RAWA.org, February 8, 2014

The only path martyred Meena taught us: struggle, struggle till the end!

Speech by a young RAWA member in the function commemorating Meena's 27th martyrdom anniversary

Dear sisters, mothers, and friends,

Today, we have gathered here to remember our leader and founder. Twenty seven years back, the enemies of Afghanistan, freedom and human values, strangled Meena and her two accomplices. The enemy thought that by throttling Meena’s voice, they will silence the voice of freedom and struggle forever, or for at least a long period of time.

Although the enemy had recognized Meena as a serious threat for itself, but we can see that their perception of Meena was flawed and superficial. Meena’s value cannot be summed up in her revolutionary traits, but in her struggle and work (the establishment of an organization) which was much more valuable. 37 years back when even male-dominated organizations were scarce, Meena found the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) with a clear programme.

The importance of Meena’s work is that she established a women’s organization in Afghanistan for the first time that pulled the Afghan women out of the circle of issues that were deemed to be their specific duties. Payam-e-Zan (Women’s Message) the official publication of RAWA talked about issues other than cooking, homemaking, childcare, and being a good mother and wife. Many publications and bodies of women of that time limited political and social issues to men only but Meena changed this mindset with her voice. Meena said, “Afghan women are like sleeping lions, when awoken, they can play a wonderful role in any social revolution.” For the first time, RAWA wanted to introduce Afghan women as half of the population active inn social and political spheres. It was for this reason that RAWA’s main aim was raising the political awareness of women.

After Meena’s martyrdom, RAWA’s voice was not silenced, but grew stronger. Inspired by their leader’s blood, RAWA members continued on her path of struggling against the Russian puppet government and fundamentalist criminals. RAWA’s activities expanded and RAWA declared itself an anti-fundamentalist organization from Afghanistan in the region and the world.

Payam-e-Zan (Women’s Message) was the only Afghan publication that recorded Afghanistan’s history for a lengthy period. At a time when no publication or broadcaster mentioned the crimes and dog-eat-dog fighting between the Jehadis in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan, RAWA assigned the major part of Payam-e-Zan to reports from Afghanistan. This way RAWA recorded an important portion of our history. Today if we look at any news, report, or photo from the period of the dominance of the Jehadi pigs in Afghanistan, it belongs to RAWA. RAWA is a source of reports and documents for important international organizations like the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International as well.

During the Taliban period, RAWA was truly the only organization that worked inside Afghanistan and took huge risks to establish secret literacy courses and homeschools for women and girls. From under a burqa, RAWA members documented the crimes of the Taliban like cutting-off of body parts, hangings, stoning to death, and beating of women.

Exposing the Khadi-Jehadi writers was another duty RAWA resiliently took upon itself. RAWA introduced Wasif Bakhtari, Rahnaward Zaryab, Akram Usman, Manizha Bakhtari, Partao Naderi, Razaq Mamoon, Latif Pidram, Ishaq Nigargar, Bariq Shafi, Suleyman Layeq, and others as the spokespersons of the Russian puppet regime and fundamentalists like Gulbuddin, Sayyaf, Khalili, Mohaqiq, Ismail, Atta, and other traitors, and tore off their so-called cultural mask. RAWA drew a clear line between the revolutionary and non-revolutionary, lackey intellectuals.

RAWA wants to truly achieve women’s rights in Afghanistan. We believe this is only possible with the struggle of women. The claims of women’s rights achievements in the past 12 years by the US occupiers and their puppet government, is another one of the many white lies told. How is it possible that women’s rights are secured by the most misogynist and traitorous men like Fahim, Qanooni, Sayyaf, Ismail, Atta, Abdullah, Mohaqiq, Khalili, and tens of other brutes who have been placed in Karzai’s puppet regime?

When talking about the gains of Afghanistan in the media, US spies and lackeys claim that the situation of women has changed in the past few years of the Karzai government’s reign. The truth is that if there is a change in the situation of women it is limited to a few female parliamentarians and government officials, and a number of women who have earned large sums of money and trips abroad thanks to the NGOs and the US-created Civil Society. Majority of the Afghan women live in this hell called Afghanistan rife with poverty, addiction, domestic violence, systematic misogyny by the government, rape, and other forms of violence.

Reports by international and national organizations show that Afghan women and children are the real victims of this occupation by the US and its allies. UNAMA reports in the past few years show that women make up the highest number of those killed in NATO bombardments and suicide attacks of the medieval-minded Taliban.

In the past few years, under the shadow of the US and its fundamentalist and non-fundamentalist puppets, Afghanistan has become the most dangerous place for women. If we only consider the past six months, there are tens of shocking cases of violence and crimes against women. Two women were hung naked from a tree in Logar province; a girl was ridden with bullets in public for having illicit relations with a boy in Baghlan province; Bazar Gul, a 20-year old girl was brutally beaten up by her savage husband in Takhar province; Sitara’s nose and lips were cut off by her husband; a 9-year old and a 15-year old were raped in Baghlan; two other girls were kidnapped by the police of Baghlan and after days of being raped, both were killed. All these are just small examples of the crimes that are happening every day. Most cases do not find their way into the media. The government and its media cite culture and traditions as the main reasons for this lack of reporting; whereas, in many cases of violence and crimes against women, commanders, members of the Parliament, police officials, government officials, and their relatives are involved, and they all have, in one form or another, very close ties to Jehadi criminals. Therefore, the media is either scared or does not want to report these crimes.

Dear sisters,

We are heirs to a country that has not accepted the rule of foreigners in any situation, in any era. Our people have fought occupiers with empty hands and stomachs. Our people have never been fooled by the lies and deceptions of foreigners and their puppets. Our people brought the English empire on its knees and bravely stood against the Russian army. Russian occupiers and their traitorous Khalqi and Parchhami stooges butchered our people. We witnessed the publication of the ‘death-list’ with the names of 5,000 victims who had been killed by these criminals. This list is a small portion of the murders committed by these traitors, but also shows the bravery and resistance of our people. These 5,000 people and tens and thousands of other Afghan men and women have given their lives for the freedom of their people and homeland.

Dear sisters,

We know and the difficult experiences of the other countries are in front of us, that no nation has become prosperous under colonialism and occupation. In the past 12 years and particularly in the last few months, the stooges and mercenaries of the US have extensively propagated that the strategic pact between the US and Afghanistan should be signed, and the US murderers be allowed to continue their cruelties against our innocent people. These people have sold their honor and pride to the US in return for Dollars and power; they have ignored the blood and tears of hundreds of our compatriots who have been killed by the US and NATO bombs in Shindand, Farah, Kunar, Kapisa, Laghman, Khost, Paktia, Ghorband, and many other places. These menial spies cry that the neighboring countries, including Iran and Pakistan, will swallow us in a day if the US leaves.

Sisters, is it not shameful for us as Afghans to allow an occupier to build its bases in our homeland out of fear of aggression by other neighboring countries? Is there a bigger shame for us than to rely on a foreign force to pull us together? Bargaining on the continuation of the flow aid from the US and other imperialist countries is no more than a lie. It is well-established that the US can flood Afghanistan with Dollars just like it did a few years back. But which pain of our suffering nation will this money heal? It will only increase the sufferings. This money fills the pockets of Jehadi murderers, drug mafia, NGO mafia, and ‘experts’, so they can be further strengthened to suck out our people’s blood.

Sisters,

The only way to escape this situation is through resilient struggle with no compromise. This is the only way that martyred Meena taught us: struggle, struggle till the end, against traitors. Meena gave her life on this path. Today, once again, we take a solemn oath by Meena’s immortal sacrifice that we shall continue on her path.