Women for Afghan Women (WAW), a group comprised of both Afghan and non-Afghan women which was formed in April 2001 by Sunita Mehta and Fahima Danishgar, is committed to the struggle for Afghan women's human rights. This collection traces the history of women's rights and roles in Afghanistan since the 1970s, examines the current human rights crisis and suggests realistic solutions for post-war Afghanistan. Contributors include: Sima Wali, an Afghan woman who is CEO of "Refugee Women in Development" and recipient of the Amnesty International award for her work on Afghan women; Gloria Steinem, founder of "Ms." magazine; Saira Shah, Afghan journalist who made the CNN documentary "Beneath the Veil"; Eleanor Smeal, president of "The Feminist Majority"; Angela King, special adviser on gender issues to Kofi Annan at the UN; Paul Fitzgerald and Liz Gould, an American husband-wife documentary team who were the first Western journalists allowed in Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion; Zohra Yusuf Daoud, the first (and last) woman to hold the title of "Miss Afghanistan," who now lives in Malibu, California and hosts a talk radio show, "24 Hour Voice of Afghanistan". "Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future" is a collaborative attempt to write history, to bring greater awareness to the issues of Afghanistan and Afghan women, and to promote the agency of Afghan women in issues that impact their lives. The book includes a variety of female voices, highlighting a unifying desire to come together as women and share, network and strategize for change. This desire is focused on Afghan women but is also about global sisterhood and about the importance of feminist activism on an international level.

Author Biography

SUNITA MEHTA is the other co-founder of 'Women for Afghan Women' and is director of grants at 'The Sister Fund' in NYC. Sunita is on the board of SAKHI, a South Asian Women's Center for Anti-Violence Education, and she lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the writer Suketu Mehta. - FAHIMA DANISHGAR is co-founder of 'Women for Afghan Women', and is an activist in the Afghan community. She lives with her family in Brooklyn and is a graduate student in Political Science at CUNY. Fahima was born in Afghanistan and left Kabul with her parents and sister in 1987.