Afghanistan women

[Laura Viau <lviau@mcquaid.org>]

Subject:
        Persecution & Death of Afgan Women
  Date:
        Tue, 02 Nov 1999 12:00:28 -0500
  From:
        Frances <frannick@rcn.com>
    To:
        lviau@mcquaid.org, kendeb27@webtv.net


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 meanssimply 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 misbehaviour.
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 andother 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) 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) Karen Campbell, Dallas (Rowlett) Texas - USA
117) Jenny Campbell, Dallas (Rowlett) Texas - USA
118) Natalie Mierow, Dallas (Rockwall) Texas - USA
119) Melissa Vereschildt, Jerrabomberra , NSW Australia
120) Lee Vereschildt, Calwell, ACT, Australia
121) Courtney Roper, Kambah, ACT, Australia
122) Jenny Ingersole, Hawker, ACT, Australia
123) Victoria Priday, Kingston, ACT, Australia
124) Sally Mills, Flynn, ACT Australia
125) Rowena Howlett, Latham, ACT, Australia
126) Alison Davies, ACT Australia
127) Karen Lenton, ACT, Australia
128) Yvette Johns, ACT, Australia
129) Wendy Johns, NSW, Australia
130) Jen Speirs, NSW, Australia
131) Bet Collopy, NSW, Australia
132) Jack Collopy,London, England
133) Wendy Bezuidenhout, London,UK
134) Vicki Mowbray, Johannesburg, South Africa
135) Louise Campbell, London, UK
136) Emily Eadie, London, UK
137) Claire Hammond-Chambers, London, UK
138) Alexandra McIntosh, London, UK
139) Harriet Davies, London UK
140) Kate Bower, London UK
141) Asha Bhatia, London - UK
142) Jane Conder, London - UK
143) Adriana Solari. London - UK
144) Christin Sauer, London - UK
145) Sarah Hamblin, London - UK
146) Guido Seibt, San Jose, CA USA
147) Cynthia Haverland, Danville, CA USA
148) Lisa Sieffert, Concord, CA USA
149) Deborah Nevin, Texas, USA
150) Sreejit Narayan NewYork USA
151) Dattatraya Gajakas, New York USA
152) Kumawat Rajesh, New York USA
153) C.V.R.Viswanadham 'Vishhy', Mysore - India
154) Vishnoo Rath , Bangalore India .
155) Mukesh Singh Dogra, Bangalore, INDIA
156) Rakesh Khemani, Mumbai, INDI
157) Amit Pawar, Mumbai, INDIA
158) Sonia Abraham, Chennai, INDIA
159) Geetha Achanta, Houston, TX, USA
160) Karthika Perumal, Houston, TX , USA
161) Nimisha Makan, Houston, TX, USA
162) Courtney Michelle, Austin, TX, USA
163) Ramon Trevino, Austin, TX, USA
164) Maura Fernandez, San Antonio, TX, USA
165) Celinda Garza, Austin, TX, USA
166) David J. Aguirre, Scalea (Calabria) Italia
167) Roya Maroof,  San Francisco, CA USA
168) Maxi Ettehadieh, Los Angeles, Ca USA
169) Roya Mashayekh, Los Angeles, CA USA
170) Golnaz Agahi, San Diego, CA USA
171) Jason Van Court, Sacramento, CA USA
172) Carrie Barkley, Sacramento, CA USA
173) Brianna Leavitt, San Francisco, CA USA
174) Maria Jose Perry, San Francisco, Ca USA
175) Sonia Duran, Bogota, Colombia
176) Lucia Moure, Geneve, Switzerland
177) Frances Nicklus, Yonkers, NY USA
178)  Laura J. Viau    Rochester, NY, USA

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