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Women in Afghanistan, please read this petition (fwd)
In a message dated 9/24/99 9:22:17 AM, ReminEarth writes:
<<Subj: Help for Women in Afghanistan
<< Women in Afghanistan
The government of Afghanistan is waging a war upon women. Since the
Taliban took power in 1996, women have had to wear burqua and have been
beaten and stoned in public for not having the proper attire, even if
this means simply not having the mesh covering in front of their eyes.
One woman was beaten to DEATH by an angry mob of fundamentalists for
accidentally exposing her arm while she was driving. Another was stoned
to death for trying to leave the country with a man that was not a
relative. Women are not allowed to work or even go out in public
without a male relative; professional women such as professors,
translators, doctors, lawyers, artists and writers have been forced from
their jobs and stuffed into their homes, so that depression is becoming
so widespread that it has reached emergency levels. There no way in
such an extreme Islamic society to know the suicide rate with certainty,
but relief workers are estimating that the suicide rate among women, who
cannot find proper medication and treatment for severe depression and
would rather take their lives than live in such conditions, has
increased significantly.
Homes where a woman is present must have their windows painted so that
she can never be seen by outsiders. They must wear silent shoes so that
they are never heard. Women live in fear of their lives for the
slightest misbehavior. Because they cannot work, those without male
relatives or husbands are either starving to death or begging on the
street, even if they hold Ph.D.'s. There are almost no medical
facilities available for women, and relief workers, in protest, have
mostly left the country, taking medicine and psychologists and other
things necessary to treat the skyrocketing level of depression among
women. At one of the rare hospitals for women, a reporter found still,
nearly lifeless bodies lying motionless on top of beds, wrapped in their
burqua, unwilling to speak, eat, or do anything, but slowly wasting away.
Others have gone mad and were seen crouched in corners, perpetually
rocking or crying, most of them in fear. One doctor is considering,
when what little medication that is left finally runs out, leaving these
women in front of the president's residence as a form of peaceful
protest. It is at the point where the term 'human rights violations'
has become an understatement. Husbands have the power of life and death
over their women relatives, especially their wives, but an angry mob has
just as much right to stone or beat a woman, often to death, for
exposing an inch of flesh or offending them in the slightest way. Women
enjoyed relative freedom, to work, dress generally as they wanted, and
drive and appear in public alone until only 1996. The rapidity of this
transition is the main reason for the depression and suicide; women who
were once educators or doctors or simply used to basic human freedoms
are now severely restricted and treated as subhuman in the name of
right-wing fundamentalist Islam. It is not their tradition or 'culture,'
but is alien to them, and it is extreme even for those cultures where
fundamentalism is the rule.
Everyone has a right to a tolerable human existence, even if they are
women in a Muslim country. If we can threaten military force in Kosovo
in the name of human rights for the sake of ethnic Albanians, citizens
of the world can certainly express peaceful outrage at the oppression,
murder and injustice committed against women by the Taliban.
STATEMENT: In signing this, we agree that the current treatment of women
in Afghanistan is completely UNACCEPTABLE and deserves support and
action by the United Nations and that the current situation overseas
will not be tolerated. Women's Rights is not a small issue anywhere and
it is UNACCEPTABLE for women in 1999 to be treated as subhuman and so
much as property. Equality and human decency is a RIGHT not a freedom,
whether one lives in Afghanistan or elsewhere.
1) Suzanne Dathe, Grenoble, France
2) Laurence COMPARAT, Grenoble, France
3) Philippe MOTTE, Grenoble, France
4) Jok FERRAND, Mont St Martin, France
5) Emmanuelle PIGNOL, St Martin d'Heres, FRANCE
6) Marie GAUTHIER, Grenoble, FRANCE
7) Laurent VESCALO, Grenoble, FRANCE
8) Mathieu MOY, St Egreve, FRANCE
9) Bernard BLANCHET, Mont St Martin, FRANCE
10) Tassadite FAVRIE, Grenoble, FRANCE
11) Loic GODARD, St Ismier, FRANCE
12) Benedicte PASCAL, Grenoble, FRANCE
13) Khedaidja BENATIA, Grenoble, FRANCE
14) Marie-Therese LLORET, Grenoble,FRANCE
15) Benoit THEAU, Poitiers, FRANCE
16) Bruno CONSTANTIN, Poitiers, FRANCE
17) Christian COGNARD, Poitiers, FRANCE
18) Robert GARDETTE, Paris, FRANCE
19) Claude CHEVILLARD, Montpellier, FRANCE
20) gilles FREISS, Montpellier, FRANCE
21) Patrick AUGEREAU, Montpellier, FRANCE.
