The Canadian Peace Alliance has issued this announcement of a brief return visit by Malalai Joya. The tour comes at an important time, with exhortations coming from a number of fronts to extend Canada’s role in the military occupation of Afghanistan beyond 2011.
Malalai Joya, described as “the bravest woman in Afghanistan” is on a Canadian speaking tour, which started in Ottawa last night. Joya was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She is an outspoken critic of the NATO-led war that she says has not provided democracy and women’s rights and has taken a terrible civilian toll in her country.
Joya will be participating in The Global Conference on Human Rights in Diverse Societies at McGill University in Montreal, October 7-9. The Canadian Peace Alliance is co-sponsoring the following speaking events with Joya over the next week.
Calgary – Sunday, October 10, 3p.m. University of Calgary Room: ICT102 – 2500 University Dr. NW. Organized by the Afghan Canadian Students’ Association.
Surrey – Monday, Oct. 11: 4p.m. Room No. 3310 Simon Fraser University (SFU) Surrey Campus. Central City, 13450 102 Avenue. Organized by Fraser Valley Peace Counci.
Vancouver – Tuesday, Oct. 12: 3p.m. at UBC with Kevin Neish at St. John’s College, Fairmont Social Lounge, 2111 Lower Mall at University Blvd; and 7p.m. until late at W2 Storyeum with Kevin Neish and more, 151 W. Cordova (Between Cambie and Abbott). This event will be live webcast on rabbletv.
Toronto – Wednesday, October 13: 7p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor Street West
Toronto – York University, Oct. 14: 6:00pm – 9:00pm. The York Federation of Students presents Xpressions Against Oppression, featuring Malalai Joya. Vari Hall A – York University. 4700 Keele Street.
Malalai Joya last visited Canada in November 2009, when she warned against the Obama administration’s escalation of the war in Afghanistan. Joya is strongly opposed to any extension of Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2011.
Speaking about the recent elections in Afghanistan, Joya states: “Elections in Afghanistan are no longer fooling anyone… Afghans can now see clearly that democracy will never come through elections in an occupied country where guns and money have the first and last word. To call what we have in Afghanistan democracy is nothing more than a bad joke.”
On women’s rights Joya emphasizes that the war has not ended the suffering of Afghan women: “Crimes against women have been increasing year after year, in part because warlords and fundamentalists of all stripes have seen that they have impunity to assault women…. This goes on because anti-women ideologues control Afghanistan’s judiciary – and this happened in front of the eyes of the U.S., the UN and NATO at the Loya Jirga. After almost a decade, military occupation has not brought any semblance of women’s rights to Afghanistan.”
For more information, visit the website of the Canadian Peace Alliance.
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