Bleeding Afghanistan

28-year-old Afghani parliamentarian conveys wounded state of her country

Malalai Joya, at 28 the youngest member of the Afghan legislature, argues vociferously for human rights. As a result, she has been the target of four assassination attempts, she says.

Malalai Joya, the youngest member of the Afghan Parliament, spoke on behalf of her struggle for human rights and of the corruption she sees within the Afghanistan government.

The youngest member of the Afghan Parliament brought word of the country's extreme hardship to the City College community on April 16.

Malalai Joya, 28, told the over 100 people crowded into Lillard Hall of the suffering of her people at the hands of warlords.

"The people in Afghanistan have no kind of support," she said. The men who are in power in Afghanistan claim to be Democrats, but all compromise with the warlords, according to Joya. She said warlords also control the majority of the 68 female members of Parliament.

Joya said, "I am telling them to stop compromise with these warlords. They are enemies of the women."

She thinks that it is not important for women to be in power, but that men and women need to have equal rights. The suicide rate of women in Afghanistan is higher than ever, and one out of three women are either beaten or sexually assaulted, she said.

Because of her candidness, four attempts have been made on her life, according to Joya. The parliamentarian said that journalists censor her, and Parliament sometimes shuts off her microphone while she is speaking.

"I'm just telling the truth," Joya said. "My voice is always being silenced, even inside the Parliament."

Riad Bahhur, City College's International Studies Program coordinator, said that Joya is the "most honest and genuine part of the Parliament."

She encourages "freedom-loving Democrats" in the U.S. to support Afghanistan. Joya believes that in the U.S., the younger generation is educated and has access to many facilities that the citizens of Afghanistan do not. Because of this, she encourages people to stand up against "wrong policies." Joya said the current situations in Afghanistan and Iraq are examples of "wrong policies" made by U.S. policymakers.

Joya believes that "liberation can't be donated, and it must be something achieved by the people of the country. Other countries can only give a helping hand."

President of the Peace and Justice Coalition, Hakeem Naim, was instrumental in bringing the parliamentarian to City College. She came to speak in the U.S. not for Parliament but on a personal mission. She said that Americans and the people of Afghanistan are "intimately linked" by war. Joya told the crowd she was encouraged and given strength by their support.

City College student Lerato Mathabathe said, "We need more people like her. It's overwhelming, just her willingness to risk her life for her own people stands out to me."

In the last assassination attempt, her home and office were attacked. Although her life is threatened, Joya has no desire to quit.

"I am a servant to my people," said Joya, who spoke so passionately she was sometimes moved to tears. "This is the only thing I can do for my people. I get courage from them. They are my heart; they are my everything. This is a holy job I am doing."