ENGLISH: RAWA Statement on the anniversary of the Afghan war .CATAL:Declaraci de RAWA en l,aniversari de la guerra.

ENGLISH Version:

(Versin en cataln debajo de la versin en ingls)

RAWA Statement on the anniversary of the Afghan war

Fundamentalism is the Enemy of All Civilized Humanity

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 the US 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,tre of the backing and support extended to them by foreign forces presently dominant in the country. This was the rationale behind RAWAs 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?

The experience of RAWA 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!


Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)

CATAL :

Declaraci de RAWA en l,aniversari de la guerra.

El Fonamentalisme s l,Enemic de tota la Humanitat Civilitzada

En el decurs d,una llarga dcada el poble d,Afganistan -i les dones afganeses en particular- ha estat aixafat i martiritzat, primer sota les cadenes i atrocitats dels fonamentalistes de l"Aliana del Nord" i desprs sota les cadenes dels Taliban. Durant tot aquest perode, els governs de les potncies occidentals van entestar-se en cercar vies per "treballar conjuntament" amb aquells criminals. Aquests governs occidentals no van pedre la son davant l,opressi diria d,abjecta misria que patia el nostre poble sota el domini d,aquestes bandes terroristes. Per a ells no era gaire important que dia rera dia els Drets Humans i els principis democrtics fossin trepitjats de manera inconcebible. All que importava era "treballar conjuntament" amb els religioso-feixistes per obtenir oleoductes a l,sia Central que arribessin a ports d,embarcament accessibles.

Immediatament desprs de la tragdia de l,11 de Setembre l,exrcit nordameric es mouria per actuar penalitzant els seus antics mercenaris. Un Afganistan captiu, sagnant, pauperitzat, arrasat per la sequera i malalt va ser bombardejat fins l,oblit per la maquinria de guerra ms avenada i sofisticada mai creada en la histria humana. Vides innocents van ser arrencades, moltes ms que aquelles que es van perdre a l,atrocitat de l,11 de Setembre. Ni tan sols les joioses celebracions de noces van salvar-se,n. El rgim Taliban i el seu suport d,al-Qaeda van ser enderrocats sense danyar de consideraci els seus recursos humans en combat. All que no ha estat eliminat s l,ombra sinistra de l,amenaa terrorista sobre el mn sencer i el seu alter ego, el terrorisme fonamentalista.

Ni el cultiu de l,opi ni l,activitat dels Senyors de la Guerra han estat eradicades de l,Afganistan. No hi ha ni pau ni estabilitat a aquest pas turmentat, aix com no hi ha hagut cap alleujament de l,assot d,extrema pauperitzaci, prostituci i pillatge gratut. Les dones senten la inseguretat molt ms encara que en el passat. L,amarg fet que fins i tot el personal de seguretat del President del pas no pugui sser mantingut sense recrrer a escortes estrangers i les recents accions terroristes al pas parlen amb eloqncia sobre la catica situaci al pas guiada pel terrorisme. Per qu aix s aix? Per qu de l,ensordidor enrenou posterior a l,11 de Setembre no n,ha sortit res? Per les segents raons que RAWA ha repetit tants cops:

1. Per al poble d,Afganistan s "sortir del foc i caure a les brases". En comptes dels terroristes taliban, els terroristes yihadi de l"Aliana del Nord" s,han installat al poder. Els fonamentalistes Yihadi i els Taliban comparteixen una ideologia comuna, les seves diferncies sn les habituals entre germans de credo.

2. Per prop de dues dcades, Osama Ben Laden ha tingut fonamentalistes afganesos a la seva nmina i ha pagat als seus lders sous de consideraci. Ell i el Mull Omar, de la m d,una colla de seguidors es van equipar amb els necessaris recursos comunicatius, van poder viure molts anys sota la protecci de diferents bandes de l,Afganistan i del Pakistan i continuar conspirant contra el poble afgans i contra la resta de la Humanitat.

3. El fenomen dels Taliban i d,al-Qaeda, com a manifestacions d,una ideologia i cultura poltica que contamina un pas musulm, noms podrien haver estat desarrelades per obra d,una insurrecci popular aix com per l,enfortiment i la conquesta del poder per part de forces democrtiques laiques. Una neteja d,aquesta mena no pot limitar-se a l,eliminaci fsica de personatges com Osama o el Mull Omar.

L"Aliana del Nord" mai no podr desitjar sincerament l,eliminaci dels Taliban i al-Qaeda, perqu aquesta eliminaci significaria la fi de la seva ra d,existir, del suport i recolzament que reben de forces estrangeres actualment dominants al pas. Aquest era el raonament darrera la consigna de RAWA en el sentit d,enderrocar els Taliban i al-Qaeda per mitj d,una insurrecci popular. Dissortadament, abans que aquesta insurrecci pogus arribar, els Taliban i al-Qaeda van cedir posicions als seus germans de l"Aliana del Nord" sense prdues de consideraci.

Amb la seva segona ocupaci de Kabul, l,"Aliana del Nord" ha frustrat qualsevol esperana de canvi radical i significatiu. Ells mateixos sn la font i l,arrel de la inseguretat, la desgraciada atmsfera policial de la Loya Jirga, el terrorisme incontrolat, la mordassa de la democrcia, cruels violacions dels Drets Humans, creixent paueritzaci, prostituci i corrupci, floriment del cultiu d,opi, fracs en comenar la reconstrucci i hostes de propers mals en una llista massa llarga d,enumerar.

