Neither Taliban Nor Jehadis,
Freedom and Democracy!

With the collapse of the puppet regime of the Khalqi and Parchami stooges on 28 April 1992, the assault of the criminal Jehadi gangs on Kabul began. In less than four years, these Jehadis set such a record of heinous crimes and atrocities that some Western observers felt justified in comparing their infamy with that of the perpetrators of the Nazi holocaust. The slaughter, ravishment and misogyny unleashed by the Jehadi groups headed by Gulbuddin, Rabanni, Sayyaf, Masood, Dostum, Khalili, Mazari and other lackeys of the brutal Iranian regime so branded the foreheads of each and every one of these bandit leaders with disgrace that no amount of foxy posturing in the garb of "pro-democracy" or "pro-human-rights" would render them respectable.

The apt slogan of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) that "April 28 more odious than April 27 [1978, day Soviet stooges seized power in Afghanistan]" speedily and with good reason become a popular buzzword. The Taliban are nothing but perpetuators of all the medievalist policies their Jehadi brothers-in-ideology proclaimed at the outset of their sanguinary domination".

RAWA takes great pride in the fact that as the only Afghan pro-democracy, anti-fundamentalist women's organization, this year too it is staging demonstrations in condemnation of the April 28 Black Day. On this occasion we reiterate the following points:

1- We urge all governments, organizations and individuals claiming to uphold the values of democracy and human rights to stop any and all political, material and moral support to the Taliban and to the Jehadis in whatever form it may be. To give preference to the Jehadi criminals over the Taliban criminals is like beating off the savage bear but welcoming the rabid dog. We strongly welcome the isolation of the Taliban, but just as strongly condemn any extension of recognition to the so-called government of Rabbani as a step contrary to the aspirations of our people.

2- If the UN and Western countries really and sincerely want to put an end to the fighting in Afghanistan, then they should

a) include the Jehadi bandits in the economic sanctions and consider them equally responsible with the Taliban in the on-going devastation of the country;
b) (and more important) put political and economic pressure on all countries and governments that continue to provide arms and funds to the Taliban and the Jehadis. This is the only way by which countries and governments the world over can prove their true friendship and goodwill to the Afghan nation and not to the worst enemies of the people of this country.

3- We once again emphatically assert that if the peace-brokering efforts of the UN, OIC, Japan or other involved countries do not stipulate and accommodate the total disarmament of the Jehadis and the Taliban, and if such efforts are mainly focused on bringing a rapprochement and understanding between these two belligerent sides, then:

a) such efforts are nothing but miserable exercises in futility inexorably doomed to failure, and
b) such endeavors will be in stark contradiction to their professed objective of securing democracy, freedom and women's rights in Afghanistan. Given the track record of carnage, perfidy and crass ignorance of these gangs and their leaders, it goes without saying that their coming together will bring nothing but further suffering and misery to the people of Afghanistan.

4- We regard the recent pronouncements by the Russian government hinting at launching strikes against Taliban bases as a malicious conspiracy hatched in the interests of its hegemonic objectives. Also, such ill-advised actions will be glaring manifestations of blatant support to the Jehadi criminals. We warn the Russian government against a fatal repetition of history. The fate of the Russian's new Jehadi lackeys will be no better than that of their defunct Khalqi and Parchami stooges.

5- We welcome the recent statement of the Canadian Foreign Minister labeling the Taliban "a gang of criminals", but would kindly caution the Minister against ignoring the criminal record of the Taliban's Jehadi rivals. Furthermore, we call on all fair-minded governments not to make the recognition of the Taliban conditional upon the lifting of some restrictions and discrimination against women. The lifting of this or that fundamentalist restriction can in no way be regarded as an indication of a change in the Taliban's innately anti-democratic and women-abhorring nature. Canada and the rest of the world must realize that until and unless the domination of fundamentalists -be they Taliban or Jehadis-is uprooted once and for all in Afghanistan, this country will continue to remain a sanctuary of terrorists, a prime breeding and training base for world terrorism and the major source of cultivation and supply of illegal narcotics the world over.

6- We invite the world conscience to an insightful look into the criminal nature and terrorist minds of denizens on the fundamentalist ideological camp against pro-democracy elements and supporters of women's rights. In its issue no. 410 dated March 2000, the weekly Omid, published from Virginia, USA, a Jehadi dummy by the name of Mohammad Elias Aized Panah names RAWA "Salman Rushdi" and "a cancerous gland" and invites "intellectuals and true religion scholars" to murder RAWA members before it is too late!

Such utterances prove for the umpteenth time that if weapons are taken away from fundamentalists, fundamentalism is rendered ideologically paralyzed and intellectually bankrupt.

7- We call upon all organizations and individuals championing freedom and justice the world over to give ear to the voice and message of RAWA and pressurize their governments to desist from any and all direct or indirect economic or political support to the Taliban or the Jehadis and not to allow the blade of Rabbani & Co. to once again stab our people in the back after the fall of the Taliban. It is high time that such organizations and individuals rose to the succor of pro-democracy and pro-women's rights organizations in Afghanistan.

8- We call on all Afghan pro-democracy and anti-fundamentalist organizations and personalities to overcome any compromising tendencies towards the religio-fascist Taliban or the Jehadis, and resolutely focus their thoughts, energies and resources on the struggle against the fundamentalists.

28 April more odious than 27 April!
Down with the Taliban and Jehadic fundamentalists!
Long live Freedom and Democracy!

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)

April 28, 2000 - Islamabad