Customer Reviews

Veiled Courage: Inside the Afghan Women's Resistance

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was touched by the determination of the women represented in this book towards improving their lives and the lives of their children. Their intelligence, bravery, and desire/hope for a better future shines thru. This is the book's strongest point.

Where this books seriously suffers is in it's gross generalizations concerning Afghan society (men, in particular), a serious lack of the larger cultural context in which this all occurred and is still occurring, and her basic ignorance of these things. In addition, how can one logically, based on three interviews, conclude that "many" or "most" Afghan men feel a specific way about something? Where does the issue of tribalism and tribal conflict play a role in the ever-shifting political landscape, thus the status of women? She doesn't even raise the issue of Shi'a and Sunni Islam in her definitions of fundamentalism. All of these issues play a huge part in the history, present, and future of Afghan women. I also take issue w/ the generalization the "nothing has ever happened so bad in the history of mankind" take...not only is that arguable, but besides the point. It simply distracts the reader from the subject at hand.

While reading this book, I had to constantly remind myself that the Taliban only took power in 1996, yet RAWA existed since 1977. This, of course, means (or strongly implies) that the status of women in Afghanistan was a major concern FAR before the Taliban came into power....in fact, this predates the Soviet era. Why isn't the 19 years of RAWA's history PRIOR to the Talibs given more dicussion, since RAWA itself is supposed to be the books primary subject? This situation in Afghanistan, like every other similar situation, didn't happen in a vacuum, but came about thru a series of events and is based in the history, cultures, and religions of the people in question. Those factors needed to be explored w/ far greater depth for this book to be effective, IMHO.

This book is best when the women are allowed to speak for themselves w/o the author's "spin". From the women themselves, one can get some idea of the frustrations and complexities that these particular women are living w/ on a daily basis. Benard's take on the situation is emotional and feminist w/in the "Western" context which prevented her from exploring some of the more culturally subtle aspects of her subject. For example...most of the women she interviewed were over 30 (which means that they were theoretically allowed to attend school legally in their youth), yet only now are they learning to read and write. Obviously one takes into account that wars have interrupted studies, but what of their families and their husbands? Did it escape her notice that most of these women were married as teeangers (ages of oldest children indicate) and that it would have been their husbands that made or highly influenced these decisions? That at this point, the wives/daughters husbands were STILL only receiving eduication because the husbands allowed this? Several women mention that their husbands were in sympathy and supported their RAWA work. What does this imply and what of those RAWA women whose husbands/families DON'T support them? This doesn't indicate, nor does she supply, proof of her claims that "most"/"many" Afghan men are in sympathy for RAWA's aims.

All in all, this book is far too lacking in background facts about the various cultures, political history, religious schisms, and based on far too may of the author's (unsupported) generalizations, etc...for one to get a clear idea as to how this happened, how to improve the present situation, and most importantly, how to prevent it from happening again. In short, this author was blinded by the burq'uah.

I would recommend reading the RAWA site itself rather than (or perhaps, in addition to) this book. It answers many of the questions left unanswered in this book (including the American/Coaliiton's impact on the situation) and many more. One can get a much broader idea of the complexities of the situation facing Afghan women and the hopes/fears for the future. This book paints a very simplistic and largely biased impression.

I very much sympathize with the feministic enthusiasm of the book and share the authors' view that RAWA is probably the only Afghan organization which truly fights for women's rights.

However, the book suffers from a certain "vacuum" of information on one particularly interesting point: What is RAWA's attitude towards the developments after September 11th? Although the book, even its German original version, did not appear before 2002, the authors succeed in avoinding this point almost completely. The answer to the above question can easily be found out on RAWA's web site and other items under the link "RAWA documents" on their home page. The omission of this aspect of RAWA's political identity makes the book somewhat incomplete. The fact that one of the authors' husband is a member of the National Security Council, according to the book's description on amazon.com, may provide an explanation for this strange vacuum.

...In the events that followed the September 11th attacks, the world was not only challenged by a growing threat from international terrorism, it was also faced with alarming reality: the gross inequality of women around the world. As a voice that has been virtually silenced since the late 70's, the plea of Afghan women have been, to a great extent, ignored by the international community.
In one of the first groundbreaking accounts about the plight of Afghan women under fundamentalist rule, Cheryl Benard - popular academic and a member of the National Security Council under Condoleezza Rice - sheds an inspiring light on the Afghan women's movement. Known as RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan), the women (and men) of this "post-modern" resistance movement have waged a clandestine attack on religious fundamentalism in Afghanistan, which has been responsible for some of the most brutal subordination of women that the world has ever seen.
Using the burqa - the very garment which was supposed to delegitimize, desexualize, and essentially dehumanize the Afghan female - the women of RAWA secretly filmed Taliban atrocities, risking torture and execution, in efforts of exposing the terror that was forced upon the people of Afghanistan. Working mainly out of Pakistan, the organization is decentralized but maintains a high degree of structure in order for RAWA to sustain its covert operations in and out of Afghanistan. As a result, these graphic images forced policy makers to rethink their approach to Afghanistan and, as well, it forced the world to respond to a tragedy, which had been hiding under the silence of the burqa.
"How could the most backward country in the world have produced one of the most daring women's movement in the world?" Benard proposes that the Taliban's implementation of "Gender Apartheid" was a direct factor in sowing the seeds of resistance. What Benard found, was not only a visceral female hate for the Taliban, but also a large dissatisfaction amongst the male citizenry whom, in many cases, were disgusted with the actions of the Taliban government as well. It was clear that the yearning for resistance existed throughout Afghan society, however the only trouble was keeping the resistance at a level of secrecy that could not be penetrated by the ever watchful eyes of the Taliban.
As Bernad explains, this was the genius of RAWA. Operating in autonomous cells, RAWA has created a vast network of underground channels of resistance. Embracing the technology of the internet, RAWA has also marketed their cause to the world, gathering massive support from Vladivostok to Vermont, even scoring an hour on Oprah.
This quote from an Afghan woman, sadly sums up what RAWA is so intent on fighting,
"Each one of our days is more bitter than you can imagine. Under the fundamentalists, a women is less than a bird in a cage. A bird at least is allowed to sing, but according to them, it is a sin for anyone even to hear our voice."
Through this book, Benard has "done a major service to Afghan women and women everywhere by letting the caged bird sing."...

