Dear Friends and Family:  Please read this one and consider it
carefully...Christopher Cheah

June 24, 2001
Subject:
        Fw: Taliban and women





Date: Friday, June 01, 2001 8:30 AM

If you decide not to forward this, please send it back to me. This is 
an

actual
petition, and "signatures" will be lost if you drop the line. Please
take 3 minutes out
of your life to do your part. And be sure to include other members of
your
household who are willing to sign. Oprah recently had a show about this
atrocity
and it was heartbreaking.

Petition to the United Nations Background Information:

Madhu, 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 restricted to their homes.
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 in the street, even if they hold Ph.D.'s.
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 must be
extraordinarily
high: those who cannot find proper medication and treatment for severe
depression
and would rather take their lives than live in such conditions. 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. 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, to dress generally as they wanted, and to 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 it 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 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 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
2001 to be treated as subhuman and as so much property. Equality and
human
decency is a fundamental RIGHT, not a freedom to be granted, whether 
one

lives
in Afghanistan or elsewhere.

1) Giuliana D. Black, Daly City, CA, USA

2) Mariam Nayiny, Palo Alto, CA, USA

3) Sunaina Gulati-Ruh, Palo Alto, CA USA

4) Megan McCaslin, Palo Alto, CA USA

5) Blake Hallanan, San Francisco, Ca. USA

6) Kit Henderson, Sacramento, CA USA

7) Kara Myers, San Francisco, CA

8) Ellen Tilden, San Francisco, CA

9) Vanessa Ross, San Francisco, CA

10) Jenna Shaw- Battista, San Francisco, CA

11) Jeanne Racik, B!erkeley, CA

12) Julie Silas, Oakland, CA

13) Renee Longstreet, Tarzana, CA

14) Susan Johnson, Encino, CA

15) Kenneth Johnson, Encino, CA

16) Terri Treas, Los Angeles, CA

17) Amy Retzinger, North Hollywood, CA

18) Babette Crooms, Los Angeles, CA

19) Olivia Kienzel; Santa Barbara, CA

20) Sean Dexheimer, Los Angeles, CA

21) Elio Chavez, Jr., Pasadena, CA

22) Gregory Kastigar, Los Angeles, CA

23) Robert Collie, Los Angeles, CA

24) Jeff Garvin, Brea, CA

25) Tricia Allen, Sherman Oaks, CA

26) Joleen Nordstrom ~ Hollywood, CA

27) Theresa Donahoe - Martinez,CA

28) Jennifer Horn - Concord, CA

29) Roxanne Ryan - Alamo, CA

30) Miriam Tyler- San Jose CA

31) John Burns- San Jose CA

32) Kristin Lynn Minick- Fort Worth TX

33) Jeff Neal- Marietta, GA

34) Anna Neal- Marietta, GA

35) Frances Murley-Fort Worth, TX

36) David Murley-London, England, UK

37) Jillian Dykhouse, Colleyville, TX

38) Bonnie Dykhouse,Colleyville,TX

39) Nancy Williams, Colleyville, TX

40) Georgene Farr, Sterling Heights, MI

41) Joanne Arensberg, Riverview, MI

42) Luann Ouellette, Vermillion, SD

43) Sandie Sullivan, Vermillion, SD

44) Troy Nelson, Minneapolis, MN USA

45) Joseph Miller, Minneapolis, MN USA

46) Kathleen Miller, White Bear Lake, MN USA

47) Jerry Marquis, Mpls. Mn. USA

48) Julie Stokes, Coon Rapids, MN USA

49) Tracy Ford, Blaine, MN USA

50) Sheila Lawrence, Monticello, MN USA

51) Brenda Kitchen, Westlake Village,

Calif!ornia,USA

52) Teresa Burke, Sherman Oaks, CA, USA

53) Bruce Ehrlich, Sherman Oaks, CA USA

54) Yllania Francis, Los Angeles, CA USA

55) Drew Hedin, Los Angeles, CA USA

56) Laura Paridon, Laguna Woods, CA USA

57) Jeanie Hagedorn, Des Moines, IA USA

58) Sue Christensen, Des Moines, IA USA

59) Sybil Finken, Glenwood, IA USA

60) Luke Finken, Earth

