.

http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=8929

Feminist Daily News Wire
March 3, 2005
Feminist Activists Increasingly Targeted By Extremists in Iraq
Prominent women's rights activists are increasingly being killed by Islamic extremists in Iraq. Twenty women have been killed in Mosul alone and a dozen more in Baghdad, reports Newsweek. As a result, women are living in fear, attendance by female students in school has declined, and more and more women are choosing to wear the hijab (headscarf) to avoid harassment and violence. Despite these challenges, 94 percent of Iraqi women want legal rights, according to a poll commissioned by Women for Women International.

Zeena Qushtaini, a female pharmacist and activist, and Raiedah Mohammed Wageh Wazan, a local Iraqi television producer, were recently assassinated by extremists. Two weeks before Qushataini was killed, another activist was kidnapped with a briefcase full of fliers announcing an upcoming women’s conference and a list of addresses of her fellow activists. Later that week, one of the women on the list went missing, reports Newsweek.

.....

http://wcons.org.ru/eng/news.php?type=cons&news_id=65The Consortium News

25-02-2005
New book "Learning to Live in Society" (Gender Analysis of School Textbooks) will be presented at the meeting of the Consortium member organizations on March 1, 2005.


Moscow, 1 March 2005, 15:30 (Stolovy pereulok 6/2, conference-room 321)
AGENDA

-non dispo-61607; Presentation of the book "Learning to Live in Society" (Gender Analysis of School Textbooks). The author is Anna Smirnova, a teacher at Ivanovo University. The book was issued by the Consortium with financial support of MacArthur Foundation.
-non dispo-61607; Discussion on russian women’s movement tasks and perspectives.

Please inform us about your participation by email wcons@wcons.org.ru or by phone (095)290-4708.
About the book:
The book includes expert analysis and evaluation of various textbooks and workbooks for all mainline grammar and secondary school disciplines.
The study shows that textbooks for mid- and senior level schools, as well as those for grammar school, reproduce patriarchy gender stereotypes; "male" and "female" areas of activity are discussed regardless of the subject or the textbook class. This means that gender characteristics remain practically unchanged, i.e. can be described as stereotypes.
The book brings the reader to the conclusion that modern Russian textbooks need to be amended, and provides a number of recommendations on how to do that. However, making changes to learning materials is a lengthy and expensive process, so other solutions to the problem also should be sought. For example, such textbooks can be used as evidence to illustrate gender disbalance in the society and its reflection in culture, i.e. to teach schoolchildren critically analyse the texts they read. An important aspect is gender education of teachers - so they'd develop ideas based on gender equality, learn about principles and techniques of gender pedagogics etc.

Author: The Consortium

http://www.bashkirova-partners.ru/eng/?m_plg=articles&act=view&id=36



A woman for the President of Russia?
04.03.2005 14:42:02
PR Department

On February 23- 27 of 2005 "Bashkirova and partners" LTD. conducted a public opinion poll on the issue
stated above.
Poll participants were asked: "A lot of women in Russia are occupying managerial positions. In your
opinion, could a woman become the President of Russia?"
Results are shown on the diagram below:
(%, N=1500, adults 18+ nationwide)

The majority of respondents (63,8%) have no objections if the President of Russian Federation were a
woman.
Women responded positively a little bit more often than men (72,5% and 53,3% accordingly).
Most negative of all were the responses of the supporters of LDPR - 41% against 30,9% on the average
within the sample.

Poll participants were also asked: "If Presidential candidates were women only whom would you vote
for?"
(%, N=1500, adults 18+ nationwide)

More than a third of respondents (39%) were either at a loss with the answer or have chosen
the "Against all" option.
The first place of Valentina Matvienko could be explained not only by her high level of popularity, but
also with the fact that now she is the only female governor in Russian Federation. The greatest number
of votes she has received in the Northwest federal district (27,8%).





Tel: +7 095 787-75-94 (multi-channel)
E-mail: info@bashkirova-partners.ru

       


http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3335735a10,00.html
PM to question Choudhary over 'stoning' comments
05 July 2005



Prime Minister Helen Clark will seek clarification from Labour Muslim MP Ashraf Choudhary after he refused in a television interview to condemn the stoning to death of homosexuals and people who had extra-marital affairs.
In a 60 Minutes programme on TV3 last night examining Islamic fundamentalism in New Zealand, Dr Choudhary was asked: "Are you saying the Koran is wrong to recommend that gays in certain circumstances be stoned to death?"
He replied: "No, no. Certainly what the Koran says is correct."
He then partially qualified the statement.
"In those societies, not here in New Zealand," he said.
Miss Clark said she would seek clarification of the comments from Dr Choudhary.
"I will try to clarify it. Clearly Ashraf is a devout Muslim and he will have his own views. But for the record let me spell out the Labour Party does not support capital punishment. It does not support flogging. It does not support stoning. We have very strong views about that," she said.
"I don't care whether it's in any religious tract, it's not something that's acceptable to me."
Conservation Minister Chris Carter, also gay, said he had worked very closely with Dr Choudhary for many years.
"He is a person who supported the Civil Union Bill, he is a person who is very supportive of minority's in this country and I think is a very good New Zealander and certainly my engagement with the Muslim community has always been very positive."
He said he would ask about the comments.
It is not the first time the Muslim MP has found himself in a difficult political position as a result of his religious beliefs.
Dr Choudhary abstained from voting on the Prostitution Reform Act, which had the support of many of his Labour colleagues. In the end it passed by one vote.
He then supported the Civil Union Act, saying that despite the prevailing Muslim view that homosexuality was immoral, Muslims - as a minority group in New Zealand - had a duty to support the human rights of other minority groups.
Christchurch Central MP Tim Barnett, himself gay, said he would ask Dr Choudhary about his comments, but said religious texts could be interpreted in a wide variety of ways.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/November/subcontinent_November943.xml&section=subcontinent&col=


