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Note: This program was originally rebroadcast on 11/05/09. Event information is outdated.

Born just three days before the Soviet invasion and occupation of her country, Malalai Joya is in many ways typical of Afghans aged 30 years or younger. They are a generation that has known only war. But in many ways Malalai Joya is an extraordinary person, as her political memoir reveals, risking her life in ways that few would, to break the silence on warlordism, violence, corruption, and occupation. Elected to the Afghan parliament in 2005 Malalai Joya became the youngest member of the body. She was chosen by her people because only months earlier she had publicly condemned the fundamentalist war criminals who were dominating Afghanistan’s new government, with the blessing of the Bush administration. Her outburst had generated international headlines and made her simultaneously beloved by her people and hated by the warlords. Her two years in office were marked by her continued courage in raising her voice whenever she could about the injustice she saw around her. In 2007 Malalai Joya was eventually suspended from the Afghan parliament by the men she exposed. Protests broke out across Afghanistan, in a nation where public demonstrations are extremely risky. Ordinary and poor people had lost their only voice in the government. Today Malalai Joya continues to speak out to whoever will listen: about the struggles of her people, the scourge of fundamentalist violence, and the devastating US/NATO occupation.

GUEST: Malalai Joya, Author of A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice, co-authored with Derrick O’Keefe.

Visit Malalai Joya’s website at www.malalaijoya.com.