"Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation
Are men who want crops without plowing the ground
They want rain without thunder and lightning
They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters
Power concedes nothing with a demand
It never did, and it never will"

-Frederick Douglass August 4, 1857

WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN

     In September of 1996, the Taliban, an army of rural muslim students, took control of Afghanistan's capital city, Tabul. This seizure was the pinnacle of a brutal civil war which has been raging since 1992. Once in power, the Taliban began issuing a series of edicts, which restrict the behavior of Afghans. Men must grow full beards and are prevented from playing cards or listening to music. These decrees are designed to create what the Talibs call "a pure Islamic society" strictly based on the Quran. To enforce their laws, the Talibs have sent armed men to conduct checks on people to see if they are obeying the edicts.
     The Taliban has been particularly brutal on women. Within the past two years, women have been barred from going to work or school. In order to obtain licenses, schools cannot teach girls over 8 years of age. They must only be taught the Quran. This may prove detrimental because in many cases, the women are the sole source of income for their families. In addition, they cannot leave their homes with being accompanied by a male relative. The windows of their homes must be opaque so that the women cannot be seen.
     The Taliban are also controlling the way Afghan women dress. They cannot wear shoes with heels. White socks are a taboo, apparently they are sexually provocative. Worst of all, women are required to wear a burqa in public. The burqa, as pictured above, is a flowing head to toe garment with only mesh covered opening for the face. To see where they are going, the women they must tilt their entire head downward to see where they are placing their feet. They cannot have any skin showing. Women whose dress is considered inappropriate are beaten and sometimes shot at.
     The most devastating effect of the edicts is Afghan women's inacessability to healthcare. Women are prevented from receiving non-emergency care in hospitals; they are relegated to one poorly equipped hospital. Male doctors are not allowed to undress female patients. One burn victim died because her doctor was not allowed to treat her properly. Since women are not allowed to work, the number of female doctors is limited. This effectively erases any chance Afghan women have of combating illnesses.
     Many human rights organizations are placing pressure on the Taliban government to change its attitudes toward women. Officials from that government are currently lobbying the United Nations for representation in the General Assembly. If you would like to join the fight for Afghan women, please contact the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan or the Feminist Majority for more information.

EVENTS

January 9 - 10, 1999

The Ethiopian Democratic Action League in conjunction with Solidarity Committee for Political Prisoners in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, is holding a prayer vigil for the release of political prisoners in Ethiopia.

For more information contact the Ethiopian Democratic Action League at:
6399 Little River Turnpike
Alexandria, VA 22312 USA
Phone: (703) 455-3713 E-mail: Action_League@juno.com