Fundamentalism
is the Enemy of All Civilized Humanity
Statement of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
On the Anniversary of the September 11 Tragedy
Dissident Voice
September 10, 2002
RAWA joins with the rest of the civilized world in
remembering the innocent lives lost on September 11th, as well as all those
others lost to terrorism and oppression throughout the world. It is with great
sadness that RAWA sees other people experiencing the pain that the women,
children and men of Afghanistan have long suffered at the hands of
fundamentalist terrorists.
For ten long years the people of Afghanistan -Afghan women
in particular- have been crushed and brutalized, first under the chains and
atrocities of the "Northern Alliance" fundamentalists, then under
those of the Taliban. During all this period, the governments of the Western
powers were bent on finding ways to "work with" these criminals.
These Western governments did not lose much sleep over the daily grind of
abject misery our people were enduring under the domination of these terrorist
bands. To them it did not matter so very much that human rights and democratic
principles were being trampled on a daily basis in an inconceivable manner.
What was important was to "work with" the religio-fascists to have
Central Asian oil pipelines extended to accessible ports of shipment.
Immediately after the September 11 tragedy American
military might moved into action to punish its erstwhile hirelings. A captive,
bleeding, devastated, hungry, pauperized, drought-stricken and ill-starred
Afghanistan was bombed into oblivion by the most advanced and sophisticated
weaponry ever created in human history. Innocent lives, many more than those
who lost their lives in the September 11 atrocity, were taken. Even joyous
wedding gatherings were not spared. The Taliban regime and its al-Qaeda support
were toppled without any significant dent in their human combat resources. What
was not done away with was the sinister shadow of terrorist threat over the whole
world and its alter ego, fundamentalist terrorism.
Neither opium cultivation nor warlordism have been
eradicated in Afghanistan. There is neither peace nor stability in this
tormented country, nor has there been any relief from the scourges of extreme
pauperization, prostitution, and wanton plunder. Women feel much more insecure
than in the past. The bitter fact that even the personal security of the
President of the country cannot be maintained without recourse to foreign
bodyguards and the recent terrorist acts in our country speak eloquent volumes
about the chaotic and terrorist-ridden situation of the country. Why is it so?
Why has the thunderous uproar in the aftermath of September 11 resulted in
nothing? For the following reasons which RAWA has reiterated time and again:
1. For the people of Afghanistan, it is "out of the
frying pan, into the fire". Instead of the Taliban terrorists, Jihadi
terrorists of the "Northern Alliance" have been installed in power.
The Jihadi and the Taliban fundamentalists share a common ideology; their
differences are the usual differences between brethren-in-creed.
2. For the past more or less twenty years, Osama bin Laden
has had Afghan fundamentalists on his payroll and has been paying their leaders
considerable stipends. He and Mullah Omar, together with a band of followers
equipped with the necessary communication resources, can live for many years
under the protection of different fundamentalist bands in Afghanistan and
Pakistan and continue to plot against the people of Afghanistan and the rest of
humankind.
3. The Taliban and the al-Qaeda
phenomena, as manifestations of an ideology and a political culture infesting
an Islamic country, could only have been uprooted by a popular insurrection and
the strengthening and coming to power of secular democratic forces. Such a
purge cannot be effected solely with the physical elimination of the likes of
Osama and Mullah Omar.
The "Northern Alliance" can never sincerely want
the total elimination of the Taliban and the al-Qaeda, as such elimination
would mean the end of the raison d'être of the backing and support extended to
them by foreign forces presently dominant in the country. This was the
rationale behind RAWA's slogan for the overthrow of the Taliban and al-Qaeda
through popular insurrection. Unfortunately, before such popular insurrection
could come about, the Taliban and al-Qaeda forfeited their positions to the
"brethren of the 'Northern Alliance'" without suffering any crippling
decimation.
With their second occupation of Kabul, the "Northern
Alliance" thwarted any hopes for a radical, meaningful change. They are
themselves now the source and root of insecurity, the disgraceful police
atmosphere of the Loya Jirga, rampant terrorism, gagging of democracy, atrocious
violations of human rights, mounting pauperization, prostitution and
corruption, the flourishing of poppy cultivation, failure of beginning to
reconstruct, and a host of further unlisted evils, too many to enumerate.
