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<title>UJP: Malalai Joya Events are ON for Friday, Saturday!</title>
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<h1 style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Malalai Joya Events are ON for Friday, Saturday!</h1>
<h2 style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">U.S. Responds to Broad Public Campaign, Grants Malalai Joya Visa!</h2>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;"><img alt="Malalai Joya, February 2011" vspace="5" hspace="10" align="left" src="http://www.justicewithpeace.org/files/u415/joya-wisa-launch_australia.jpg">The U.S. State Department today granted acclaimed Afghan human rights activist and former MP Malalai Joya, a visa, a little over a week after she was initially turned down. The outspoken critic of the war in Afghanistan was informed at her initial visa interview that because she “lived underground” and was “unemployed” she would not be allowed into the U.S. for an extensive speaking tour, even though she had been granted visas 4 times over the past several years.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Due to the visa denial, Joya has already missed all her events in New York and Washington, DC and is now on her way to Boston to finish up the rest of her tour.</p>
<h2 style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Hear Malalai Joya Speak!</h2>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">She will <a href="http://justicewithpeace.org/node/2451">appear as scheduled with Noam Chomsky</a> at Harvard's Memorial Church, in the center of Harvard Yard near the Harvard Square T stop, <strong>Friday night at 5:30 p.m</strong>. (Location changed from the SOCH building.) A donation of $5 is requested.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Malalai Joya will also <a href="http://justicewithpeace.org/node/2441">speak in Jamaica Plain</a> at the First Church, 6 Eliot St. (at the Monument), <strong>Saturday afternoon at 3pm</strong>. (Please disregard earlier notices that this event had been cancelled.)</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">She will answer questions and sign books at all of her events. </p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Afghan Women’s Mission’s Co-Director Sonali Kolhatkar responded to the news saying, “We are ecstatic and gratified that the government finally did the right thing and allowed Malalai Joya into the country so that Americans could hear what she has to say about the reality of the war, and particularly how Afghan women are faring under the occupation.” Kolhatkar added, “It is a testament to the nationwide campaign that was launched by our national coalition of organizations and individuals who worked very hard to put the events together and to bring her to the U.S.”</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">The <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/24/in_harvard_square_calls_to_let_afghan_activist_speak/">Boston Globe</a> and <a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/3/24/visa-people-joya-american/">Harvard Crimson</a> covered a rally last night by Harvard students, civil liberties supporters and peace activists in Harvard Square which called for Joya to be issued a visa.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;"><img alt="Invade us with hospitals and schools - Malalai Joya" vspace="5" hspace="10" align="right" src="http://justicewithpeace.org/files/u415/Joya-poster-img-sm.jpg"></p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Derrick O'Keefe, the co-author of Ms. Joya’s book, <em>A Woman Among Warlords</em>, was optimistic that the visa hold-up would boost audiences for her speaking tour. “This is a victory for free speech, and I’m confident that over the next couple of weeks thousands will welcome Malalai Joya into their communities — Americans need to hear in-person what she has to say about the U.S.-NATO war,” said O’Keefe.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">The campaign to pressure authorities to grant Ms. Joya the visa was a multi-pronged one. Within days of her initial visa refusal, organizers in many states lobbied their representatives in Congress to send a letter to the U.S. Embassy urging them to grant her a visa. Washington Congressman Jim McDermott took the lead on signing the letter. Representatives Jay Inslee, Keith Ellison, Peter Welch, Betty McCollum, Bill Pascrell, and Senators John Kerry, Bernie Sanders, and Patty Murray co-signed the<a href="http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/docs/McDermott_letter_Joya.pdf">letter</a>.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Following that an <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/letmalalaijoyaspeak/signatures">online petition</a> was set up, which has been signed by over 3000 people to date, including well known activists and intellectuals like Noam Chomsky, Eve Ensler, and many others. And, on Wednesday March 23rd, <a href="http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/?p=1289">a national call-in day</a> was announced, calling on Americans to flood the State Department with phone calls urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to grant Joya a visa.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">While Ms. Joya was forced to physically miss all her events in New York and Washington DC, she managed to make a presence via live video chat or recorded video talks. She now heads to Boston to pick up the remainder of her tour. From Massachusetts she heads to Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minneapolis, Oregon, Washington, and California. <a href="http://www.afghanwomensmission.org/?p=1201">Click here</a> for a full schedule of events.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">The nationwide speaking tour coincides with the paperback edition of Malalai Joya’s book, A Woman Among Warlords (Scribner). Copies of her books will available for sale at her speaking events.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Malalai Joya is available for a limited number of interviews during her tour. Contact Sonali Kolhatkar (626-676-7884) or Natalie Reyes (562 319-3046) or email <a target="_blank" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=press@afghanwomensmission.org">press@afghanwomensmission.org</a>.</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">* * *</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">Praise for Malalai Joya and A Woman Among Warlords:</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘The youngest and most famous of all the women in the Afghan parliament…a powerful symbol of change’<br>
- Guardian</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘A courageous female MP’<br>
- The Times</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘… one of the few symbols of hope for Afghanistan’s future.’<br>
- New Statesman</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Quite simply the most passionate and devastating critique of Western intervention in Afghanistan I have ever read.’<br>
- Peace News</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘[Has] spoken her mind as few Afghan women dare to do’<br>
- New York Times</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Malalai Joya leaves us with hope that the tormented people of Afghanistan can take their fate into their own hands if they are released from the grip of foreign powers.’<br>
- Noam Chomsky</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Unwavering in her mission to bring true democracy to her country…Women have been known to walk for miles just to touch her. For them, she is their only real hope for a better future’<br>
- Telegraph</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Joya is a model for women everywhere seeking to make the world more just.’<br>
- Six women Nobel Peace Prize laureates</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Joya’s pain and bravery are genuine and can be felt on almost every page’<br>
- Christina Lamb, Sunday Times</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘A fascinating account of Afghanistan’s political reality…Malalai Joya has been compared to Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi’<br>
- Irish Times</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Malalai Joya is a staunch defender of human rights and a powerful voice for Afghan women.’<br>
- Human Rights Watch</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Heroic’<br>
- John Pilger</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">‘Extraordinary’</p>
<p style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, Arial;">- The Independent </p>
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<td class="view-field view-field-node-title"><a href="http://justicewithpeace.org/node/2451">Malalai Joya and Noam Chomsky: The Case for Withdrawal from Aghanistan</a></td>
<td class="view-field view-field-event-event-start">Fri Mar 25</td>
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<td class="view-field view-field-node-title"><a href="http://justicewithpeace.org/node/2441">Malalai Joya: Liberating Afghan Women (REINSTATED)</a></td>
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