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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. 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 2000 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) 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) Carole Carmichael, TRINIDAD TOBAGO 135) Denise Clarke, TRINIDAD TOBAGO 136) Lisa Boisson, TRINIDAD TOBAGO 137) Yvonne Roberts-White, TRINIDAD TOBAGO 137) Eileen Roberts, TRINIDAD TOBAGO 138) Elizabeth Chin Aleong, British Virgin Islands 139) Joy Ramlogan, TRINIDAD TOBAGO 140) Eriko Togo, DC, USA 141) Luca F. Mezzomo, ITALY 142) Luigi Ruggerone, ITALY 143) Gabriele Parenti, ITALY 144) Alessandro Delia-Russell, ITALYn 145) Cristiana Vitale, ITALY 146) Cristina Davies, Egypt 147) Noha Bawazir, Lebanon 148) Carlos Milani, France 149) Andrea Moraes, Brasil 150) Luiz Eduardo Braga, Brasil 151) Debbie Andree, AZ USA 152) Klemens Arnarson, Iceland 153) Eva Ros Johannsdottir, Iceland 154) Helga Benediktsdottir, Iceland 155) Sigridur Benediktsdottir, Iceland 156) Arnar Geirsson, Iceland 157) Tryggvi Helgason, Iceland 158) Samuel J. Samuelsson, Iceland 159) Sigurbj?rn Sveinsson, Iceland 160) Gunnar M. Sandholt, Iceland 161) Gudmundur Einarsson, Iceland 161) Logi Jonsson, Iceland 162) Gudrun petursdottir, Iceland 163) Andre Joyal, QuÈbec 164) Robert David, QuÈbec, Canada 165) Olga Gladkikh, Antigonish, Canada 166) Suzanne Huett, Halifax, Canada 167) Heather Myers, Antigonish, Canada 168) Chris Storseth, Antigonish, Canada 169) Fred Freundlich, Spain 170) Matt Gerber, New York, USA 171) Susan Holzman, New York, USA 172) Margot Atlas, Great Neck, NY, USA 173) Mark Atlas, Great Neck, NY USA 174) Ann Harada, New York, NY, USA 175) Heather Webber, Salem, OR, USA 176) Angus Webber, Salem, OR, USA 177) Audrey Silver Levin, New York, NY, USA 178) Lauren Howard Coleman, New York, NY, USA 179) James A. Coleman, New York, NY, USA 180) Kara Martinez Weilding, Brooklyn, NY, USA 181) Christopher Weilding, Brooklyn, NY, USA 182) Odin Townley, New York, NY USA 183) Henry Barbey, New York,NY USA 184) Pete Elder, Carmel, NY USA 185) Melanie Sooter, Lawrence, KS USA 186) Diana Morton 187) Kristine Stumm, Denver, CO, USA 188) Lianne Meyer, Denver, CO, USA 189) Esther Son, Denver, CO, USA 190) Jenny Geiser, Denver, CO, USA 191) Elaine Bacon, Ft. Thomas, KY, USA 192) Christina Gilardi, Cincinnati, OH, USA 193) Delilah Schermer, Cincinnati, OH, USA 194) Donna Denny, Batesville, IN, USA 195) Theadell Brown, Chicago, Il, USA 196) Britton Garnjost, New Paltz, NY, USA 197) Tanvi Kachhy, Bay Shore, NY, USA 198) Payal Mistry, Boston, MA, USA 199) Manjula Nair, Boston, MA, USA 200) Kendra W. Marshall Boston, MA 201) Jeremy C. Franz Boston, MA 203) Dan Sumner New Orleans, LA 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 mailto:sarabande@brandeis.edu Even if you decide not to sign, please be considerate and do not kill the petition. Thank you. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com