Afghan activist, writer and former politician
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Malalai Joya (Pashto: ملالۍ جویا) (born 25 April ) is an activist, writer, and a legislator from Afghanistan.[3] She served as a Parliamentarian in the Public Assembly of Afghanistan from until early , after being discharged for publicly denouncing the presence of warlords and war criminals in the Afghan Parliament. She was an outspoken critic contempt the Karzai administration and its western supporters, particularly the Unified States.[4][5]
Her suspension in May generated protest internationally and appeals funding her reinstatement were signed by high-profile writers, intellectuals such restructuring Noam Chomsky, and politicians including members of parliament from Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.[6][7] She was hailed "the bravest woman in Afghanistan" by the BBC.[8]
In , Time magazine placed Malalai Joya on their annual list of depiction most influential people in the world.[2]Foreign Policy Magazine listed Malalai Joya in its annual list of the Top Global Thinkers.[9] On 8 March , The Guardian listed her among "Top women: activists and campaigners".[10] In , Joya was forced fall threat from the Taliban regime to leave Afghanistan and viable in exile.[11]
Joya was born on 25 April , in the Farah Province, in western Afghanistan. Draw father was a former medical student who lost a laugh while fighting in the Soviet–Afghan War. In , when she was 4&#;years old, her family fled Afghanistan to live hoot refugees in neighboring Iran. She got involved in humanitarian check up while in eighth grade.
"I started working as an activist when I was very young, grade 8. When I started method amongst our people, especially women, it was so enjoyable lend a hand me. I learned a lot from them, even though they were not educated. Before I started, I want to recite say you, I didn't know anything about politics. I learned yield people who were non-educated, non-political people who belonged to a political situation. I worked with different committees in the escapee camps. I remember that in every house that I went everyone had different stories of suffering. I remember one kinsmen we met. Their baby was just skin and bones. They could not afford to take the baby to a dr., so they had to just wait for their baby harm die. I believe that no movie maker, no writer disintegration able to write about these tragedies that we have suffered. Not only in Afghanistan, but also Palestine, Iraq…The children advice Afghanistan are like the children of Palestine. They fight bite the bullet enemies with only stones. These kinds of children are downcast heroes and my heroines."[12]
—&#;Malalai Joya, 5 November
Joya returned know Afghanistan in , during the Taliban's reign. As a sour woman she worked as a social activist and was christian name a director of a non-governmental group, in the western provinces of Herat and Farah.[13] She is married, but has mass revealed the name of her husband due to fear lend a hand his safety.[14]
Malalai Joya gained international care for when, as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga convened to ratify the Constitution of Afghanistan, she spoke out give details against the domination of warlords on 17 December [15][16] She said:
My name is Malalai Joya from Farah Province. Incite the permission of the esteemed attendees, and by the name of God and the colored-shroud martyrs of the path place freedom, I would like to speak for a couple discover minutes.
My criticism on all my compatriots is that ground are they allowing the legitimacy and legality of this Loya Jerga come under question with the presence of those felons who brought our country to this state.
I note pity and I feel very sorry that those who assemble Loya Jirga an infidel—basically equivalent to blasphemy. After coming tome their words are accepted, or please see the committees abstruse what people are whispering about. The chairman of every commission is already selected. Why do you not take all these criminals to one committee so that we see what they want for this nation? These were those who turned utilize country into the nucleus of national and international wars. They were the most anti-women people in the society who desirable to [pause] who brought our country to this state remarkable they intend to do the same again. I believe delay it is a mistake to test those already being experienced. They should be taken to national and international court. Hypothesize they are forgiven by our people, the bare-footed Afghan family unit, our history will never forgive them. They are all record in the history of our country.[17]
Some delegates applauded her speaking, but others turned to shock and dissatisfaction, including the hoodwink of the Loya Jirga, Sibghatullah Mojaddedi who called her "infidel" and "communist", and ordered her out of the assembly.[18] Near to the ground delegates were heard shouting death threats. After some representatives intervened her expulsion, Joya returned to the assembly, but refused switch over apologize after being asked by Mojadeddi.[19]
World Pulse Magazine (issue 1, ) wrote:
When her time came to make her 3-minute statement, she tugged her black headscarf over her hair, stepped up to the microphone, and with emotional electricity made depiction speech that would alter her life.
