Taliban women

[harald sprenger]

----------

Dear friends,
 Na een deel valse oproepen, nu weer eens een echte. Bedankt alvast voor de
moeite.

Harald Sprenger

"First they came for the socialists, and i did not speak out because i was
not a socialist.  Then they came for the trade unionists, and i did not
speak
out because i was not a trade unionist.  Then they came for the jews, and i
did not speak out because i was not a jew.  Then they came for me, and there
was no-one left to speak for me."
-Pastor Martin Niemöller.

First read this, then check out either of these sites.
<A HREF="http://www.phrusa.org/research/exec.html">The Taliban's War on
Women: A Health and Human Rights Crisis in Afghanistan.</A>

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 is 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 Roster, 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) James Robertson, British Columbia, Canada
140) Sheila Stainton, British Columbia,Canada
141) Pam Evans, British Columbia, Canada
142) Chantal Ricard, Britsh Columbia, CANADA
143) Nadie Savard,British Columbia, CANADA
144) Chantal Vaillancourt, Quebec, Canada
145) Toby Theriault, Quebec, Canada
146) Maude Arsenault Quebec, Canada
147) Denis^-Alain Perreault Quebec Canada
148) Tracy A. Elofson, Vancouver, Canada
149) Kathy McGeean, Alberta, Canada
150) Margaret Murdoch, VANCOUVER, CANADA
151) Carol Bylsma, Marvel, Colorado, USA
152) Shawna Crocker, Colorado, USA
153) CeCe Forget, Colorado, USA
154) Diana Hammer, Colorado, USA
155) Ellen E. Lynch, Hawaii, USA
156) Richard J. Brennan, New York, USA
157) Sara Kahn, New York, USA
158) Gwen Bredendieck Fischer, Hiram, Ohio, USA
159) DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr., Chicago, Illinois, USA
160) Michele Baldwin, Chicago, Illinois, USA
161) Ann Ladd, Pueblo West, CO
162) Bunny S. Duhl, Cambridge, MA
163) Mieko Nakazawa, Tokyo, Japan
164) Yvonne York, Lancashire, England.
165) Phil Barker, Newcastle, UK
166) Terry Corcoran, Glasgow UK
167) LeeChoon Thai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / Glasgow, Scotland.
168) Sangeetha Madhavan, Singapore
169) Sita Ramamurthy, UK
170) Suzanne Gorman. UK
180) Leonard Lee, Can
181) Gabrielle Cordella-Chew, NY
182) David Zerykier, New York, USA
183) Jonas Søbstad, Bergen, Norway
184) Harald Sprenger, Leiden, Netherlands


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 at brandeis.edu> (Send after every 100 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.



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