Nobody’s victim

Malalai Joya, on growing up in Afghan refugee camps (abandoned by Iran), fighting US-supported mujaheddin and later US-supported Taliban and laughing in the face of home-grown and imported chauvinism in her country. ‘I am never frightened when I tell the truth. I am truly honoured to have been vilified and threatened by the savage men who condemned our country to such misery. I feel proud that even though I have no private army, no money, and no world powers behind me, these brutal despots are afraid of me and scheme to eliminate me. […]

She has a direct message for Obama: ‘In my area, 150 people were blown up by US troops in one incident this year. If your family had been there, would you send even more troops and even more bombs? Your government is spending $18m to make another Guantanamo jail in Bagram. If your daughter might be detained there, would you be building it? Change course, or otherwise tomorrow people will call you another Bush.’

And a proverb for Hillary: ‘In Afghanistan we have a saying: the truth is like the sun. When it comes up, nobody can block it out or hide it.’ (from Adaner)