61) Doug Gerace, Lincoln, NE USA

62) Cheryl Gerace, NE

63) Sheri Lew, CO

64) Raven Grace, Boulder, CO

65) Martha M.Mertz, EL, Michigan

66) Colleen R. Cooper, Okemos, Michigan

67) Barbara J. Sawyer-Koch, East Lansing, MI

68) Margaret A. Meyers, Okemos, Michigan

69) Mary Helen Espes, Okemos, Michigan

70) Maureen Kirchhoff, Allenspark, CO

71) Bart Johnson, Err, France

72) Sharon!O'Connor, Olympia, WA USA

73) Nancy Irving, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

74) Martha Lindley, Seattle, WA, USA

75) Judith Alexander, Woodinville, WA, USA

76) Arlene B. Hawkinson, Seattle, WA, USA

77) Christine E. Mobley, Bothell, WA, USA

78) Trudie Breen, CA, USA

79) Catherine Standiford, CA, USA

80) Beverly Truett, AZ, USA

81) Christine Meehan,AZ,USA

82) Janice Gilbert, Valley Center, CA, USA

83) Dawna Upchurch, Anchorage, AK USA

84) Roxanna Groves, Olympia, WA USA

85) Lynda Lynde, Helena, MT USA

86) Constance Gelu, University Place, WA USA

87) Jodi Woolett, Tacoma, WA USA

88) Lisa I. Reeves- Lynden, WA USA

89) Amanda James-Bow, WA USA

90) Kelli J. Smith, New Port Richey, FL USA

91) Chris Poirier, Largo, Fl USA

92) Mike Carpenter, Palmetto, Fl USA

93) Alice Pryor, Melbourne FL USA

94) Ellen Catano, Manchester NH USA

95) Bevely Jennings, Cincinnati OH USA

96) Linda Feely, Norwood,OH USA

97) Sherry Stidham, Norwood OH USA

98) Brittany Brown, Cincinnati OH USA

99) Sandy Brown, Cincinnati, Oh USA

100) Tim Brown, Cincinnati, OH USA

101) Pat Brown, Cincinnati, OH USA

102) Amy Cregger, Memphis, TN USA

103) Kay Emerick, Logan, OH USA

104) Trina Bookman, Logan, OH USA

105) X-Mozilla-Status: 0009uis, Mo USA

106) Jeannette Ward, Memphis, TN USA

107) Elisabeth Davis, Memphis, Tn USA

108) Rose Klimek, Memphis, TN USA

109) Barbara K. White, Hoquiam, WA, USA

110) Paula J. Eriksen, Palm Harbor, Florida USA

111) Rag!nar Eriksen, Palm Harbor, Florida USA

112) MARILYN KING, CLEARWATER, FL, USA

113) Barbara Stiner,Oldsmar,FL,USA

114) Jac'line Weisgerber,Clearwater,FL,USA

115) Charlotte Beadles, Douglasville, GA, USA

116) Jody Hoadley, Powder Springs, GA, USA

117) Hope Howard, Atlanta, GA, USA

118) Cliff Howard, Atlanta, GA, USA

119) Kay Chicoine, Atlanta, GA USA

120) Mark Chicoine, Atlanta, GA USA

121) Paula King, Lexington, KY,USA

122) Sally Weissman,Minneapolis,Mn,USA

123) Susan Abbott, New Brighton, MN USA

124) Rachel Fine, St. Louis Park, MN, USA

125) Deb Harley,Eden Prairie, MN,Usa

126) Barb Handahl,Faribault, MN,USA

127) Ann Olson,Chamberlain S.D.USA

128) Deb Hunt,Sioux Falls S.D.USA

129) Anne Frankman, Sioux Falls, SD USA

130) Susie Kostel, Tabor, SD USA

131) Julie Anderson, Mount Prospect, IL USA

132) Janet Tilden, Fremont, NE USA

133) Debbie Bowman, Kingston Springs, TN, USA

134) Shari Watkins, Franklin, TN, USA

135) Teresa Beck, Columbia, TN USA

136) Amy Stephens, Brentwood, TN, USA

137) Vicki Warren, Lyles, TN, USA

138) Linda Lupo, Westland, MI, USA

139) Cathie McClary, Clinton Twp. MI, USA

140) Diane Catellane, Clinton Twp. MI, USA

141) Judy Mellen, Clarkston, MI, USA

142) Donna Waite, Lake Orion, MI, USA

143) Ann Acton, South Lyon, MI, USA

145) Tami Hall, South Lyon, MI, USA

146) Wendy Belsley, South Lyon, MI, USA

147) Gretel Coombs, East Lansing, MI, USA

148) Mike Jones, Lansing, MI, USA

149) Jeff Jones, Atlanta, GA, USA

150) Marion Jones , Atlanta, GA , USA

151) Pat Scott, Enumclaw, WA, USA

152) Bob Panzer, Houston, TX, USA

153) Pat Panzer, Houston, TX, USA

154) Joe Schwartz, Jacksonville AL USA

155) Stefanie Walfield, Fayetteville, NC, USA

156) Liz Dunkley, Milledgeville, GA, USA

157) Christine Dunkley, Milledgeville, GA, USA

156) Mike Dunkley, Milledgeville, GA, USA

157) Randy Parsons, Eatonton, Ga.

