Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) (Persian
:جمعیت انقلابی زنان افغانستان, Jamiyat-e Enqelābi-ye Zanān-e Afghānestān, Pashto
:د افغانستان د ښڅو انقلابی جمعیت) is a women's organization based in Quetta
, Pakistan
, that promotes women's rights
and secular
democracy
. It was founded in 1977 by Meena Keshwar Kamal
, an Afghan
student activist
who was assassinated
in February 1987 for her political activities. The group, which supports non-violent strategies, had its initial office in Kabul
, Afghanistan
, but then moved to Pakistan in the early 1980s.
The organization aims to involve women of Afghanistan in both political and social activities aimed at acquiring human rights
for women and continuing the struggle against the government of Afghanistan based on democratic and secular, not fundamentalist principles, in which women can participate fully. RAWA also strives for multilateral disarmament
.
The group opposed the Soviet
-supported government, the following Mujahideen and Taliban Islamist
governments, and the present United States
-supported Islamic Republic
an form of government.
in 1977 as an independent social and political organization of Afghan women fighting for human rights
and social justice
. The organization then moved parts of its work out of Afghanistan into Pakistan and established their main base there to work for Afghan women.
RAWA was founded by a group of Afghan women led by Meena Keshwar Kamal
. At age 21, she laid the foundations of RAWA through her work educating women. In 1979, Kamal began a campaign against Soviet forces and the Soviet-supported government of Afghanistan
. In 1981, she launched a bilingual magazine called Payam-e-Zan (Women’s Message). In the same year, she visited France
for the French Socialist Party Congress
. She also established schools for Afghan refugee children, hospitals and handicraft centers for refugee women in Pakistan. Her activities and views, as well as her work against the government and religious fundamentalists led to her assassination
on February 4, 1987.
Much of RAWA's efforts in the 1990s involved holding seminars and press conferences and other fund-raising activities in Pakistan. RAWA also created secret schools, orphanage
s, nursing
courses, and handicraft
centers for women and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. RAWA also secretly filmed women being beaten in the street in Afghanistan by the religious police
, and being executed. RAWA activities were forbidden by both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance.
that began in 2001, because of the high rate of casualties among the civilian population. The organization went so far as to threaten to sue United States government for unauthorized use of four photos from their website that were used in propaganda
handbills dropped on various cities in Afghanistan during the 2001 invasion
.
After the defeat of the Taliban government by US and Afghan Northern Alliance forces, RAWA warned that the Northern Alliance were just as fundamentalist and dangerous as the Taliban. They continue to charge that the current government led by President Hamid Karzai
has no support in most areas of Afghanistan, and that fundamentalists are enforcing anti-woman laws as they were under the Taliban. These claims are supported by media reports about the Herat
government of Ismail Khan
, who has created a religious police that forces women to obey strict dress and behavior codes, as well as many reports by Human Rights Watch
.
Recently RAWA restarted its mission inside Afghanistan and organized some of its events in Kabul. They marked International Women's Day
in Kabul in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
On September 27, 2006, a RAWA member for the first time (perhaps in the whole history of RAWA) appeared on a round table debate on a local Afghan TV
channel, TOLO TV
. She had a debate with a representative of a hard line Islamic fundamentalist group. She named the top leaders of the Islamist groups and termed them "war criminal and responsible for the ongoing tragedy in Afghanistan". Tolo TV censored the audio of any sections where names were called.
On October 7, the Afghan Women's Mission (AWM) organized a fund raising event for RAWA in Los Angeles, California
. Eve Ensler
was the chief guest and Sonali Kolhatkar and Zoya, a member of RAWA, were among the speakers.
"Zoya" is a pseudonym for an active member of RAWA's Foreign Committee who has traveled to many countries, including the U.S. and Spain as well as Germany. In 2003, she received international acclaim for her biography Zoya’s Story - An Afghan Woman’s Battle for Freedom.
In 2009, RAWA and other women's rights groups strongly condemned a "Shia Family Code" which is claimed to legalise spousal rape
within Northern Afghan Shia Muslim communities, as well as endorsing child marriage
, purdah
(seclusion) for married women, which was passed by President Hamid Karzai
to garner support for his coalition government from hardline elements within the aforesaid communities, as well as the neighbouring Shia-dominated Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition to the above, the new "Family Code" also enshrines discriminatory legal status in the context of inheritance and divorce against women.
In June 2008 Zoya testified to the Human Rights Commission of the German Parliament (Bundestag)
to persuade the German government to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
- 2001, The French Republic's Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Human Rights Prize, 2000, Islamabad Emma Humphries Memorial Prize 2001,
Glamour Women of the Year 2001, 2001 SAIS-Novartis
International Journalism Award from Johns Hopkins University
, Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress, 2004, Honorary Doctorate from University of Antwerp
(Belgium) for outstanding non-academic achievements,as well as many other awards.
by Anne Brodsky
, a number of world-known writers and human rights activists share their views of RAWA. They include Arundhati Roy
who says "Each of us needs a little RAWA"; Eve Ensler
, author of The Vagina Monologues
, who suggests that RAWA must stand as a model for every group working to end violence; Katha Pollitt
, author of Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics, and Culture; Ahmed Rashid
, author of Taliban and Jihad; and Asma Jahangir
, Special Rapporteur of the UN and prominent women's rights activist of Pakistan are two Pakistanis who write about RAWA and express their support.
