Women for Afghan Women
	Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future
	Edited by Sunita Mehta
	Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2002. 236 pages
	Reviewed by Huma Ahmed-Ghosh
	This book besides being timely is an excellent compendium of brief but insightful articles on women' s situation in Afghanistan. The book covers a range of pertinent issues by an equally varied range of writers who try to place on the map global views, histories, religious interpretations and politics to frame the "woman question"in the region. Articles are written by journalists, UN representatives, poets, photographers, Muslim theologians, American feminists, historians and by Afghan and non-Afghan women. Opinions are as varied and at odds with each other. The ten out of the 20 essays are written by Afghan women and add an authenticity to this book that sets it apart from other books on the topic. It's a small book with a big message.
	Importantly the book does not hesitate in implicating the role of the United States in creating the current situation of the women of Afghanistan are currently in. And more importantly is justified in asking the west not to forget Afghanistan in the face of the focus on Iraq. Sima Wali, President of Refugee Women in Development and one of the few women representatives at the Bonn meetings sets the tone of the book and dilemmas Afghan women are facing by stating that: "The failure of the West to influence events in Afghanistan cannot be attributed only to the growth of extremist Islam and tribalism. Rather, it is a direct result of long-standing inability of Western institutions to adjust to the realities of what needs to be done and to listen to the voices of the vast majority of Afghans, who are capable of ushering in democratic change and are willing to do so.
	While accepting the global awareness created by western feminists about the situation of women in Afghanistan, many authors feel that the issues confronting Afghan women today need to go beyond an overemphasized discussion of the veil and women's oppression at the hands of Afghan men. These writers call for an understanding of the socio-economic, historical and political institutions of the region and specifically of women's position in Islam before presenting a picture of Afghanistan where all women are perceived as victims of their `culture', where all men are seen as oppressors of women and where Islam is projected as a socially and backward religion. Eleanor Smeal in her piece in the book rightfully points out that, "The women's movement [in the west] must take itself more seriously and develop a gender perspective on global affairs." While in agreement with Smeal I would add that the first step in that direction would be for western feminists to affect their own governments and become more vocal on foreign policy issues.
	Two articles in the book discuss women's status and rights in the Quran to establish that men and women are equal according to the text. While the articles do a good job of deconstructing the verses that preach equality of genders, the authors leave out verses where specific hierarchical gender roles are prescribed for followers of the faith. Despite the partially apologetic tone on the topic, Riffat Hussain does raise valid concerns about what are 'human rights', who defines them and ultimately, the politics of the discourse.
	Towards the end of the book Angela King expresses another interesting viewpoint in her article on the role of the United Nations in Afghanistan. She claims that "efforts by international assistance communities should be based on a thorough understanding of the local culture and customs within Muslim society and on the priorities of Afghan women as they themselves define them." Recent criticism about foreign aid in Afghanistan has focused on how Kabul and people in Kabul have been the main recipients of such aid, blocking of the rural areas. In Afghanistan today, what is of utmost importance is the reconstruction of the country through the rural areas that have been devastated the most by wars and drought in the last few decades.
	This book should be viewed as a tribute to the organization Women for Afghan Women who have been relentless in their pursuit of getting the word out and keeping the public updated on the situation in Afghanistan. With the publication of these stories, Women for Afghan Women have placed in the hands of its readers an almost complete picture of not only the situation in Afghanistan but also the position of Afghanistan in global politics. For women in the West, it offers a peak into the realities of different women whose issues are not that dissimilar to theirs and calls on western feminists to form alliances to improve the conditions of women worldwide.
	Huma Ahmed-Ghosh is Assistant Professor in the Department of Women's Studies at San Diego State University. She conducts research on Muslim women immigrants from South Asia and Islam and feminism.