2004-04-28

RAWA DENOUNCES JEHADIS

Infoshop News

Afghan human rights activists rallied outside the U.N. offices in Pakistan Tuesday, expressing concerns about the current government and the coming elections. The protesters want Islamic fundamentalist leaders out of any powerful office. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, or RAWA, organized the demonstration outside the United Nations office in the Pakistani capital. RAWA was joined by Japanese peace activists from a group calling itself the International Criminal Tribunal.

At least 600 activists marked the 12th anniversary of the capture of Kabul by Islamic parties in 1992, by denouncing Islamic fundamentalist leaders in Afghanistan, and urging they be banned from the current post-war government and future elections. The demonstrators chanted "Death to hardliners," "Death to Taliban" and "Death to Jehadis". The RAWA leaders handed over a memorandum to the UN representative, demanding greater rights for women in Afghanistan. RAWA criticized the international community, and particularly the Untied States, for allowing some former fundamentalist Afghan leaders, with notorious records of abuses against women, to become members of the government led by interim President Hamid Karzai. The protesters demanded the removal of Defense Minister Mohammad Faheem, Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum and governor of western Herat province, Ismail Khan, so they can be tried for crimes against Afghans. Marina, a senior member of RAWA, says these men are undermin! ing efforts to improve human rights and introduce democracy in Afghanistan. "There must be a change in system, and the fundamentalists must be thrown out," she said. "If we have fundamentalists in power, there cannot be any change." She said these officials and warlords will try to influence the elections in Afghanistan to remain in power.

The RAWA leaders handed over a memorandum to the UN representative, demanding greater rights for women in Afghanistan. "The Northern Alliance, despite expressing anger, power and continuation of threats, terror, propaganda and conspiracy failed to remove the scare of crimes against our people from their dirty faces," the memorandum said. "Fahim, Ismail and Dostum are enemies of freedom and democracy," read a placard carried by some women in the demonstration as they raised slogans for greater rights in Afghanistan in Pashtu and Dari, the country's two main languages. Mohammed Fahim is Afghanistan's defense minister who maintains a private militia while Ismail Khan, a former Islamic warrior, is governor of the western Herat province and is accused of violating human rights and suppressing women. Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ally of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who heads a militia of ethnic Uzbeks. He also runs a private jail in northern Afghanistan and recently he tried to overr! un northern provinces.

The RAWA Statement read in part, "The recent incidents of Herat, Mimana and Uruzgan made it obvious to everyone that the bandits of "Northern Alliance" who have taken specific areas of Afghanistan under their control and consider them as their family property are not in a mood to give up their power and show allegiance towards any central government. For them it is crystal clear that if disarmed today, they will not have any value among their tribes, let alone among the people of Afghanistan." Further, "On the one hand different countries of the world are promising to give 8 billion dollars in aid, and on the other hand Mr.Karzai is considering the appointment of the dirtiest elements of Jehadis to important government posts as his most important task. Meanwhile they get themselves ready to loot the billions of coming dollars….. If the bloody warlords and mafias were deprived of power, this aid would have been a hope to our people for reconstruction of their homes and improv! ement of their lives. But because of this dragon "Northern Alliance" placed in key positions, the majority of the people can expect to see the collisions and ferocious battles of these thieves to get more of the share. For this reason we are against the delivery of this aid in the current situation, for ordinary people will get nothing while the warlords of "Northern Alliance" will try their best to fill their pockets and use it to strengthen themselves politically and militarily. That is why it is not surprising that the Finance Minister and the Chairman of The Afghanistan Bank express inability in giving account of billions of dollars of foreign aids to the people." The statement continues, "Mr. Karzai talks about the need of the presence of international forces for a further ten years until an effective military force can be established. But he forgets that until the main source of all problems - the virus of fundamentalism - is uprooted, no army is going to be establishe! d that will be free from the germ of fundamentalism. Even after 20 years it is certain that this country will never see reconstruction and eradication of corruption. The establishment of 80,000 armed forces with sensible generals who are not fundamentalists is possible in 3 years, provided the "Northern Alliance" is not involved… The people of the world should know that Afghanistan itself is a victim of the Taliban, Gulbuddin, Al-Qaida, their religious brothers the "Northern Alliance," terror, and insecurity… Even the barbaric Taliban never took girls and women and forced them to undergo a hospital examination to see if they have recently had sexual intercourse, but Ismael Khan, this puppet of the Iranian regime, is not immune to making such insults and humiliations against our girls in Heart. This has no parallel anywhere in the world…Additionally the brothers of this criminal Jehadi in Nangahar (Dean Muhammad and others) are beating male and female university artists in th! at province. This is not an ordinary issue and is a sign of their sympathy and harmony with the Jehadi mafias, Al-Qaida and Gulbuddin, all of whom have recently increased their terrorist actions. The joint history of terror, torture and ideology is going to tie the "Northern Alliance" unbreakably to Al- Qaida, Taliban and Gulbuddin."