Afghan Women Protest Corruption

Afghan women are taking to the streets to protest corruption, the Taliban, the drug lords and those associated with the warlords. This is an encouraging sign of a true flowering of democracy. Still fragile, and the women will have to be very brave in the coming days. But their acts are an inspiration.

A full article by Tony Perry on this can be found in the LA Times, Afghan Women Lead Protest Against Government Corruption

An excerpt is below:

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - Several hundred women, many holding aloft pictures of relatives killed by drug lords or Taliban militants, held a loud but nonviolent street protest today, demanding that President Hamid Karzai purge from his government anyone connected to corruption, war crimes or the Taliban.

"These women are being very brave," said the protest leader, her face hidden by a burka. "To be a woman in Afghanistan and an activist can mean death. We want justice for our loved ones!"

Afghan police, in riot gear, monitored the rally as it worked its way slowly through muddy streets to the United Nations building here, but they did nothing to disrupt the event.

The unusual display of political activism by women comes as Karzai is under increasing pressure to remove from his Cabinet anyone connected to rampant corruption, including links to the flourishing drug trade. His own finance minister says corruption is the biggest threat to the future of Afghanistan.

Karzai, elected to a second term in a vote marred by ballot-stuffing, had been expected to announce his selections for Cabinet positions this week, but he delayed his announcement until next week.

In a surprise visit to Kabul this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he hopes that Karzai appoints reformers.

Karzai declined to say who he will appoint but promised that his selections will satisfy the Afghan public and the international community.