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
:جمعیت انقلابی زنان افغانستان, Jamiyat-e Enqelābi-ye Zanān-e Afghānestān, Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
:د افغانستان د ښڅو انقلابی جمعیت) is a women's organization based in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, that promotes women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
and secular
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. It was founded in 1977 by Meena Keshwar Kamal
Meena Keshwar Kamal
Meena Keshwar Kamal , commonly known as Meena, was an Afghan feminist, women's rights activist and founder of RAWA, who was assassinated in 1987.-Biography:...
, an Afghan
Demography of Afghanistan
The population of Afghanistan is around 29,835,392 as of the year 2011, which is unclear if the refugees living outside the country are included or not. The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between...
student activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
who was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
in February 1987 for her political activities. The group, which supports non-violent strategies, had its initial office in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, but then moved to Pakistan in the early 1980s.
The organization aims to involve women of Afghanistan in both political and social activities aimed at acquiring human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
for women and continuing the struggle against the government of Afghanistan based on democratic and secular, not fundamentalist principles, in which women can participate fully. RAWA also strives for multilateral disarmament
Disarmament
Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
.
The group opposed the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-supported government, the following Mujahideen and Taliban Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
governments, and the present United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-supported Islamic Republic
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
an form of government.
Background
The RAWA was first initiated in KabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
in 1977 as an independent social and political organization of Afghan women fighting for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
. The organization then moved parts of its work out of Afghanistan into Pakistan and established their main base there to work for Afghan women.
Founder
Meena Keshwar Kamal
Meena Keshwar Kamal , commonly known as Meena, was an Afghan feminist, women's rights activist and founder of RAWA, who was assassinated in 1987.-Biography:...
. At age 21, she laid the foundations of RAWA through her work educating women. In 1979, Kamal began a campaign against Soviet forces and the Soviet-supported government of Afghanistan
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...
. In 1981, she launched a bilingual magazine called Payam-e-Zan (Women’s Message). In the same year, she visited France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for the French Socialist Party Congress
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
. She also established schools for Afghan refugee children, hospitals and handicraft centers for refugee women in Pakistan. Her activities and views, as well as her work against the government and religious fundamentalists led to her assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
on February 4, 1987.
Early activities
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
s, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
courses, and handicraft
Handicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
centers for women and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. RAWA also secretly filmed women being beaten in the street in Afghanistan by the religious police
Mutaween
The word mutaween most literally means "volunteers" in the Arabic language, and is commonly used as a casual term for the government-authorized or government-recognized religious police of Saudi Arabia....
, and being executed. RAWA activities were forbidden by both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance.
RAWA after the 2001 invasion
RAWA is highly critical of the NATO warWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
that began in 2001, because of the high rate of casualties among the civilian population. The organization went so far as to threaten to sue United States government for unauthorized use of four photos from their website that were used in propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
handbills dropped on various cities in Afghanistan during the 2001 invasion
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
.
After the defeat of the Taliban government by US and Afghan Northern Alliance forces, RAWA warned that the Northern Alliance were just as fundamentalist and dangerous as the Taliban. They continue to charge that the current government led by President Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
has no support in most areas of Afghanistan, and that fundamentalists are enforcing anti-woman laws as they were under the Taliban. These claims are supported by media reports about the Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
government of Ismail Khan
Ismail Khan
Ismail Khan is a politician and former mujahideen commander from Afghanistan. Born in the western Afghan city of Herat, he rose to become a powerful rebel commander during in the Soviet War in Afghanistan, and then a key member of the Northern Alliance until finally becoming the Governor of Herat...
, who has created a religious police that forces women to obey strict dress and behavior codes, as well as many reports by Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
.
Recent activities
RAWA collects funds to support hospitals, schools and orphanages and still run many projects in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including a project in conjunction with CharityHelp.org for orphan sponsorships.Recently RAWA restarted its mission inside Afghanistan and organized some of its events in Kabul. They marked International Women's Day
International Women's Day
International Women's Day , originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and...
in Kabul in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
On September 27, 2006, a RAWA member for the first time (perhaps in the whole history of RAWA) appeared on a round table debate on a local Afghan TV
Afghan TV
Afghan TV is a commercial television station, based in Kabul, Afghanistan since late 21 May 2004. The station is owned by Mr. Afghanzai, an Afghan entrepreneur. It originally broadcasted for 18-hours daily, but has been 24-hours since July 2004.-Programs:...
channel, TOLO TV
Tolo TV
Tolo TV , is a television station, being one of the first commercial ones to operate in Afghanistan. Launched in October 2004 by MOBY Group, it laid the foundations for an accessible media outlet offering a big library of shows...
. She had a debate with a representative of a hard line Islamic fundamentalist group. She named the top leaders of the Islamist groups and termed them "war criminal and responsible for the ongoing tragedy in Afghanistan". Tolo TV censored the audio of any sections where names were called.
