Afghan MP: My country is using Islamic law to erode the rights of women

My country is using Islamic law to erode the rights of women

Malalai Joya


After six years in control, this government has proved itself to be as bad as the Taliban – in fact, it is little more than a photocopy of the Taliban. The situation in Afghanistan is getting progressively worse – and not just for women, but for all Afghans.

Our country is being run by a mafia, and while it is in power there is no hope for freedom for the people of Afghanistan. How can anyone, man or woman, enjoy basic freedoms when living under the shadow of warlords? The government was not democratically elected, and it is now trying to use the country's Islamic law as a tool with which to limit women's rights...

...The country's parliament is like a zoo, it is corrupt and chaotic. It is run by warlords who should be tried for their crimes. As the people running our country were not democratically elected, it should be no surprise that they are imposing these undemocratic sentences.

There are countless examples of human rights abuses – from rapes to imprisonments and killings. I want to raise international awareness of these issues but I have been forced to stay in Kabul after my passport was seized by the government...

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/malalai-joya-my-country-is-using-islamic-law-to-erode-the-rights-of-women-776159.html

You will not be surprised to hear that Malalai Joya was suspended from parliament for her criticism of the Western sponsored Karzai government. This article is part of the campaign to repeal the death penalty imposed on journalist Sayed Pervez Kambaksh.