From Archive:

ADJMAL, A COMMENTARY BY ORZALA ASHRAF 11/4/07

Founder of HAWCA, Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan

Orzala Ashraf
Mercoledi' 11 Aprile 2007

Published in Afghanwire.com Occasional Publication on Tuesday the 10. of April 07

A three day gathering beginning on 10th April

Ajmal Naqshbandi 25, is the name of an Afghan journalist who have been slaughtered by Taliban on the 9th of April. He comes from a family to whom he has been the only bread-winner; it has been only six months that he had started his new life (he got married).
And today we are witness to heart-breaking news…the media reports: 'Shahabuddin Atal confirms that on the 9th of April at 3'o clock they have killed Ajmal Naqshbandi'….some still do not believe it, but in few hours there is a confirmation from another Taliban member. The city or perhaps the whole country is in mourning of this young man who travels to the south not to fight with any one; not to kill anyone but to guide a journalist some one who is like a mirror to the world and so he has been a victim of perhaps a dirty political game.
Needless to say that whatever we do now will not bring Ajmal back to his family and his colleagues and his country, but in order to show our anger towards this heartbreaking incident and to express our solidarity with Ajmal's family.
The members of civil society organizations including women NGOs, media organizations, the Independent Human Rights Commission were among participants of this gathering, each one brought a flower and they all left their followers in front of Ajmal's enlarged photo. Among the participants there were women and men of different age and different backgrounds. The students of university were also there to show their sympathy.
The statement released by the organizers of this gathering stated 'Ajmal was not a war hostage neither he was Kafir or foreigner so that Taliban could draw up an excuse for killing him. Although even there is no any statement based on any kind of human logic to kill those who are non-Muslim or foreigner. One of the main principles of Islam is protection of human life or the right to live and no one but Allah can take it. Neither any of the international conventions and declarations justifies such inhuman act.

The statement demanded the following:

* We the civil society members would like to share the sorrow and mourning of Ajmal's family and we want them know that we are all with them in this grief sadness;

* We request the national and international media to state their clear reaction to this inhuman act and to try and show the real faces of those perpetuators and the crimes they commit;

* We would like to request all warring factions to respect the human and civilian's life. And try not to cause any devastation to innocent people.

Ajmal's innocent martyrdom is an alarming for all of us, we need to get together and stop this hand in hand or else all our mothers and fathers should know that their the next will be their own sons or daughters. Therefore it is necessary for the government and security institutions to take this issue serious and stop all this injustices."
In addition to this, the participators have also been agreed to request the Italian newspaper "La Republica" to support Naqshbandi and the driver's families and also to commemorate a special scholarship program in the name of Ajmal Naqshbandi for training journalists in Afghanistan.
Published in: http://www.afgana.org/showart.php?id=29&rubrica=216

A post after long time!

Dear readers,

As you can see I am a lazy blogger, even to the level that I have forgotten about having this blog!! Yes, that is true.... Yesterday I commented to a very nice page, and all of sudden found myself mentioned on the list of Pashtoon women bloggers.... Wow, thank you for adding this very outdated page.... But seems perhaps such moves will make me get to this room more frequently.

I will start working on this page more...hmm if that is a promise, I think only readers in case they're interested to read what I will write will make me get to this page more regularly... otherwise, know me as a lazy blogger from Afghanistan...

Zala.

Another Malalai has followed the path of martyrdom

 Malalai is an inspiring name that Afghans across the country select

 for their daughters. This is the name of a true heroine of

 Afghanistan, who was an ordinary, simple but yet a brave woman from

 Kandahar who joined her groom on the day of her wedding to fight in

 the battle of Maiwand. Since then, this name was known in Kandahar and

 all over Afghanistan and she became a legend for the people in

 Afghanistan.

 Nevertheless, the fact that there are many Afghans who continue to

 select this name for thier daughters is a clear proof for the

 misleading and wrong judgment that Afghans do not let their women take

 part in outside house affairs, this is also a clear evidence that

 Afghans truly want their daughters to follow the path of 'Maiwand's

 Malalai' defending their land.

 Here I want to talk about the two Malalai who are the heroines of

 today's Afghanistan. The women who despite all suffering of a

 devastating war, deprivation, destruction and misfortune of all kinds,

 are not helpless and still continue to fight in their own ways.