On October 7, the Afghan Women's Mission (AWM) organized a fund raising event for RAWA in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
was the chief guest and Sonali Kolhatkar and Zoya, a member of RAWA, were among the speakers.
"Zoya" is a pseudonym for an active member of RAWA's Foreign Committee who has traveled to many countries, including the U.S. and Spain as well as Germany. In 2003, she received international acclaim for her biography Zoya’s Story - An Afghan Woman’s Battle for Freedom.
In 2009, RAWA and other women's rights groups strongly condemned a "Shia Family Code" which is claimed to legalise spousal rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
within Northern Afghan Shia Muslim communities, as well as endorsing child marriage
Child marriage
Child marriage and child betrothal customs occur in various times and places, whereby children are given in matrimony - before marriageable age as defined by the commentator and often before puberty. Today such customs are fairly widespread in parts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America: in...
, purdah
Purdah
Purdah or pardeh is the practice of concealing women from men. According to one definition:This takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes, and the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form....
(seclusion) for married women, which was passed by President Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
to garner support for his coalition government from hardline elements within the aforesaid communities, as well as the neighbouring Shia-dominated Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition to the above, the new "Family Code" also enshrines discriminatory legal status in the context of inheritance and divorce against women.
In June 2008 Zoya testified to the Human Rights Commission of the German Parliament (Bundestag)
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
to persuade the German government to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
Achievements
RAWA has so far won 16 awards and certificates from around the world for its work for human rights and democracy, some of the awards include The sixth Asian Human Rights AwardAsian Human Rights Commission
The Asian Human Rights Commission is an independent, non-governmental body, which seeks to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region, and to mobilise Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims of human rights violations...
- 2001, The French Republic's Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Human Rights Prize, 2000, Islamabad Emma Humphries Memorial Prize 2001,
Glamour Women of the Year 2001, 2001 SAIS-Novartis
Novartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
International Journalism Award from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress, 2004, Honorary Doctorate from University of Antwerp
University of Antwerp
The University of Antwerp is one of the major Belgian universities located in the city of Antwerp. The name is sometimes abbreviated as UA.-History:...
(Belgium) for outstanding non-academic achievements,as well as many other awards.
What others say about RAWA
In the book With All Our Strength: The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan'by Anne Brodsky
Anne Brodsky
Anne Brodsky is a professor in Psychology and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County . She is also the Director of the Gender and Women's Studies Program. Also, she wrote the book,"With All Our Strength: The Revolutionary Association of the Women of...
, a number of world-known writers and human rights activists share their views of RAWA. They include Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
who says "Each of us needs a little RAWA"; Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
, author of The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
, who suggests that RAWA must stand as a model for every group working to end violence; Katha Pollitt
Katha Pollitt
Katha Pollitt is an American feminist poet, essayist and critic. She is the author of four essay collections and two books of poetry...
, author of Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics, and Culture; Ahmed Rashid
Ahmed Rashid
Ahmed Rashid is a former Pakistani revolutionary, a journalist and best-selling author of several books about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.-Biography:...
, author of Taliban and Jihad; and Asma Jahangir
Asma Jahangir
Asma Jilani Jahangir is a leading Pakistani lawyer, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and human rights activist, who works both in Pakistan and internationally to prevent the persecution of religious minorities, women, and exploitation...
, Special Rapporteur of the UN and prominent women's rights activist of Pakistan are two Pakistanis who write about RAWA and express their support.
See also
- Gender roles in AfghanistanGender roles in AfghanistanAfghan society is consistent in its attitudes toward the underlying principles of gender. It is the application of these principles that varies from group to group; and there is a wide range of standards set for accepted female behavior, as well as differences in male attitudes toward correct...
- Islamic feminismIslamic feminismIslamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic framework...
- Sex segregation and Islam
- Shia Family LawShia Family LawShia Family Law or Shiite Personal Status Law is a law of Afghanistan that was approved in February 2009 with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's signature. A portion of the law pertaining to sexual relations between husband and wife has made international headlines...
- Taliban treatment of womenTaliban treatment of womenWhile in power in Afghanistan, the Taliban became notorious internationally for their treatment of women. Their stated aim was to create "secure environments where the chasteness and dignity of women may once again be sacrosanct," reportedly based on Pashtunwali beliefs about living in purdah.Women...
- Women and Islam
Further reading
- Benard, CherylCheryl BenardCheryl Benard is an adjunct researcher with the RAND Corporation and President of Metis Analytics, an Alexandria, Virginia-based research company. In 2010, she founded The Bamiyan Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the rebuilding of the Bamiyan Buddhas and to the support of cultural...
. 2002. Veiled Courage: Inside the Afghan Women's Resistance. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-1301-9 - Brodsky, Anne E. 2003. With All Our Strength: The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93492-3
- Chavis, Melody Ermachild. 2004. Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan : The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-30690-3
- Follain, John and Rita Cristofari. 2002. Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 0-06-009782-5
- Mulherin, Jeannette E. 2004. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan and their Commitment to the Establishment of a Secular Government in Afghanistan. Georgetown University, Washington DC: Masters Thesis