Oppression and crimes against women are rife in different
forms throughout the country. RAWA has always maintained that the
fundamentalists' rabid hatred of women as equal human beings -be they
fundamentalists of the Jihadi brand or of the Taliban one- is not due merely to
their unhealthy upbringing or morbid mind frame, but emanates from their
religio-fascistic ideological world outlook. As long as such an ideology
exists, propped up by military forces available at its disposal, neither crazed
misogyny nor a myriad of shameful social evils associated with it can be
eradicated. This is not a problem that can be dealt with by the creation of a
"Ministry of Women's Affairs" nor by the presence of a couple of
token women in high government positions. To hope for the attainment of
freedom, democracy and equality within the framework of a corrupt,
religion-based, ethno-chauvinistic system is either self-delusion or hypocrisy
-or both.
We find no happiness in the fact that RAWA's predictions in
regard to the consequences of the re-domination of the "Northern
Alliance" have once again been borne out. Those who claimed that the
"Northern Alliance" were better than, and therefore preferable to,
the Taliban must wake up and apologise to our people for their noxious sermons.
The establishment of democracy and social justice can be possible only with the
overthrow of fundamentalist domination as a prime precondition. This cannot be
achieved without an organised and irreconcilable campaign of the women masses
against fundamentalism, its agents and apologists.
Some politically bankrupt entities who have no shame in
grovelling to the "Northern Alliance" in the hope of securing
positions and feathering their nests, label RAWA as "Maoist" and
"radical" because of our decisive and irreconcilable stances and
viewpoints. But does the current situation in the country prove the fallacy of
RAWA's positions or do they give a slap in the face to the ladies and gentleman
with the penchant for being colluding and mealy-mouthed? The assassinations of
a vice president and a cabinet minister and the ban on investigating these
murders, the discovery of mass graves, the banning of women singers and artists
and showing of dancing on TV, the censorship of the media, arbitrary fatwas of
kofr and apostasy against women, gang rapes of even expatriate women working
for international NGOs, the disgusting campaign of making an idol out of Ahmad
Shah Masoud, are these not enough to bring home the realisation that indulgence
and permissiveness ! towards rabid dogs only serve to make them more ferocious?
RAWA's experience in fighting fundamentalism, particularly
during the past 10 years, motivates us to be all the more persistent in our
attempts to mobilise women even in the most remote corners of our country. At
the same time, we shall not desist from pursuing an irreconcilable policy
towards fundamentalism and standing in solidarity with all pro-democracy
forces. We staunchly believe that in addition to causing the tragic deaths of
over 3,000 innocent Americans and non-Americans and the sorrow and bereavement
of tens of thousands more, the monstrous terrorist attack of September 11
showed the world what a nefarious pestilence fundamentalism is; it showed the
world the sort of inferno the peoples of Afghanistan, Iran, Algeria, Sudan and
other such countries live in.
Fundamentalism is the mortal enemy of civilised humanity;
to address it demands the consolidated action of all freedom-loving nations of
the world. The present "world anti-terrorism coalition" has been
debased by innumerable ambiguities and impurities of purpose, motivation and
objectives. The contradictions between world powers will spell its doom.
Therefore, it behoves anti-fundamentalist individuals and organisations working
for social justice the world over to draw together without hesitation to
contain and ultimately stamp out, once and for all, the vermin of
fundamentalism, so that the tragedy of September 11 will never be repeated,
neither in America nor anywhere else.
RAWA takes pride in the fact that up till now we have been
able to establish contact with a considerable number of anti-terrorist
organisations on all five continents and enjoy their moral and material
support. However, for the purpose of waging a swifter and more encompassing
fight against terrorism, it is necessary for such solidarity to be expanded and
strengthened. In this connection we shake the hands of all freedom-loving
individuals and organisations.
We would like to avail ourselves of this opportunity to
once again extend our heartfelt condolences to all those who lost their loved
ones in the savage calamity of September 11, as well as to the friends and
families of those innocent compatriots -for all we know, anti-Taliban and
anti-"Northern Alliance"- who were blown to shreds by American aerial
bombardment. We sincerely hope that a vast number of those who are bereaved and
grieving for their loved ones will, sooner or later, join the ranks of the
legions mobilising against fundamentalist fascism in their respective countries
and on an international level.
No
to Al-Qaeda, No to the Taliban, No to the "Northern Alliance"!
Long
Live a Free, Democratic and Blossoming Afghanistan!
Victory
in the Decisive War to the Very End of Afghan Women Against
Fundamentalism
and for Democracy!
Long
Live International Solidarity Against Fundamentalist Terrorism!
RAWA,
the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, was established in
Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1977 as an independent political/social organization of
Afghan women fighting for human rights and for social justice in Afghanistan.
Website:
www.rawa.org