I'm all for RAWA, but this book is so badly written and poorly edited that were it not a class requirement, I would have chucked it after the first chapter. I'm near the end now, and Benard has just compared governing a country to playing SimCity. It's hard to focus on the dire situation of these women when the book continually draws attention to itself with such blatantly stupid writing.

This book provides less insight than the RAWA website (...), and very little background information. Not only that, but the website features RAWA's activities since Sept 11th - barely mentioned here - including its continuing fight against oppression. Nope, it wasn't the Taliban who instituted "gender apartheid" (though they wholeheartedly embraced it), and things aren't all nice and rosy now they're "gone". Women are still being arrested for walking outside without a chaperone, and being forced to endure humiliating public gynecological exams to prove their chastity; and life goes on just as it did under the Taliban. Things were bad before, bad during, and now they're still bad. Go to the website and get a clear view of what's what in Afghanistan. Now. And see what could happen if you don't actively work to retain your rights.

I have been reading many books about Afghanistan's Women's Resistance Movement with a focus on RAWA (The Revolutionary Association for the women of Afghanistan).
This book is another fascinating read that introduces the reader to the life of underground politics for these women run in a chaotic, archaic society. These women are intellegent, courageous and powerful. They are also very lucky to have the wonderful male supporters that they do.
The individualized stories were fascinating to read. The only thing I somewhat disliked about the book compared to the other books I have read on RAWA is that the author's personal and political opinions come forth too much compared to some of the other books I have read. I would also recommend Meena, and Zoya's story, which are individualized stories that contain less of the author and focus more on the people.

This inspiring account of the work of RAWA reminds us that feminism is alive and well in the most unlikely places. Benard provides a broad enough context to account for criticism of the "communist" and "revolutionary" aspects of the movement, while offering plenty of stories and anecdotes about its heroes and martyrs. In a country surfeited with martyrs, though, the women who stand out most are the anonymous photographers, translators, teachers, couriers, and organizers, who do the hard work of democracy behind burquas and closed doors. It was also great to read about the many men who support and work with RAWA - this is a nice antidote to the bad rap Afghan men have inherited from the thugs of the Taliban and Northern Alliance. This is a great book to pass on to young people - it makes a lasting case for hope and provides a reminder of how exciting it can be to discover your own power non-violently.

A very well-written book that provides good factual insights into the historical and operational aspects of RAWA while remaining entertaining to read. Some of the entertaining portions are those where the author's opinions shine through clearly, at times with powerful sarcasm, for instance in her description of the American press's role in perpetuating the mythology surrounding Afghan warriors.
A great, fun, and informative read. I can only recommend it.

Before I started it, I fully expected it to be the typical "academic type" of writing - read the beginning, read the end, and if methodology is an issue, read part of the middle - but I was not only wrong, but pleasantly surprised.

I felt it not only reflected a true qualitative, action research work, but a thoughtful and thought provoking treatise on a serious problem in a county with a myriad of problems. Using so many first hand, direct quotes to "fill the book" might be a criticism of some scholars, but I felt that it lent realism and emotion to a text that could have otherwise been a subsequent 10 chapter rehash of chapter one.

One of my other fears was that it would be the rantings of yet another feminist such as the radical, out of touch, law professor from Michigan who believes that ALL sex, even within marriage, is rape. This type of "thinking" trivializes the feminist movement rather than advancing it even among women! It clearly was not that. Dr. Benard takes the reader just far enough on the feminist continuum to illustrate poignant issues and urge the reader to empathize with the cause of the Afghan women's' plight without taking a dive into a mindless diatribe against all men everywhere. Great job!

Perhaps the real foundation and common thread that is incidentally, or perhaps purposefully, woven throughout the book is the heartbeat of how RAWA carries out its mission. Based on what I have read, RAWA does not only promote women's rights (by itself, ambiguous and subjective) using literacy as its platform, but also addresses the more personal, emotional needs of women. As important as literacy is to critical thinking and decision making, if one's emotions are not stable, the best-intended critical thinking and decision making can be seriously flawed. A stable emotional state is the conduit by which sound decisions are guided.

I hope that these groups do not lose sight of what has apparently brought them so far in the face of the opposition they face. If the radicals begin to take a leadership position, they will not only be a much easier target for local governments to ignore - or worse - but will become marginalized by a concerned global community as well.

I didn't care for this book at all. I've read a few other books about women in Afghanistan and they've been excellent but this one was dry. This book reminded me of a textbook because it was so dull. I would recommend going to RAWA's website if you want more information.