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An online Petition against the Human Rights Atrocities of the Taliban

Yes, this may seem like Spam, but read it. It's important. It will save the lives of many defenceless, innocent women.

I know it sounds cliched but YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE............

What To Do..........

Simply click on THIS LINK, to open your e-mail account. Start a new message, addressing it to any of your friends you want to let know about the Human Rights Atrocities being commited, even as you read this, and paste in ALL of the below. Read it, understand it, and sign it. Then send it on, in the hopes that one day, we can make a difference.

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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 stonedto 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 andstuffed 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 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 actionby 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.9

4) 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) Magnzs Blvndal, Reykjavik, Iceland

132) Alan Hughes, Manston,England

133) Claire Page, Rochester, England

134) Cathy Smith, London, England

135) Joy Ogden, London, England

136) Joanne Casemore, London, England

137) Natalie Wilkie, London, England

138) Sarah Farmer, London, England

139) Tiffany Brown, London, England

140) Melody Brown, Surrey, England

141) Kirstin Miller, Reading, England

142) Mandi Preddy, Reading, England

143) Paula Craythorne, Ascot, England

144) Janet Foster, Bracknell, England

145) Jackie Cowie, Manchester, England, UK

146) Alison Manning, Manchester, England

147) Liz Dover, Edinburgh, Scotland

148) Jean Dover, Edinburgh, Scotland

149) Myra McShannon, Edinburgh, Scotland

150) Anneli Kuukka. Edinburgh, Scotland

151) Liza Savage. London, England

152) Kerry Spindler, Pittsburgh, PA

153) Carrie Simmons, Boston, MA

154) Laura Sheperis, New York, USA

155) Amy Tomaszewski, Corvallis, OR

156) Brian Tomaszewski, Geneseo, NY USA

157) Thomas R. Jamison, Putney, VTcn

158) Angela H. Keller, California, USA

159) Annette Keller, Malibu, California USA

160) Mikaela Jones, California, USA

161) Cath McWhirter, Wellington, New Zealand

162) Damon andrews, Wellington, New Zealand

163) Caroline Bindon, Auckland, New Zealand

164) Alia Offman, Ottawa, Canada

165) Valarie Vasku, Ottawa, Canada

166) Marisol Vinatea, Ottawa, Canada

167) Federico Bauder, Caracas, Venezuela

168) Valentina Suels, Caracas, Venezuela

169) Daniel frankel, Caracas, Venezuela

170) nadia roberts, Vancouver, canada.

171) Chaara Crooke, Vancouver, Canada

172) Chris Engleman, Vancouver, Canada

173) Terry Armstrong, Vancouver, Canada

174) Gisele Grignet, Vancouver, Canada

175) John Clark, Burnaby, BC, Canada

176) Terry Brennan, Nelson, BC, Canada

177) Linda Ullo-Lynch, Nelson, BC Canada

178) Bill Lynch, Nelson BC, Canada

179) Isa MacDonald, BC, Canada

180) Doug MacDonald, BC, Canada

181) Carole MacDonald

182) Bill Snyder

183) Lucille Wong, BC, Canada

184) Judy Michaud,Pr George, BC, Canada

185) Shannon Ounsted, BC, Canada

186) Joan Jolley, BC, Canada

187) Kim Jolley, BC, Canada

188) Michelle Davies, Vancouver, Canada

189) Michael Johnson, Vancouver, BC, Canada

190) Sally Harris, Canterbury, Kent, UK

191) Nikki McKay, Canterbury, Kent, UK

192) Martyn Langton, Sevenoaks, Kent, UK

193) Kat Scott, Dublin, Ireland

194) Charlie Boan, London, UK

195) James Birch, Brighton, UK

196) Lawrence Binks, Derby, UK

197) Charlie Pearce, Wakefield, UK

198) Cath Buckland, Cheltenham, UK

199) Nat Ball, Birmingham, UK

200) saffron Shearer-Gare, Birmingham, UK

201) Emma Taylor, Glasgow, Scotland

202) Paula Wilson, Edinburgh, Scotland

203) James G. Elmslie, Cambridge, UK

204) Laura Jackson, St Andrews, Scotland

205) Neil Hook, Manchester, UK

"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 400 names on it, please e-mail a copy of it to sarabande@brandeis.edu

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."