 One is Malalai Joya who stand in front of the warlords and those who

 committed war crimes and asked for justice, knowing that she would be

 killed right away. She demanded all those who killed Afghans

 throughout the years of war to be brought to justice, yet she did this

 right in front of them, under the same tent where the Afghan

 constitution was to be approved.

 Malalai won majority of votes for the parliamentary elections and she

 is still continuing to live under a severe threat with several

 attempts to take her life.

 Malalai Kakar is indeed another heroine of today's Afghanistan who

 served for years as a woman police officer in the troublesome province

 of Kandahar, where she was born. Malalai Kakar, mother of six children

 married her husband on her own choice. Her father and brothers were

 serving as police officers, hence she was also encouraged to join the

 police force.

 I had the privilege of meeting Malalai Kakar in a national police

 women conference in Kabul's police academy where I had a talk on

 gender based violence, her performance on dealing with women's

 violence issues was exceptional and her beauty as a woman would also

 break this obtuse mind set among all those in Afghanistan who argue

 that only devastated and helpless women who are left on the streets or

 who are ugly and have no one to marry them would join the police. She

 was a determined woman who was a wife to her husband, a mother to her

 children and indeed a police officer serving her country. Her work on

 daily basis was to support those women who were abused and victimized

 by their family members or had family disputes, not only helping

 women, but as a police officer she was also negotiating among the men

 who had disputes on land, water or similar issues.

 She referred many women who could not live anymore in Kandahar due to

 their safety to Kabul and she would do whatever she could to resolve

 the conflicts and troubles women were facing.

 This morning the headline from BBC shocked me: ' Top Afghan Police

 woman shot dead', the news was about Malalai Kakar, she was

 assassinated while she was going toward her office; perhaps there were

 women waiting for her in her office to be helped; perhaps she didn't

 say goodbye to her kids, as she wouldn't know that the enemies of

 women and humanity can not stand what she was doing...

 Being from Afghanistan I am pretty much used to hear about such news

 as everyday the news from my homeland talks about some one being

 killed or kidnapped or blown up. But knowing about someone like

 Malalai has truly broken my heart. I can not believe this news, I go

 to other websites, unfortunately the news is true, Malalai has gone

 forever. Another Malalai made the history of today's Afghanistan.

 I understand she is not the first we lost and yet I am unfortunately

 certain she will  not be the last one. But I want to assure the

 killers of Malalai and the whole world that what Malalai of Maiwand

 said centuries back, is still remembered by all Afghan women and

 girls:

 Young love! If you do not fall in the battle of Maiwand,

 By God, someone is saving you as a symbol of shame!"

 "With a drop of my sweetheart's blood,

 Shed in defense of the Motherland,

 Will I put a beauty spot on my forehead,

 Such as would put to shame the rose in the garden,"

 If you are not won by your sons,

 Afghanistan, your daughters will make you win.

                                                       Orzala A.N.

                                                      29/September/2008.

I think the best way to start on this day is to start with Nadia's best expression of an Afghan woman, this poem tells alot about who is an Afghan woman, hence I start with this:

شکست زمزمه در روح شاعرانه من

نیست شوقی که زبان باز کنم، از چه بخوانم؟
من که منفور زمانم، چه بخوانم چه نخوانم
چه بگویم سخن ازشهد، که زهر است به کامم
وای از مشت ستمگر که بکوبیده دهانم
نیست غمخوار مرا در همه دنیا که بنازم
چه بگریم، چه بخندم، چه بمیرم، چه بمانم
من و این کنج اسارت، غم ناکامی و حسرت
که عبث زاده ام و مهر بیاید به دهانم
دانم ای دل که بهاران بود و موسم عشرت
من پربسته چه سازم که پریدن نتوانم
گرچه دیری است خموشم، نرود نغمه ز یادم
زان که هر لحظه به نجوا سخن از دل برهانم
یاد آن روز گرامی که قفس را بشکافم
سر برون آرم از این عزلت و مستانه بخوانم
من نه آن بید ضعیفم که ز هر باد بلرزم
دخت افغانم و برجاست که دایم به فغانم