22) Jean IMBERT, Marseille, FRANCE
23) pelling MURAT, Toulouse, France
24) Anna BASSOLS, Barcelona, Spain
25) Mireia DUNACH, Barcelona, Spain
26) Michel VILLAZ, Grenoble, France
27) Pages Frederique, Dijon, France
28) Rodolphe FISCHMEISTER, Chatenay-Malabry, France
29) Francois BOUTEAU, Paris, France
30) Patrick PETER, Paris, France
31) Lorenza RADICI, Paris, France
32) Monika Siegenthaler, Bern, Switzerland
33) Mark Philp, Glasgow, Scotland
34) Tomas Andersson, Stockholm, Sweden
35) Jonas Eriksson, Stockholm, Sweden
36) Karin Eriksson, Stockholm, Sweden
37) Ake Ljung, Stockholm, Sweden
38) Carina Sedlmayer, Stockholm, Sweden
39) Rebecca Uddman, Stockholm, Sweden
40) Lena Skog, Stockholm, Sweden
41) Micael Folke, Stockholm, Sweden
42) Britt-Marie Folke, Stockholm, Sweden
43) Birgitta Schuberth, Stockholm, Sweden
44) Lena Dahl, Stockholm, Sweden
45) Ebba Karlsson, Stockholm, Sweden
46) Jessica Carlsson, Vaxjo, Sweden
47) Sara Blomquist, Vaxjo, Sweden
48) Magdalena Fosseus, Vaxjo, Sweden
49) Charlotta Langner, Goteborg, Sweden
50) Andrea Egedal, Goteborg, Sweden
51) Lena Persson, Stockholm, Sweden
52) Magnus Linder, Umea ,Sweden
53) Petra Olofsson, Umea, Sweden
54) Caroline Evenbom, Vaxjo, Sweden
55) Asa Pettersson, Grimsas, Sweden
56) Jessica Bjork, Grimsas, Sweden
57) Linda Ahlbom Goteborg, Sweden
58) Jenny Forsman, Boras, Sweden
59) Nina Gunnarson, Kinna, Sweden
60) Andrew Harrison, New Zealand
61) Bryre Murphy, New Zealand
62) Claire Lugton, New Zealand
63) Sarah Thornton, New Zealand
64) Rachel Eade, New Zealand
65) Magnus Hjert, London, UK
67) Madeleine Stamvik, Hurley, UK
68) Susanne Nowlan, Vermont, USA
69) Lotta Svenby, Malmoe, Sweden
70) Adina Giselsson, Malmoe, Sweden
71) Anders Kullman, Stockholm, Sweden
72) Rebecka Swane, Stockholm,Sweden
73) Jens Venge, Stockholm, Sweden
74) Catharina Ekdahl, Stockholm, Sweden
75) Nina Fylkegard, Stockholm, Sweden
76) Therese Stedman, Malmoe, Sweden
77) Jannica Lund, Stockholm, Sweden
78) Douglas Bratt
79) Mats Lofstrom, Stockholm, Sweden
80) Li Lindstrom, Sweden
81) Ursula Mueller, Sweden
82) Marianne Komstadius, Stockholm, Sweden
83) Peter Thyselius, Stockholm, Sweden
84) Gonzalo Oviedo, Quito, Ecuador
85) Amalia Romeo, Gland, Switzerland
86) Margarita Restrepo, Gland, Switzerland
87) Eliane Ruster, Crans p.C., Switzerland
88) Jennifer Bischoff-Elder, Hong Kong
89)Azita Lashgari, Beirut, Lebanon
90)Khashayar Ostovany, New York, USA
91)Lisa L Miller, Reno NV
92)Danielle Avazian, Los Angeles, CA
93) Sara Risher, Los Angeles, Ca.
