Stop The War On Women In Afghanistan!

PHOTO: Alexander Zemlianchnko (AP)

That was the headline I have used since the Taliban incarcerated half their population. The world stood by while millions of women were locked away in their homes and their basic human rights torn from them. It was not until the attack on America, that the great powers of the world paid attention to this oppressive regime. Though we are dedicated to the idea of world peace, removal of the Taliban is a welcome event. Now, the momentum must be maintained to assure that the women of Afghanistan can regain their freedom and dignity. Because the political map of Afghanistan is now being re-written, we must still keep up the pressure on our governments to make sure that the women of Afghanistan are not swept back into the darkened rooms where they have been imprisoned for the years of the Taliban's rule. You can click on the World Leader's Page in order to reach your government officials.

Stop The War On Women In Afghanistan! (MAY 15, 2001)

Though the world media organizations have been giving a great deal of air play and column space to the destruction of the Buddhist statues and sewing of stars on non-muslims in Afghanistan, a greater crime, the incarceration of the women of Islam in Afghanistan is being totally ignored. How is it that half a population can be stripped of their humanity and no one stands up for them, while defacing a stone statue creates an international furor? The brutal fighting, harsh winter and record drought in Afghanistan forced millions of people from their homes. They not only face death from lack of food and sub-zero temperatures, but from vicious attacks by the US armed and Saudi trained Taliban. Immediate humanitarian aid to these refugees, the majority of whom are women and children, is imperative! One million people are at risk for famine in Afghanistan and millions more are in the most desperate poverty imaginable, according to the United Nations. The Taliban's barbaric rule, the most severe drought in decades, sub-zero temperatures, military incursions which have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and a lack of humanitarian aid have created a catastrophic crisis in Afghanistan. The crisis has been exacerbated by Pakistan and Tajikistan closing their borders, preventing the entry of refugees trying to escape gender apartheid, genocide, starvation and disease. Action Must Be Taken Now! It is time for world governments to stop ignoring the brutality, starvation and death occurring in Afghanistan. I urge people, governments and organizations to make immediate emergency funds available to help the millions of Afghan refugees.

To see first hand the brutality and evil capriciousness of this regime, I urge you to view the videos on the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan website at: http://www2.rawa.org/zarmeena.htm

More than half the population of Afghanistan is being held prisoner by the young warriors of the Taliban. How can the nations of the world stand mutely by and allow these crimes against humanity to be perpetrated?

I received a chain letter to be used as a petition against the War On Women in Afghanistan to be returned to sarabande@brandeis.edu, but this email account has been suspended by the Brandeis University due to the volume of mail it created. Apparently, it is 2 years out of date. If you receive this email, send it to The Peace Factory, and we will try to get the names to an organization that can use them.