Malalai Joya: The Bravest Women in Afghanistan?

Afghan politician Malalai Joya has been called the ‘the bravest woman in Afghanistan’. Joya, born during the Russian invasion, grew up in the refugee camps of Pakistan and Iran. When she returned to Afghanistan under Taliban rule, she became politically active setting up a covert school for girls and becoming the Director of the Organisation of Promoting Afghan Women’s Capabilities . She was elected to Parliament in 2005.

Joya is one of the few to have spoken out against the Karzai government and was banned from office by a majority vote of parliament after calling it a sanctuary for ‘warlords and theocrats’. Joya has survived five assassination attempts but remains determined to highlight abuses against women and to represent the victims of Afghanistan’s endless cycle of violence.

Joya will be discussing her new autobiography Raising My Voice, her ongoing work promoting human rights in Afghanistan, its politics and the coming election at the Frontline Club on Tuesday.

For more information: http://frontlineclub.com/events/2009/07/special-event-malalai-joya-in-conversation-with-jon-snow.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/25/afghanistan-occupation-taliban-warlords

~ by colley on July 26, 2009.