Malalai Joya

7/16/2008 | 5pm - 7pm

Proclaimed the "the bravest woman in Afghanistan" by the BBC, we welcome Malalai Joya to San Francisco, CA. She is a member of Afghanistan's parliament and a true international heroine. 

Purchase tickets here for this exciting event.

Joya sprang to fame in 2003 at age 25 for speaking out against the ex-Mujahideen leaders who dominated Afghanistan's historic constitutional assembly, of which she was an elected delegate. She was called a "prostitute" and an "infidel" for having the courage to speak her mind. Joya has since survived attacks, threats of rape, four assassination attempts and now travels in Afghanistan under a burqa and with armed guards.

In 2005, Joya was elected to Afghanistan's national parliament, where as the youngest person elected, and one of the most popular, she continued to press her case for democracy and women's rights. However, in May of 2007 she was suspended for challenging her fellow representatives. Her suspension, currently being appealed, triggered international protest. She has been compared to Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's democracy movement, and continues to serve as a passionate public voice for her people.

Joya explained her commitment to the BBC: "They will kill me but they will not kill my voice, because it will be the voice of all Afghan women. You can cut the flower, but you cannot stop the coming of spring."

Omni San Francisco Hotel
500 California Street at Montgomery
San Francisco,Ca
Registration & Reception / 5:00 P.M.
Program / 6:00
Reserve Tickets by July 13, 2008

For More Information:
email: events@imow.org
call: 415.487.6447

Malalai Joya appears in conjunction with I.M.O.W.'s Women, Power and Politics online global exhibition at www.imow.org.