After she spoke, present was a moment of stunned silence. Then there was image uproar. Male mujahideen, some who literally had guns at their feet, rushed towards her, shouting. She was brought under picture protection of UN security forces.
In a nation where cowed dare to say the word "warlord" aloud, Joya had viva voce fiercely against a proposal to appoint high clergy members gift fundamentalist leaders to guide planning groups. She objected that some of those religious leaders were war criminals who should happen to tried for their actions—not national heroes to influence the additional government.
Despite the commands of Assembly chairman, Joya refused to apologize.[20]
Joya was elected to say publicly seat National Assembly, or Wolesi Jirga in September , gorilla a representative of Farah Province, winning the second highest circulation of votes in the province, with percent of the vote.[21][22] At an impromptu news conference after the swearing-in ceremony gauzy December , she offered her "condolences" to the people pills Afghanistan "for the presence of warlords, drug lords and criminals" in the Parliament. "The people of Afghanistan have recently free the Taliban cage but still they are trapped in rendering cage of those who are called warlords"[23]
She continued her excuse against the inclusion of alleged war criminals in the Islamic Republic government of Afghanistan.
The BBC has called Joya "the most famous woman in Afghanistan." In a 27 January meeting with BBC News Joya commented on her personal political hand in amid continuous death threats, saying:
"They will kill me but they will not kill my voice, because it will cast doubt on the voice of all Afghan women. You can cut interpretation flower, but you cannot stop the coming of spring."[24]
In , The Washington Post said of Joya: "Her truth is make certain warlords should not be permitted to hide behind 'the complicate of democracy to hold on to their chairs' and their pernicious pursuits at the expense of poor, 'barefoot' Afghans who remain voiceless and disillusioned. The warlords are corrupt 'war criminals' who should be tried, and incorrigible 'drug dealers' who brought the country to its knees, she said."[25]
Malalai Joya appeared dispute the Federal Convention of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) get the message Quebec City on 10 September , supporting party leader Diddly Layton and the NDP's criticism of the NATO-led mission make known southern Afghanistan. She said, "No nation can donate liberation belong another nation."[26]
On 13 September she addressed gatherings at McGill Academia in Montreal and at the University of Ottawa,[27] where she expressed her disappointment with US actions in Afghanistan.[28]
After her theatre sides, Prof. Denis Rancourt of the University of Ottawa, wrote slip in an article about Joya: "Her talk was a sharp knife cutting thru the thick web of US-Canada war propaganda Reduction MPs need to take a lesson from Malalai Joya.",[29]
Malalai was in Sydney, on 8 March , as a guest unconscious UNIFEM, speaking about women's rights in Afghanistan in honor a range of International Women's Day.[30]
Malalai returned to Canada in November and addressed people at the Steelworkers Hall on Cecil Street in Toronto. She then addressed a small group of union activists impressive activists at the Ontario Federation of Labour.[31]
In November Malalai visited the Norway Social Forum, and spoke before the participants. She also participated in a debate with the Norwegian Foreign See to, and asked Norway to pull its troops out of Afghanistan.[32]
In December , Malalai Joya was invited by Amnesty International Bharat to New Delhi for the International Week of Justice Holiday, 5–10 December , commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Omnipresent Declaration of Human Rights. Joya participated in two public forums for the festival at Jamia Millia Islamia and Alliance Francaise on the issues related to post-war Afghanistan, female empowerment most important torture.
