila Raz and other NGO and Fulbright-educated women who have bowed down to the US for money and power and work to save the puppet regime led by misogynist Jehadis and Taliban, but our deprived women silently burn in the fire set by the fundamentalist criminals.
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The presence of occupiers, domination of the Jehadi-Taliban culture, the silence of women in the face of oppression has all resulted in a catastrophic patriarchy which is consistently nurtured by the fascist misogynist rulers and victimizes our women in horrific ways."
Pointing to intellectuals she said:
“The CIA-created intellectuals like Daud Sultanzoy, Malik Sitez, Nushin Arbabzadah, Daud Muradian and other cultural pawns, who serve the US with pride, see the military presence of the US as a “necessity” and speak against independence and freedom without any regard to millions of addicts, suicide attacks, terror and streams of blood running all over Afghanistan. This is the cultural treason of the US where it has recruited a large section of the educated youth, girls and boys, and intellectuals, agents of CIA and VEVAK, to serve in its NGOs and puppet government next to its other lackeys. These people have a more dangerous role than the Taliban and Jehadi leaders in their treason against our people and they should be exposed as their sworn enemies.”
Sara talked about the Afghan agents of Iran who shamelessly mourned the death of Qasim Suleimani, this Akhundi virus whose hands were soaked in the blood of the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Palestine and who committed crimes worse than the ISIS, namely Mohammad Mohaqiq, Karim Khalili, Latif Pedram, Adullah Abdullah and Dadfar Spanta. She added:
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran who have risen against their criminal regime and were brutally suppressed. It should be said that offering condolences to the families of Poya Bakhtiari, Sepeda Qulyan, Nargis Mohammadi and thousands of strugglers in the Iranian prison, without exposing the Iranian intellectuals on VEVAK payroll and their Afghan agents is meaningless.”
Sara emphasized on the importance of women’s organized and resilient struggle:
“If women become aware of their enormous power and join revolutionary and progressive organizations and fight like the Kobani lionesses who despite their mistakes and reliance on the US defeated ISIS, no enemy, no matter how bloodthirsty, would dare insult and humiliate women like Allah Gul Mujahid calling them a “tool”. No one and no foreign power and its mercenaries who have committed dozens of horrific crimes against women, can bring women freedom, equal rights, and justice.
We will no longer be deceived by the misusers of religion who say that “paradise is under the feet of mothers”. For the past forty years, there has only been hell under the feet of our mothers and we must grill these criminals in this hell. We have to push fundamentalist non-fundamentalist intellectuals like Rostar Taraki, Nabi Mosdaq, Faiz Mohammad Zaland, Ismai Yun, Abu Talib Muzaffari, Kazem Kazemi, Latif Pedram, Anwar ul Haq Ahadi, Mohaiuddin Mehdi, Karim Barahwi, Omar Zakhilwal, and younger spies like Lutfullah Najafi and Nader Naderi who threw themselves under the feet of the Taliban in Qatar the US’ order into this fire.
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Women must transform their spite into revolutionary consciousness, action and movement and become an invincible force. It has been proven that without women’s participation, no progressive movement can succeed. It is with this realization that the US is supporting and strengthening anti-women fundamentalists.”
A Pashto poem written by a young RAWA member titled “Ghach” (revenge), described her brave struggle, and was read out by a young RAWA member, Grraana.
Malalai Joya sent a recorded video message and said:
“Meena was one of the few revolutionary women in our country who raised the banner of women’s liberation in the most oppressive of times, when the darkness of the occupation and terror of fundamentalism was pressurizing and hindering our women more than ever before and with profound awareness and admirable courage sought to enlighten and organize women. This was a lasting mark from a short life.
I am proud that I was a young student of Meena in a school found by her where I gained basic knowledge that I must fight for the rights of women and freedom of my people. I was very young when Meena spoke to us about the importance of education and literacy. After many years, I came to realize that Meena had really chosen a deadly weapon without which it would be impossible for half our population to wake up and crush oppression and despotism.
The celebration of Meena's martyrdom anniversary testifies that martyr Meena is eternal. The enemy destroyed her physically but she left a progressive, humane and “RAWA” thought behind that no enemy can destroy. Let us fight against the US occupiers and their religious and non-religious lackeys of the Jehadi, Taliban and ISIS kind, and their mercenary intellectuals with the cry of 'I will never return' and a sense of responsibility and tireless efforts."
Shekib Mosadeq, renowned freedom-seeking Afghan singer, sent a recorded video message to honor Meena and dedicated a song as well.
We had received messages for Meena’s martyrdom anniversary from progressive organizations from around the world including Coordinamento Italiano Sostegno Donne Afghane Onlus (CISDA); Friends of RAWA – Japan; East Kurdistan Free Women’s Society (KJAR); Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD); Tom Block, painter of Meena’s famous poster; Reza Farmand, famous Iranian poet who has written several poems for Meena; Meera, sculptor who made Meena’s famous sculpture; Gemeinsam Kämpfen (Let's fight together); Freedom-seeking and Secular Women of Iran, Germany, and Frauenverband Courage. These were read out towards the end. Revolutionary songs were also performed.
Malalai Joya sent a recorded video message for the function.
Shekib Mosadeq, renowned freedom-seeking Afghan singer, sent a recorded video message to honor Meena and dedicated a song as well.
A short biography of Meena was presented.
The biography of Arin Mirkan being read in the function.