Subject: Fwd: Human Rights petition: women in Afghanistan

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 17:32:12 EDT

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Message-ID: <00b901c14ce7$afdc6ee0$3162cfd0@MarthaBaker>
From: "Martha Baker" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Clifford" <[email-masked]>
Subject: fritzi baker's petition
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 10:16:34 -0500
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From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 08:45:29 EDT
To: [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], sbea=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], LNCAV@=
aol.com, [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], PDirvin@a=
ol.com, [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], E=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], ae=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]=
, [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], LSFOWL=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], L=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], JSRich123=
@aol.com, [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], pat=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], jsilvati@earthlink=
.net, [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], Taste=
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]
Subject: Please sign and pass it on.

If you decide not to forward this, please send it back to me.=20

This is an actual petition, and "signatures" will be lost if you drop the l=
ine.=20=20

Please take three minutes out of your life to do your part. Be sure to inc=
lude other members of your household who are willing to sign.=20

Oprah recently had a show about this atrocity and it was heartbreaking. =
=20

Petition to the United Nations Background Information: Madhu, the governmen=
t of Afghanistan, is waging a war upon women.=20

Since the Taliban took power in 1996, women have had to wear burqua and hav=
e been beaten and stoned in public for not having the proper attire, even i=
f this means simply not having the mesh covering in front of their eyes. O=
ne woman was beaten to death by an angry mob of fundamentalists for acciden=
tally exposing her arm(!) while she was driving. Another was stoned to dea=
th for trying to leave the country with a man that was not a relative. Wom=
en are not allowed to work or even go out in public without a male relative=
; professional women such as professors, translators, doctors,lawyers, arti=
sts and writers have been forced from their jobs and restricted to their ho=
mes. Homes where a woman is present must have their windows painted so tha=
t 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.=20

Because they cannot work, those without male relatives or husbands are eith=
er starving to death or begging in the street,even if they hold Ph.D.'s. D=
epression 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 am=
ong women must be extraordinarily high: those who cannot find proper medica=
tion and treatment for severe depression and would rather take their lives =
than live in such conditions.=20

At one of the rare hospitals for women, a reporter found still, nearly life=
less bodies lying motionless on top of beds, wrapped in their burqua, unwil=
ling to speak, eat,or do anything, but slowly wasting away. Others have go=
ne mad and were seen crouched in corners, perpetually rocking or crying, mo=
st of them in fear.=20

It is at the point where the term "human rights violations" has become an u=
nderstatement. 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 wo=
rk, to dress generally as they wanted, and to drive and appear in public al=
one until only 1996. The rapidity of this transition is the main reason fo=
r the depression and suicide; Women who were once educators or doctors or s=
imply used to basic human freedoms are now severely restricted and treated =
as subhuman in the name of right-wing fundamentalist Islam. It is not thei=
r tradition or "culture," but it is alien to them, and it is extreme even f=
or those cultures where fundamentalism is the rule.=20

Everyone has a right to a tolerable human existence, even if they are women=
in a Muslim country.=20

If we can threaten military force in Kosovo the name of human rights for th=
e sake of ethnic Albanians, citizens of the world can certainly express pea=
ceful outrage at the oppression, murder and injustice committed against wom=
en by the Taliban.=20

STATEMENT: In signing this, we agree that the current treatment of women in=
Afghanistan is completely UNACCEPTABLE and deserves action by the United N=
ations and that the current situation overseas will not be tolerated.=20

Women's Rights is not a small issue anywhere, and it is UNACCEPTABLE for wo=
men in 2001 to be treated as subhuman and as so much property.=20

Equality and human decency is a fundamental RIGHT, not a freedom to be gran=
ted, whether one lives in Afghanistan or elsewhere.=20

1) James Chism Jr. , Pontoon Beach , IL USA=20
2) Patricia Chism , Granite City ,IL USA=20
3) James Chism Sr., Granite City , IL USA=20
4) Beth Barnes , Granite City , IL USA=20
5) Bryan Barnes , Granite City , IL USA=20
6) Marta Scaturro, Granite City, IL USA=20
7) Tom Scaturro, Granite City, IL USA=20
8) Susan H Hawkins, St Louis, MO USA=20
9) Ellen Hammond, Cincinnati, Ohio USA=20
10) Ann F. Baker
11) Martha K. Baker
> DIRECTIONS: PLEASE COPY this email on to a new message, sign the bottom a=
nd forward it to everyone on your distribution lists. If you receive this l=
ist with over 300 names on it, please email a copy to [email-masked]=
du.=20