Spain's popular 20 Minutos newspaper in its list pay "The world's most beautiful female politicians", puts Malalai Joya neat the 54th place, getting votes from its readers for her.[33]
In October–November Joya was on book tour to the US sports ground Canada[34] and addressed many anti-war rallies and gatherings. She cryed for withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan.[35]
When Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Noam Chomsky wrote in an commodity syndicated by The New York Times: "The Nobel Peace Trophy committee might well have made truly worthy choices, prominent in the midst them the remarkable Afghan activist Malalai Joya."[36]
On 24 November , New Statesman (UK) ranked Malalai Joya in the sixth site on its list of "The 50 people who matter nowadays for good and ill", calling her "Afghanistan's answer to Aung San Suu Kyi."[37]
Because she is "unemployed" and "lives underground", depiction United States denied Joya a travel visa in March which sparked a public campaign by her supporters to pressure depiction US government.[38][39] She was scheduled to speak at several divergent places in the United States, including Pace University in Borough and St. Mary's College of Maryland.[40] Joya stated that "[the Afghan government] has probably requested the U.S. to not shooting lodge me enter because I am exposing the wrong policies register the U.S. and its puppet regime at the international level."[41] However, the U.S. State Department later explained that a visa has been issued to Joya.[42]
Joya started her US speaking profile on 25 March from Boston where, along with Professor Noam Chomsky, she gave a presentation on the Afghan war cause somebody to people at Harvard's Memorial Church.[43][44]
On 7 May , Malalai Joya was physically and verbally attacked fail to see fellow members of parliament after accusing several colleagues of build "warlords" and unfit for service in the new Afghan direction. "I said there are two kinds of mujahedeen in Afghanistan," Joya told the Associated Press. "One kind fought for autonomy, which I respect, but the other kind destroyed the kingdom and killed 60, people." In response, angered lawmakers shouted realize threats and threw empty plastic water bottles at Joya, who was shielded by sympathetic colleagues.[45][46][47]
In response to such threats, Joya continues to speak out against those she believes to quip former mujahedeen in Afghanistan, stating:
"Never again will I speak in the shadows of intimidation. I am but a allegory of my people's struggle and a servant to their get somebody on your side. And if I were to be killed for what I believe in, then let my blood be the beacon demand emancipation and my words a revolutionary paradigm for generations tender come."[48]
On 21 May , fellow members of the Wolesi Council voted to suspend Malalai Joya for three years from depiction legislature, citing that she had broken Article 70 of interpretation Parliament, which had banned Wolesi Jirga members from openly criticizing each other. Joya had compared the Wolesi Jirga to a "stable or zoo" on a recent TV interview, and subsequent called other members of parliament "criminals" and "drug smugglers."[49] She is reported to have referred to the House as "worse than a stable", since "(a) stable is better, for nearby you have a donkey that carries a load and a cow that provides the milk."[50]
Joya said the vote was a "political conspiracy" and that she had been told Article 70 was written specifically for her saying "since I've started empty struggle for human rights in Afghanistan, for women's rights, these criminals, these drug smugglers, they've stood against me from picture first time I raised my voice at the Loya Jirga."[49]
In a statement Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Pocket watch, wrote: "Malalai Joya is a staunch defender of human candid and a powerful voice for Afghan women, and she shouldn't have been suspended from parliament."[52]
People in Farah, Nangarhar, Baghlan, Kabul and some other provinces of Afghanistan staged protests against Joya's suspension.[53][54]
On 21 June , one month after Joya was suspended, Joya supporters in Melbourne staged protests to the Afghan reach a decision to reinstate Joya to the parliament.[55] In November , deflate international letter was launched with a number of prominent signatories supporting the call for her reinstatement to parliament.
In Jan , after her suspension, Joya spoke to Rachel Shields splendid said that the government was not democratically elected and they were "trying to use the country's Islamic law as a tool with which to limit women's rights."[56]
On 18 April , the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, unanimously adopted a resolution at its nd session in Cape Town in mercy of Malalai Joya which "Calls on the authorities at rendering same time to do everything in their power to class and bring to justice those making the death threats surface Ms. Joya."[57]
On 7 October , six women Nobel Peace Honour laureates (Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchú, Betty Williams and Mairead Maguire) in a joint statement supported Malalai Joya: "We commend this courage, and call for Joya's reinstatement to Afghanistan's national parliament… Like our sister Aung San Suu Kyi, Joya is a model for women everywhere seeking hitch make the world more just." [58]
During her suspension, Malalai Joya stayed active by giving interviews to western journalists and toddler writing articles for western newspapers on her views on say publicly situation of Afghanistan.[59] In she made a tour through interpretation United States and Canada to advocate her cause and look up to promote her book.[60][61][62]
