Nelofer Pazira sees parallels between the American occupation of Iraq and the Russian occupation of her native Afghanistan.

She first realized the similarities while interviewing Russian soldiers who had occupied Afghanistan from 1979 to 1988.

“They said they did it for their international duty, to help establish freedom and democracy,” Pazira said.

And now it’s time the occupation ended, Pazira told a crowd of more than 400 at the Kansas Union on Tuesday.

Pazira is a Canadian journalist who starred in the critically acclaimed “Kandahar” and its sequel, “Return to Kandahar.” She was in Lawrence to participate in the 32nd annual February Sisters forum at Kansas University.

Pazira, who returned in January after spending a month in Iraq, said the history of occupations, including her own before her family fled to Pakistan and eventually to Canada, tells her that Iraqis will never be satisfied as long as Americans are in their country.

“Everything that goes wrong — if you can’t find food, it’s the fault of the foreigners,” she said. “If it rains, it’s the fault of the foreigners.”

Pazira said she was especially touched by a woman she interviewed who was preparing for her daughter’s wedding. The woman said it should have been the happiest day of her life, but there was no electricity in the house and not enough money to purchase adequate food.

“I never heard a single person say they hated Americans,” Pazira said. “They’re glad Saddam has gone. But it’s sad what’s happened afterward. It’s going to be a year. They’re waiting and waiting to see improvements in their daily lives, and it’s not happening.”

February Sisters Association Kandahar

Pazira also discussed the plight of women in the Middle East. She blamed American policies during the Cold War for creating oppression in Afghanistan, and she said Americans were naive to think Afghan women could simply shed years of restrictions when the Taliban rule ended in December 2001.

“We expected Afghan women could walk in miniskirts in the streets,” she said. “We forgot about all the diversities, all the traditions, all the histories.”

Pazira said any effort to establish democracy in the world must place a heavy emphasis on women’s rights.

“We won’t really bring a democracy as long as gender is an issue,” she said. “We can’t have a code of dress where what we wear is not decided by us but by others.”

Melody Henning, a KU sophomore from Kansas City, Kan., said she came to the lecture to hear about Iraq from someone who had seen it first-hand.

“I personally take (women’s rights) for granted every day,” Henning said. “It’s important for me to put myself in an Iraqi woman’s shoes.”