L,opressi i els crims contra les dones abunden al pas en diferents formes. RAWA sempre ha mantingut que l,odi enrabiat dels fonamentalistes vers les dones com a ssers vius -siguin fonamentalistes de la branca Yihadi o Taliban- no noms es deu a la seva insana educaci o a la seva ment malaltissa, sin que emana de la seva visi ideolgica reliosa-feixista. Mentre existeixi aquesta mena d,ideologia apuntalada per forces armades a la seva disposici, no es podran extirpar ni l,embogida misognia ni la legi de mals socials que hi ha associats. No s aquest un problema que pugui ressoldres amb la creaci d un "Ministeri d Afers de la Dona" ni per la presncia d,un parell de dones simbliques a altes posicions governamentals. Tenir esperana en l assoliment de la llibertat, la democrcia i la igualtat dins el marc d,un sistema corrupte, basat en la religi i etno-cntric s autoengany o hipocresia, o tot a l,hora.

No ens alegrem pel fet que s,hagin tornat a complir les prediccions de RAWA en relaci a les conseqncies del domini de l"Aliana del Nord" per segon cop. Aquelles persones que clamaven que l"Aliana del Nord" eren millor -i per tant preferibles- als Taliban han de despertar del son i demanar perd al nostre poble pel seus sermons nocius. L,establiment de la democrcia i la justcia social noms s possible enderrocant el domini fonamentalista com a condici principal. Aix no pot aconseguir-se sense una campagna organitzada i irreconciliable de les masses de dones contra el fonamentalisme, els seus agents i els seus apologetes.

Algunes entitats polticament insolvents que no tenen vergonya en servir l"Aliana del Nord" amb l,esperana d,assegurar posicions i escombrar cap a casa, etiqueten RAWA com "Maoista" o "radical" a causa de la nostres postures i visions decidides i irreconciliables. Per acs la situaci vigent prova la fallcia de les posicions de RAWA o ans al contrari bufeteja la cara dels senyors i les senyores inclinats a colludir i mentir? L,assassinat del vice-president i un ministre del gabinet aix com l,impediment d,investigar les morts, el descobriment de fosses comuns, la prohibici de cantar a les dones i de la dansa a la televisi, la censura als mitjans de comunicaci, ftues arbitrries contra dones acusades de blasfmia o apostasia, violacions en grup i expusli de dones treballant per a ONG internacionals, la desagradable de convertir en dol Ahmad Shah Massud no n,hi ha prou per adonar-se,n que la indulgncia i la permisivitat cap a aquests gossos rabiosos noms val per fer-los ms ferotges?

L,experincia de RAWA combatent el fonamentalisme, especialment en el decurs dels darrers 10 anys, ens motiva a totes per ser ms persistents en els nostres intents per mobilitzar les dones fins al ms remots indrets del nostre pas. Al mateix temps, no desistim a l,hora de perseguir una poltica irreconciliable enfront el fonamentalisme i de mantenir-nos en solidaritat amb totes les forces pro-democrcia. Creiem incondicionalment que a banda de les trgiques morts de prop de 300 innocents nordamericans i no nordamericans i la pena i el dol de desenes de milers ms, el mosntrus atac terrorista de l,11 de Setembre ha mostrat al mn la nefasta pestilncia que significa el fonamentalisme; ha mostrat al mn el tipus d,infern que viuen els pobles d,Afganistan, Iran, Algria Sudan i d,altres pasos.

El fonamentalisme s l,enemic mortal de la humanitat civilitzada; per fer-li front cal l,acci consolidada de totes les nacions amants de la llibertat al mn. L,actual "coalici mundial contra el terrorisme" ha estat desvaloritzada per innombrables ambigitats i impureses de propsits, motivacions i objectius. Les contradiccions entre els poders mundials mostraran el seu fracs. Per aix correspon als individus i les organitzacions anti-fonamentalistes treballar conjuntament per la justcia social al mn per aconseguir contenir i en darrer terme eliminar d,un cop per sempre la plaga del fonamentalisme, per tal que la tragdia de l,11 de Setembre no torni mai ms a repetir-se, ni als EUA, ni enlloc ms.

RAWA se n,orgulleix pel fet que fins avui hem estat capaces destablir contacte amb un considerable nombre d organitzacions contra el terrorisme als cinc continets i gaudir del seu suport moral i material. Tanmateix, per al propsit de reivindicar una lluita ms enrgica i eixamplada contra el terrorisme s necessari que aquesta solidaritat s estengui i es reforci. En aquest sentit estrenyem les mans de totes les persones i organitzacions que estimen la llibertat.

Voldrem aprofitar aquesta ocasi per expressar una vegada ms les nostres condolncies a totes aquelles persones que han perdut la seva gent estimada a la salvatge calamitat de l,11 de Setembre aix com a les amistats i famlies d aquells innocents compatriotes -tothom anti-Taliban i anti-"Aliana del Nord"- que van caure estripats sota els bombardejos nordamericans. Sincerament esperem que un llarg nombre d aquells afligits i dolguts pels seus ssers estimats se smuaran, tard o d hora, a les legions mobilitzades contra el feixisme fonamentalista als seus respectius pasos i a nivell internacional.

No a Al-Qaeda, no als Taliban, no a l"Aliana del Nord"!
Visca l Afganistan Lliure, Democrtic i Prsper!
Victria per a la Guerra Decisiva de les Dones Afganeses contra el Fonamentalisme i per la Democrcia!
Visca la Solidaritat Internacional contra el Terrorisme Fonamentalista!

Associaci Revolucionria de les Dones de l, Afganistan (RAWA)