Even if you decide not to sign, please don't kill this petition. Thanks=20

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><BR>----------<BR><B>From:=20
</B>[email-masked]<BR><B>Date: </B>Thu, 4 Oct 2001 08:45:29 EDT<BR><B>To:=20
</B>[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]=
m,=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]=
m,=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=
=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked]=
t,=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], TT2003T@aol=
.com,=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked],=20
[email-masked]<BR><B>Subject: </B>Please sign and pass it on.<BR><BR><FONT =
size=3D2><FONT face=3DArial>If you decide not to forward this, please send=
it back=20
to me. <BR><BR>This is an actual petition, and "signatures" will be lost if=
you=20
drop the line. &nbsp;<BR><BR>Please take three minutes out of your life to =
do=20
your part. &nbsp;Be sure to include other members of your household who are=
=20
willing to sign. <BR><BR>Oprah recently had a show about this atrocity and =
it=20
was heartbreaking. &nbsp;<BR><BR><B>Petition to the United Nations Backgrou=
nd=20
Information: Madhu, the government of Afghanistan, is waging a war upon=20
women.</B> <BR><BR><B>Since the Taliban took power in 1996, women have had =
to=20
wear burqua and have been beaten and stoned in public for not having the pr=
oper=20
attire, even if this means simply not having the mesh covering in front of =
their=20
eyes. &nbsp;One woman was beaten to death by an angry mob of fundamentalist=
s for=20
accidentally exposing her arm(!) while she was driving. &nbsp;Another was s=
toned=20
to death for trying to leave the country with a man that was not a relative=
.=20
&nbsp;Women are not allowed to work or even go out in public without a male=
=20
relative; professional women such as professors, translators, doctors,lawye=
rs,=20
artists and writers have been forced from their jobs and restricted to thei=
r=20
homes. &nbsp;Homes where a woman is present must have their windows painted=
so=20
that she can never be seen by outsiders. &nbsp;They must wear silent shoes =
so=20
that they are never heard. &nbsp;Women live in fear of their lives for the=
=20
slightest misbehavior.</B> <BR><BR><B>Because they cannot work, those witho=
ut=20
male relatives or husbands are either starving to death or begging in the=20
street,even if they hold Ph.D.'s. &nbsp;Depression is becoming so widesprea=
d=20
that it has reached emergency levels. &nbsp;There is no way in such an extr=
eme=20
Islamic society to know the suicide rate with certainty, but relief workers=
are=20
estimating that the suicide rate among women must be extraordinarily high: =
those=20
who cannot find proper medication and treatment for severe depression and w=
ould=20
rather take their lives than live in such conditions.</B> <BR><BR><B>At one=
of=20
the rare hospitals for women, a reporter found still, nearly lifeless bodie=
s=20
lying motionless on top of beds, wrapped in their burqua, unwilling to spea=
k,=20
eat,or do anything, but slowly wasting away. &nbsp;Others have gone mad and=
were=20
seen crouched in corners, perpetually rocking or crying, most of them in=20
fear.</B> <BR><BR><B>It is at the point where the term "human rights violat=
ions"=20
has become an understatement. &nbsp;Husbands have the power of life and dea=
th=20
over their women relatives, especially their wives, but an angry mob has ju=
st as=20
much right to stone or beat a woman, often to death, for exposing an inch o=
f=20
flesh or offending them in the slightest way. &nbsp;Women enjoyed relative=
=20
freedom: to work, to dress generally as they wanted, and to drive and appea=
r in=20
public alone until only 1996. &nbsp;The rapidity of this transition is the =
main=20
reason for the depression and suicide; Women who were once educators or doc=
tors=20
or simply used to basic human freedoms are now severely restricted and trea=
ted=20
as subhuman in the name of right-wing fundamentalist Islam. &nbsp;It is not=
=20
their tradition or "culture," but it is alien to them, and it is extreme ev=
en=20
for those cultures where fundamentalism is the rule.</B> <BR><BR><B>Everyon=
e has=20
a right to a tolerable human existence, even if they are women in a Muslim=
=20
country.</B> <BR><BR><B>If we can threaten military force in Kosovo the nam=
e of=20
human rights for the sake of ethnic Albanians, citizens of the world can=20
certainly express peaceful outrage at the oppression, murder and injustice=
=20
committed against women by the Taliban.</B><FONT color=3D#800080>=20
<BR></FONT></FONT></FONT><BR><B><BR></B>STATEMENT: In signing this, we agre=
e=20
that the current treatment of women in Afghanistan is completely UNACCEPTAB=
LE=20
and deserves action by the United Nations and that the current situation=20
overseas will not be tolerated.<FONT color=3D#800080><FONT face=3DArial>=20
<BR><BR><FONT size=3D4>Women's Rights is not a small issue anywhere, and it=
is=20
UNACCEPTABLE for women in 2001 to be treated as subhuman and as so much=20
property.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=3D4><BR>Equality and human decency is a=20
fundamental RIGHT, not a freedom to be granted, whether one lives in Afghan=
istan=20
or elsewhere.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=3D4><BR><BR></FONT>&nbsp;&nbsp;1) &nbsp=
;James=20
Chism Jr. , Pontoon Beach , IL USA <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;2) &nbsp;Patricia Chism =
,=20
Granite City ,IL USA <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;3) &nbsp;James Chism Sr., Granite City=
, IL=20
USA <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;4) &nbsp;Beth Barnes , Granite City , IL USA=20
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;5) &nbsp;Bryan Barnes , Granite City , IL USA <BR>&nbsp;&nb=
sp;6)=20
&nbsp;Marta Scaturro, Granite City, IL USA <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;7) &nbsp;Tom=20
Scaturro, Granite City, IL USA<FONT size=3D4> <BR></FONT>&nbsp;&nbsp;8)=20
&nbsp;Susan H Hawkins, St Louis, MO USA <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;9) &nbsp;Ellen Hamm=
ond,=20
Cincinnati, Ohio USA <BR></FONT><FONT size=3D4><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS"=
>10) Ann=20
F. Baker</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT color=3D#800080><FONT size=3D4><FONT=
face=3D"Comic Sans MS">11) Martha K. Baker<BR></FONT><FONT face=3D"Tim=
es New Roman">&gt; DIRECTIONS: PLEASE COPY this email on to a new=20
message, sign the bottom and forward it to everyone on your distribution li=
sts.=20
If you receive this list with over 300 names on it, please email a copy to=
=20
&nbsp;[email-masked]. <BR><BR>Even if you decide not to sign, pleas=
e=20
don't kill this petition. &nbsp;Thanks=20
<BR><BR><BR><BR></FONT></FONT></FONT><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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