By Judy Aita
Washington File Staff Writer

New York -- "As a young Afghan woman I have always been struggling for women's rights in my own house, my community and now...at an international level. Even if (women) are silenced in their own country, we have a voice here and we will speak for them until they have the opportunity to do so," Masuda Sultan, co-founder of Young Afghan-World Alliance (YA-WA) said at the opening of a two-day conference on Afghan women in New York November 29.

The conference, Women for Afghan Women: Securing Our Future, was organized by a group named Women for Afghan Women, which was formed in June 2001. Assisting in the conference planning were some of the major women's activists in New York City, including staff at the City University of New York Graduate Center; American feminist Gloria Steinem, the founder of Ms. Magazine; and Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.

Women for Afghan Women is made up of Afghan and non-Afghan women from the New York area who are committed to the human rights of Afghan women. Their initial conference showcased the views of Afghan scholars and activists on women's issues and stimulated discussion about the future of women in Afghanistan.

The group hopes to bring greater awareness and understanding of the issues facing Afghanistan and Afghan women though outreach activities, education, human rights advocacy within and outside Afghan community, and the creation of fora where Afghan women can get together and "share, network, strategize and dream," said co-founder Fahima Danishgar.

Danishgar, who moved to the United States at the age of 10, said, "I remember an Afghanistan where women walked about the streets freely, took part in education, went to school, universities, and were part of society in professional fields, governments. That is the Afghanistan that I envision in my mind and hold dear to my heart."

"I hope that by having this conference and creating this organization that somehow practically I can help them in that matter," she said.

"The importance of this conference...is paramount," Masuda Sultan said at a press conference. "Showing the world that there are competent, intelligent Afghan women that have workable solutions and interesting ideas...will allow the world to recognize that Afghan women are here and here to stay."

The conference is bringing together "Afghan women who are leaders in their own fields and have been doing work towards human rights for women in their country for years and years and years," said Sunita Mehta, the other WAW co-founder.

"Young and old, this is a struggle that (the women) have devoted their lives to.... It brings together women from Western feminism and representatives to support them. That is the model for Women for Afghan Women. It includes Afghans and non-Afghans but fosters the leadership of the Afghan women members," Mehta said.

"How do American women groups support Afghan women without being a mouth piece for them? One of the many answers to that question is by recognizing, accepting and respecting that the majority of Afghan women live their life and do their work within an Islamic context. This is a thread that we have woven throughout the conference," Mehta said.

The agenda included panels on the history of the current crisis; the role of the U.S. women's movement; human rights today; women's participation in peace-making and state-building.

Panelists included Sister Sanaa Nadim, a leading female Qu'ranic scholar and Muslim chaplain of the interfaith center at the State University of New York; Dr. Arlene J. Lederman, a former art history teacher at the University of Kabul and a founder of the Afghan Relief Committee; Latifa Yusufi Woodhouse, a high school teacher in Queens, New York, and daughter of the Imam of the Saed Jamaludin Afghan Mosque in Queens; Dr. Riffat Hassan, a feminist Muslim theologian and professor at the University of Louisville (Kentucky); Halima Kazem, a financial journalist who is completing a master's degree at New York University; Zohra Rasekh, a senior research associate for Global Watch Group; Sara Amiryar, coordinator of Americans with Disabilities Act at Georgetown University; Fahima Vorgetts, an Afghan women's rights activist for many years who sends the profits of her West Coast businesses to women in Afghanistan; and Gulbadan Habibi, project adviser for child protection at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The original keynote speaker -- Sima Wali of Refugee Women in Development -- was not able to attend because she was participating in the Bonn conference attempting to form an interim administration for Afghanistan. Despite Wali's presence in Bonn, the overall level of engagement by Afghan women in the Bonn negotiations drew criticism from participants in the New York conference.

"There are not enough Afghan women included in the political delegations at conferences such as the Bonn conference," Danishgar said.

"We want to be a megaphone for the historic happenings (in Bonn), be cheerleaders for the women who are doing God's work for their nation," added Mehta.

There are only three women at the Bonn conference with more than 60 men, yet women make up more than half of Afghanistan's population. That situation is disappointing, the participants said. They hope to put additional pressure on all the participants and organizers such as the United Nations, the United States, United Kingdom, and other nations in Bonn to give more time and the right to Afghan women to participate in the future of their country.

As the Taliban are ousted from Afghanistan, it is more crucial than ever that Afghan women leaders are included in the reconstruction of their nation, the participants said. There can be no just and meaningful solutions without Afghan women at the very core of planning and action, they said.

"Women are over 50 percent of the population and we have as much right to be represented as the various ethnic groups do. Women have suffered as much as the men in Afghanistan and have a right to be represented at least equally," Sultan said.

The group began planning for the conference began when the world was paying little attention to Afghanistan. But the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11 changed everything, and the group now finds that the international community is paying attention to every aspect of Afghan life, culture, and religion.

Vorgetts, an Afghan women's rights activist, went to school and college in Afghanistan before moving to the United States.

"I was part of Afghan society before the mujahidin and the Taliban came to power," Vorgetts said. "I think about the people of Afghanistan, think about the women of Afghanistan.... The situation in Afghanistan was so bad that before September 11 the world did not want to listen to it, but now -- after September 11 -- everyone wants to talk about it."

"It is unfortunate that September 11 happened. It is unfortunate that it will take a tragedy like this for the world to pay attention to the plight of the Afghan people, especially Afghan women," she said. "But it did happen. Past is past, let us talk about the future. Let us talk about the future Afghanistan that we want."

"We want women to be a part of the new Afghanistan," Vorgetts said.

Homaira Mamoor, a member of the Islamic Center of Long island, talked about the role of women in Islam.

"Islam has given women every right to be equal alongside men. In the eye of God we are equal and have every opportunity to have a career, to have an education, to even go out in public and take part in public affairs and take part in post-Taliban government," Mamoor said.

"So there is no excuse for anybody to tell us not to get involved and become part of a post-Taliban government. We are here to show all of you we are capable, we can speak out for ourselves and for our sisters back home who cannot speak out, who are veiled out. But we know they want the same thing that we women here and women everywhere in the world want: freedom and human rights," she said

Zohra Yusuf Daoud was the first and last woman to hold the reigning title "Miss Afghanistan." She won the title in 1972 and said that she looks forward to the day when she can pass it on to another young Afghan woman. Daoud is now a leader in the Afghan community in southern California and the host of a radio talk show on the 24-hour Voice of Afghanistan.

Twenty-two years ago, "Afghanistan was a country and we were a people, we lived in harmony and peace. We had our parliament, we had democracy, we had a constitution," said Daoud who was the keynote speaker. "I am a product of that society."

"Unfortunately with the invasion of the Soviet Union, the fabric of Afghan society has been destroyed and today you are seeing the result. But I hope today we all come together at this very critical moment," she said.

"We should let Afghan women come back to the society. We all know that women are the pillars of society. If a mother is not educated she won't educate her sons. That is why we must encourage women to go back to school," she continued.

"Also we must not forget that today 70 percent of the work force in Afghanistan are women. We should not forget that we are the mothers and a mother has a very kind heart," Daoud said.

"I ask all my sisters and brothers at this time, please, put aside your differences for the sake of the Afghan people in Afghanistan. Come together for unity and peace," Daoud said. "We should say about the Afghanistan situation 'enough is enough.' So many Afghan mothers lost their young sons in the unwanted and vicious war."

"I hope Afghans use this golden opportunity to their advantage and they use their political wisdom to come together and let Afghanistan come back into the international community," she said.