158) Bonita Platner, Kirkwood, NY. USA

159) Ralph Platner, Kirkwood, NY. USA

160) Charles Lundquist, Binghamton, N.Y. U.S.A.

161) Tracy Rowe, Hollywood, CA USA

162) Daniel Raphael New York, New York USA

163) Ann Brameier, New York, NY USA

164) Kazuko Tao, Healdsburg, Ca USA

165) Shelley Zavat, Rio Nido, Ca. USA

166) Kendall Smith, Fort Bragg, Ca USA

167) Candi Zizek, Sacramento, California USA

168) Annette Blackwood, West Hartford, CT USA

169) Frank Sentner, West Hartford, CT USA

170) Ann Steadman, Roanoke, VA USA

171) George Steadman, Roanoke, VA USA

172) Elizabeth Byam,Washington, DC USA

173) Mary Dougal,Montclair, NJ USA

174) Kathleen Ennen, Champaign, Il. USA

175) Patricia S. Berky, Baltimore, Md. USA

176) Wahiba Abu-Ras, Old Bridge, NJ. USA

177) Magdi Awad, Old Bridge, NJ USA

178) Melissa Joralemon, NY USA

179) Vida Cofie-Robertson, NJ USA

180) Sema Gurun, NY, USA

181)Sahika Yildirim, UB, Mongolia

182) Ayse Taylan, Istanbul, Turkiye

183) Kemal Gencay, Istanbul, Turkiye

184) Vehbi Gencay, Ankara, Turkiye

185) N. Suzan Kincal, Ankara, T*Ekiye

186) Handan Tezel, Ottawa, Canada

187) Ayse Senatalar, Istanbul, Turkiye

188) Zeynep Ilsen Onsan, Istanbul, Turkiye

189) Jak Kornfilt,Istanbul, Turkiye

190) Ilona Kornfilt,Istanbul,Turkiye

191) Anna Droste

192) Ersin Takla,Istanbul, Turkey

193) R. Oguz Bozkurt, Istanbul, Turkey

194) Sevda Bozkurt, Istanbul, Turkey

195) Liliana Saban, Strasbourg France

196) Yael Albukrek, London, UK

197) Fabiana Di Porto, Rome, Italy

198) Micaela Pavoncello, Rome Italy

199) Marnie Silver, Toronto, ON, Canada

200) Andrew Muroff, Toronto, ON, Canada

201) Natalie Witkin, ON, Canada

202) Althea Johnson, Toronto,ON, Canada

203) Meredith Smith, Toronto, ON, Canada

204) Trina Hendry, Toronto, ON, Canada

205) Suzanne Scinto, Toronto, ON, Canada

206) Anne Lelovic, Toronto, ON, Canada

207) Jane Tucker, Toronto, ON, Canada

208) Leslie Bradley, Toronto, ON, Canada

209) Kathryn Durant, Toronto, ON, Canada

210) Keri-Lyn Durant, Winchester, UK

211) Lisa Keld, Portsmouth, UK

212) Karen Parrott

213) Laura HebbleThwaite, UK

214) Jessica Appleby,East Sussex, UK

215) Andrea Knowles, Brighton, UK

216) Sue Selby, Welling, UK

217) Diane Russell, Crawley, UK

218) Sally-Ann Graham, Crawley, UK

219) Gill Atkinson, Crawley, UK

220) Ian Merridue, Crawley, UK

221) Andrea Williams, Crawley, UK

222) Sangwon Ryu, Brighton, UK

223) Meryl Williams, Brighton, UK

224) Theresa K. Wakamatsu, Taiwan

225) David Diemer Smith, USA

226) Rosanne Gilks, London, UK

227) Robert Gilks, Hamilton,on., Canada

228) Mary Gilks, Hamilton, on., Canada

229) Marianne Brittain, Ont., Canada

230) Donald E. Casebolt, MD Farmington, New Mexico

231) Kathryn W. Casebolt, Farmington, New Mexico

232) Gleneva Higley, Atwood, Kansas

233) Cecilia C. Celedonio, Quezon City, Philippines

234) Christopher Cheah, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

DIRECTIONS: 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 300 names on it, please e-mail

a copy of it to: sarabande@brandeis.edu

Even if you decide not to sign, please be

considerate and do not kill the petition.