94) Melanie London, New York, NY
95) Susan Brownstein, Los Angeles, CA
96) Steven Raspa, San Francisco, CA
97) Margot Duane, Ross, CA
98) Natasha Darnall, Los Angeles, CA
99) Candace Brower, Evanston, IL
100) James Kjelland, Evanston, IL
101) Michael Jampole, Beach Park, IL, USA
102) Diane Willis, Wilmette, IL, USA
103) Sharri Russell, Roanoke, VA, USA
104) Faye Cooley, Roanoke, VA, USA
105) Celeste Thompson, Round Rock, TX, USA
106) Sherry Stang, Pflugerville, TX, USA
107) Amy J. Singer, Pflugerville, TX USA
108) Milissa Bowen, Austin, TX USA
109) Michelle Jozwiak, Brenham, TX USA
110) Mary Orsted, College Station, TX USA
111) Janet Gardner, Dallas, TX USA
112) Marilyn Hollingsworth, Dallas, TX USA
113) Nancy Shamblin, Garland. TX USA
114) K. M. Mullen, Houston, TX - USA
115) Noreen Tolman, Houston, Texas - USA
116) Judy Bechtel, Merced, CA - USA
117) Delores Iliff, FL, USA
118) Nicole Propper, FL, USA
119) Bonnie LaChance, FL, USA
120) JoAnn Blades, FL, USA
121) Pam Blades, FL, USA
122) Louise Campbell, FL, USA
123) Marcy DeSanto, FL, USA
124) Donald Blades, FL,USA
125) Tom LaChance, FL, USA
126) Craig Huff, GA, USA
127) Karen Huff, FL, USA
128) Paul Jarrell, Wadsworth, OH - USA
129) Ian Austin, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
130) Germaine Maxwell, POS, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
131) Phyllis Serrao, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
132) Max Serrao, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
133) Lynn Waldron. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
134) Cheri Alves-Branker, British Columbia, CANADA
135) Lori Underwood, British Columbia, Canada
136) Monique Gallant, British Columbia, Canada
137) Shannon Robertson, British Columbia, Canada
138) Maria Duran, British Columbia, Canada
139) Esther Essinger, California, USA
140) David Joel Rippner, California, USA
141) Susan Donald, SOUTH AFRICA
142) Thea Rhiannon, Portland, Oregon, USA
143) Kathleen Moneymaker, Portland, Oregon, USA
144) Jasmin Moneymaker, Olympia, Washington, USA
145) James E. Vegher, Portland, Oregon, USA
146) John W. Grigsby, MD, Portland, Oregon, USA
147) Elizabeth MacDonell, Portland, Oregon, USA
148) Lisa Domenico, Portland, Oregon, USA
149) Jenny Stern-Carusone, Portland, Oregon, USA
150) Jud Stern-Carusone, Portland, Oregon, USA
151) Marcia Walsh, Lakeport, California, USA
152) Catherine L. Kendall, Kings Beach California,USA
153) William F. Griffin, Kings Beach,California,USA
154) Kit Hixon, Concord, MA, USA
155) Margaret Hixon, Concord, MA, USA
156) Tafi Cole, Houston, TX, USA
157) Connie Anderson, Houston, TX, USA
158) Yvette Crosby, Houston, TX USA
159) Kimberley Markley, Tanzania Africa
160) Laura De La Garza, Austin, TX USA
161) Mary Lehmann, Austin TX USA
162) Eduardo Suárez, NYC, USA
163) Sally Roesch Wagner, Fayetteville, NY USA
164) Elayne Clift, Saxtons River, VT USA
165) Deborah C. Fort, Washington, DC USA
166) Wynette Kimbrel
167) Doug Sinning, Oviedo, FL USA
168) Victor Zeno, Oviedo, FL USA
169) Sharon Skellie, Lawrenceville, GA USA
170) Cheryl Hedgespeth, Colorado Springs, CO USA
171) Annette Storesund, Des Moines IA USA
172) Rose Lunn ,Philadelphia, PA USA
173) Janice Collins , Philadelphia, PA. USA
174) Nancy Felix, Texas, USA
175) Paula Purdy, Texas, USA
176) Julie San Miguel, Texas, USA
177) Jeana Savage, Texas, USA
178) Toni Bartz, Texas, USA
179) Lavada Savage, Bonn, Germany
180) Julie Burger, Texas, USA
181) Deborah S. Cody, USA
182) Robert E. Reeves, USA
183) Kathrin Woodlyn Bateman
184) Dan Hemenway, Florida, USA
185) Lawrence F. London, Jr., North Carolina, USA
PLEASE COPY this email on to a new message, sign the bottom and forward it
to everyone on your distribution lists. If you receive this list with
more than 200 names on it, please e-mail a copy of it to:
<sarabande@brandeis.edu (Send after every 100 names.)
Even if you decide not to sign, please be considerate and do not kill the
chain.
>>