Veiled Courage

March 25, 2002
Not too long ago, this passionate, partisan book about Afghan women—in particular, those associated with RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan)—might have attracted few readers. Originally planned as a study of a women's organization opposing fundamentalism, the book took on a new and more urgent tenor after September 11: to give "representation to the rural, the uneducated and the female members of the Afghan populace" and to convey the history and present-day role of RAWA, founded in 1977, long before the civil wars, as "the first women's organization whose members are willing to risk their lives explicitly for the issue of women's rights" and "the only group, male or female, to organize an underground resistance against ." Through affecting personal testimony from RAWA's members and supporters (including some men), sociologist and novelist Benard shows "how ordinary people are transformed into resistance fighters." Founded by a charismatic woman named Meena, RAWA's public work has been daring (publishing a bilingual Persian/Pashtu magazine, Payam-e-Zan
) and dangerous (operating schools and medical facilities in refugee camps in the Afghan border area). Their clandestine work has been perilous—they've smuggled endangered families to safety, moved survivors of massacres "out of the killing zone" and secretly photographed Taliban beatings, torture and executions. Benard, an adviser to RAWA and the wife of one of President Bush's Afghan advisers, writes with fervor and at times abandon ("Given that level of U.S. air support, a middle-school soccer team could have taken Kabul"). Addressing the physical, intellectual and emotional oppression of Afghan women, this is a powerful—though clearly hastily assembled—book. (Apr. 9)Forecast:General readers will quickly snatch this up, and it may also find academic use in women's studies classes, although its methodology is not very scholarly. It will be widely reviewed and is more sociology-oriented than the two books it will likely be displayed with,
Zoya's Story (reviewed below) and
My Forbidden Face (Forecasts, Mar. 11).

Starred review from April 15, 2002
All eyes have focused on Afghanistan since September 11. We are familiar with the terrorist movement and hate for America, but few are aware of the terror campaign against women of Afghanistan under the Taliban. A sociologist and author of several books on women's issues, Benard here provides insight into the plight of Afghan women and the underground resistance movement, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), to which she is an adviser. She is also the wife of an Afghan who serves as an adviser to President Bush. This powerful and moving account of the struggles of Afghan women, from the inception of the resistance movement in the 1970s right up to the current bombing of Afghanistan, examines numerous accounts of crimes against women and of their risky struggle for equality. This work should serve as a call to arms for free women everywhere. Benard makes it clear that the suppression of women is rooted in Islamic fundamentalism and will not automatically end after the Taliban are removed. Recommended for all libraries. Sandra Isaacson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ESD-LV Lib., Las Vegas

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2002
Adult/High School-A rich source of information. The history of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) is told in simple, page-turning prose. There is a biographical sketch of the organization's heroic, charismatic, and martyred founder, Meena, along with a photo of her. Narratives describe how individuals, including indigent refugees, joined RAWA and became strong, clandestine freedom fighters against the oppressive rule of first the Soviet Communist invaders, then the Northern Alliance, and, finally, the Taliban. The descriptions of the organization's mission and its accomplishments in assisting and educating Afghan women and their families are inspiring. Students will read about many people, both male and female, young and old, who have suffered under the rule of violent misogynistic Islamic fundamentalists but have decided to fight for liberation, education, and literacy despite the threat of death, mutilation, and/or rape. Told from the perspectives of ordinary citizens, these stories contribute to an increased understanding of the situation in this country, and readers will come away with a greater respect for the bravery and courage of the women there.-Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2002
The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) resisted not only the Taliban but also the Northern Alliance and the Soviets before them. Formed in the 1970s by Meena, a resourceful young woman, the organization began by opposing the Russians. Meena worked diligently, opening schools and passing out pamphlets until her assassination in the late 1980s. RAWA continued to thrive, and, believing education was its most powerful weapon, continued to school women and men, children and adults in refugee camps in Pakistan and, more covertly, in homes in Afghanistan. The rise to power of the Northern Alliance brought the threat of rape, and when the Taliban came in, all pretenses of freedom for women were dropped. Benard interviewed many women for the book, and their personal stories make a powerful impression. The last part of the book discusses the future of RAWA in the wake of September 11 and the fall of the Taliban. This essential, important book will be sought by those curious about resistance in Afghanistan.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)