In this post, we wish to remember the inspirational life of Meena Keshwar Kamal who was martyred on February 4th 1987, a few weeks short of her 31st birthday. Meena was the founder of the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), which has worked with and inspired generations of Afghan women, children and their male allies since 1977, despite decades of discrimination and oppression.
The picture above is taken from the cover of the book “Meena: Heroine of Afghanistan” by Melody Ermachild Chavis. You can read many reviews of the book on Goodreads here and consider purchasing a copy through Amazon here.
Please also have a look at a summary of Meena’s life immortalised in the short video on youtube below:
For more on the current situation for women in Afghanistan, please read a piece by Human Rights Watch‘s Heather Barr called “A Crucial Moment for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan.” There is also perceptive commentary from Emma Graham-Harrison writing in the Guardian in a piece called “Forget the Geopolitics. Let’s Focus on the Human Cost of the Exit from Afghanistan.”
For a more in-depth study, please read a piece by Sima Samar, a leading Women’s Rights activist and former government minister, called “Feminism, Peace and Afghanistan”. Finally, there is a piece by Marie Clarke from Women for Women International called “Women in Afghanistan hold the key to Peace” published by Thomson Reuters Foundation.
As testimony to Meena Keshwar Kamal and the great work of RAWA, we close with a great quote from Margaret Mead, a great feminist herself, who once said:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
embrace everyone 