Please sign and forward as instructed.
Subject: 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 sky-rocketing 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 sub-human 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 sub-human 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) Jean-Claude 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) Natalie Edwards, Charlottesville VA USA
>>106) Cyndy Williams, Charlottesville, VA USA
>>107) Donna Hall, Lynchburg, Va USA
>>108) Robin Hinkle, Lynchburg, VA USA
>>109) George Vass Venice, FL USA
>>110) Martha Ferris, Moncks Corner, SC USA
>>111) Teresa Smith, Charleston, SC, USA
>>112) Terry Longo, Orlando, FL, USA
>>113) Charlotte Downs, Orlando, FL, USA
>>114) Laura M. Connaughton, Orlando, FL USA
>>115) Ronit Doran, Tel Aviv, Israel
>>116) Iris Berenstein, Johannesburg, South Africa
>>117) Lynne Jeffreys, Johannesburg, South Africa
>>118) Sharon van Heerden, Johannesburg, South Africa
>>119) Lizelle Mc Mahon, Johannesburg, South Africa
>>120) Frik du Toit Suid Afrika
>>121) Glenda Warrin, Cape Town, South Africa
>>122) Andrew le Roux, Cape Town, South Africa
>>123) Nathea Beukes, Cape Town, South Africa
>>124) Johan Wiesner, Toowoomba, Australia
>>125) Retha Wiesner, Toowoomba, Australia
>>126) Leon de Villiers, Toowoomba, Australia
>>127) Leslie Willmers, Cape Town, South Africa
>>128) Wayne Jacobs, Cape Town, South Africa
>>129) Davlynne Lidbetter, Cape Town, South Africa
>>130) Gunnar Blondal, Oslo, Norway
>>131) Magnús Blöndal, Reykjavik, Iceland
>>132) Alan Hughes, Manston,England
>>133) Claire Page, Rochester, England
134) Cathy Smith, London, England
135) Nim Singh, London, England
136) Serena Bentine, London, England
137) Clare Fisk, London, England
138) Alexander Robinson, London, England
139) Darren Savage, London, England
140) Victoria Malim, London, England
150) Dotun Olanipekun-Mohamed, England
151) Raymond Au-Yeung, England
152) Wouter Barendrecht, Hong Kong
153) Choi Kam Chuen Hong Kong
154) JOyce Emons, Taiwan
155) Wendela Elsen, Taiwan
156) Arthur van Benthem, Jakarta, Indonesia
157) Mick van Ettinger, Rotterdam, Netherlands
158) Annemarie de Vries, Rotterdam, Netherlands
159) Steve Osborne, Amsterdam, Netherlands
160) Linda Mooney, Amsterdam, Netherlands
161) Don Kohlmann, Sydney, Australia
162) Nathan Cooper, Canberra, Australia
163) Corinne Salmon, West Midland, Australia
164) Graeme Fleming, Como, Australia
165) Michael Sergi, Cook, Australia
166) Rob Schaap, Canberra, Australia
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 :
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Send after every 200 names.
Even if you decide not to sign, please be considerate and do not kill
the petition. Thank you. It is best to copy rather than forward the
petition.
Melissa Buckheit , Brandeis University
Graeme Fleming
One Stop Computing Pty Ltd
Perth WA
Australia
Mobile 0419906099
Remember - "The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's
all learned."
(not original but I doff my chapeau to the author whoever they maybe :-))
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