Khaleej Times Online >> News >> SUBCONTINENT
‘Honour killing’ on the rise in Pakistan
From Azfar-ul-Ashfaque

27 November 2005

KARACHI — Incidents of murder in the name of so-called honour are on the rise in Pakistan and some 4,383 such cases have been reported during the last four years.
"This shows that each day during the last four years three women became victims of honour killing," revealed a top-ranking police official on the third day of the international conference on "Honour Killing: Murder in the Name of So-called Honour" organised by British Council here yesterday.
"A total of 758 cases of honour killing were reported in Pakistan during 2001; 1,015 cases in 2002; 1,261 in 2003 and the number of such cases touched a record high in 2004 with 1,349 women falling prey to honour killing," said Additional Inspector-General Police (Investigation), Nayyar H. Zaidi, in his presentation "Honour Killing: Analysis, Challenges and Strategies for Victim Support".
Unfortunately, the province of Sindh has topped the list with 2,228 such cases during the period from January 2001 to December 2004, he said.
A province-wise break-up revealed that some 287 cases were reported in Balochistan during the last four years, 299 cases in the NWFP, 1,569 in the Punjab and 2,228 in Sindh, he added.
Zaidi said the victims of honour killings included those who were raped, sought divorce or refused to yield to family pressures on some issue.
He said the Constitution of Pakistan, through several articles, guarantees gender equality, but still there are some discriminatory laws. He, however, added that the government is in the process of adopting some strategies for victim support.
He said that National Commission on Status of Women has been mandated to review existing discriminatory laws.
"Law on honour killing has been enacted; crises centres and shelter houses have been established; and helplines have been introduced," he said. "In order to sensitise police officers and other stakeholders, seminars and workshops are being held. Modern techniques of investigation are being imparted to police officers to enable them to investigate cases properly. Besides, human rights has been introduced as a discipline in police training schools," he explained.
The police official said that a new law was introduced last year through which the punishment for the offence of honour killing was enhanced to 10-year imprisonment at the least. A provision in the criminal law was also amended through legislation, which previously allowed a compromise between the family members during trial, he added.
He observed that the civil society, media, judiciary, human rights activists and police could play an important role as to the containment of the immoral practice.
Another speaker from Bangladesh, Professor Jahanara Huq, explained different kinds of violence against women in her country including dowry, rape, domestic violence, incest, abduction/trafficking, acid violence, violence related to marriage, campus violence, feudal practices like Fatwa, medical abuse, etc

Iran : A 17 year old girl is sentenced to death

http://www.faithfreedom.org/Announcement/601081013.htm


Iran : A 17 year old girl is sentenced to death by hanging.
2006/01/08
Nazanin, 17,  was sentenced to death by hanging for defending herself against three rapists.  
A young girl who defended herself and her chastity against three male assailants who intended to kidnap and rape her causing injury to one of them who later died in hospital was condemned to death by hanging in an Islamic court in Iran. Nazanin who has seen no more than 17 Springs, all of which under the tyrannical rule of the Mullahs is now facing execution for trying to defend herself and her honor.  
No where in the world and under no law self defense is considered to be a crime, but in the tyrannical mullacracy of Iran if a woman does not resist rape she will be stoned as adulterer and if she does she will be hanged.  
Nazanin, this young innocent girl, was assaulted by three criminal men in the city of Karaj while walking home in the midday last March (2005). To defend herself she pulled out a knife and stabbed one of her assailants. The knife penetrated the ribs of her attacker who later died in the hospital.  The attacks on women in Iran is so frequent that many are forced to carry a concealed weapon for self defense. Unfortunately the Islamic law does not even allow women the right to self defense.
Despite the fact that she had been acting in self defense, as shown by the evidences presented and the testimony of eyewitnesses, Nazanin was sentenced to death by hanging. In the last court hearing she told the judge “I only defended myself and the honor of my family”. She repeated this several times. Her words fell of deaf ears and the all male jury who like their misogynist prophet thought it is outrageous for a woman to stand for her rights and defend her dignity and honor, swiftly ordered her execution.  
The travesty of justice in Islamic Republic of Iran is beyond descrïption. Please send this news to all the newspapers big and small. Please do not allow this crime go unnoticed. This girl is an innocent flower in the hands of ferocious beasts. Do not allow them to nip her young life in the bud. Let us together provoke an outcry so loud that the ruling thugs in Iran can’t ignore.  
These criminals have no shame and don’t give a hoot to world outcry and condemnation. Nonetheless it is our duty as humans not to remain silent.  
Please ask your newspaper to report this story.
Please write to your MP and urge the Parliament in your country to condemn the Islamic regime of Iran for their misogyny, human rights violations and crime against humanity.
Please complain to the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner. tb-petitions@ohchr.org and ask them to pressure Iran to free Nazanin.    
You have to state your name, nationality and address to the all the above if you want your complaint be taken seriously.  
A few years ago the son of one of the Mullahs shot and killed a policeman. He walked free by giving a few thousands of dollars to the family of the victim.
“Evil triumphs when good people do nothing”.
Will you give a few minutes of your time to save this precious girl’s innocent life? She has not much time as executions in Iran are swift. Please show your humanity and act now.