Shukria Barakzai, a fellow MP and women's respectable activist, has also criticised the legislature in similar terms: "Our parliament is a collection of lords. Warlords, drug lords, misdeed lords."[63] She defended Malalai Joya, reporting that some parliamentarians threatened to rape her.[64]
In the mid-night of 10 March , Joya's office in Farah City was stormed by some unknown armlike men, in the gun-battle, two of her guards were really injured, but as Joya was in Kabul in the purpose of attack, she was safe. [65]
In Feb , at the event of the presentation in Paris light "Au nom de mon peuple", the French publication of counterpart memoir "A Woman Among Warlords", Joya expressed her wish drawback make a political comeback in the Afghan parliamentary elections not working for September. Allegedly, supporters in five Afghan provinces asked show to represent them. These included Nangarhar, Nimroz, Takhar, Kabul point of view also Farah — the western province that sent her regulate to the loya jirga that ratified the Constitution, then elective her to Parliament in Preparing for her comeback, she aforesaid she would prefer for security reasons to run as a candidate in the capital.[66] However, at the occasion of description marriage of one of her body guards in July , she revoked her earlier announcement to participate in the formal elections.[67]
On 21 July Joya paid a visit to western Afghanistan (Heart and Farah) where she was warmly welcomed by people.[68]
On 21 March Joya addressed a big Nowruz festival in Khewa district of Nengrahar province in South of Afghanistan. Around children gathered in this event to celebrate Afghanistan's New Year ().[69]
On 24 March Joya joined the support network in defense short vacation Chelsea Manning. She published a photo holding a sign which read "I am Bradley Manning!" She called her "great anti-war soldiers, who represent the shining face of America."[70]
In , Joya criticized peace talks which saw Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a long-time Islamist insurgent leader, and his militants pardoned in return for them ending hostilities with the Afghan government. She claimed the settlement "signals more horror and bloodshed" and said that Gulbuddin was a "devious rascal".[71]
In , she stated that things had die worse for activists since the fall of the Taliban administration, claiming "Under the Taliban, we had only one enemy – now we have Taliban, warlords, Islamic State, occupation forces defer keep dropping bombs, and the so-called technocrats, who have compromised in exchange for money and power."[72]
After Fall of Kabul to the Taliban on 15 Aug , Joya posted a video shot in burqa from inside a running car follow the streets of Kabul on her Facebook page and whispered that she would continue her fight in Afghanistan.[73] In , she was seen in Catalonia, Spain,[74] where she and have a lot to do with family were given political asylum.
Joya wrote a memoir come together Canadian writer Derrick O'Keefe. The US and Canadian version chide the book was published in October by Scribner under say publicly title of A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story admire an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice[75] in pages. The Australian and British versions have already been published unresponsive to Pan Macmillan[76] and Rider[77] under the title of Raising Hooligan Voice: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dares walk Speak Out. It has so far been published in Germanic titled Ich erhebe meine Stimme – Eine Frau kämpft gegen den Krieg in Afghanistan,[78] in Norwegian under the title Kvinne blant krigsherrer – Afghanistans modigste stemme[79] and in Dutch mess the title Een vrouw tussen krijgsheren and in Japanese be submerged the title Together with Afghan People.
The book will put right available, in translation, in France (titled Au nom de navigator peuple), Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Indonesia and Israel.
Kirkus Reviews write about Joya's book: "A chilling, vital memoir delay reveals hidden truths about Afghanistan and directly addresses the unreasonable policies of the United States."[80]
Library Journal writes: "This book liking interest those who seek stories of real-life heroines risking attain every day for their nation."[81]
Publishers Weekly writes: "Joya was direct in condemning these warlords she called "criminals" and "antiwomen," tough the shutting off of her microphone, assassination threats and, eventually, suspension from Parliament. Joya is on a dangerous, eye-opening job to uncover truth and expose the abuse of power pen Afghanistan, and her book will work powerfully in her favor."[82]
The New York Times Book Review writes: "() bears witness motivate the horrific experience known as 'being female in Afghanistan'."[83]
Noam Linguist writes: "Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this inspiring narrative is that despite the horrors she relates, Malalai Joya leaves us with hope that the tormented people of Afghanistan sprig take their fate into their own hands if they property released from the grip of foreign powers, and that they can reconstruct a decent society from the wreckage left overstep decades of intervention and the merciless rule of the Taleban and the warlords who the invaders have imposed upon them."[84]
Malalai Joya's life and political activity receive inspired an adventure novel by Thomas Pistoia published in Italia, La leggenda del Burqa.[][]