Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1998 00:23:17 -0500
Subject: Fw: *AC* Global Women: URGENT ACTION ALERT ON IRAN


>To: fxa2424-AT-msn.com
>From: Celle-ci n'est pas moi <aoliai-AT-students.wisc.edu>
>Subject: Fw: *AC* Global Women: URGENT ACTION ALERT ON IRAN
>
> >>Subject: Fw: *AC* Global Women: URGENT ACTION ALERT ON IRAN
>>>
>>>  ON IRAN
>>>>
>>>>> >>
>>>>>> >>>
>>>>>>>This one is pretty scary. Gender apartheid.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>U   R   G   E   N   T       A   C   T   I   O   N       A   L   E
R   T
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>IRAN'S PARLIAMENT AUTHORIZES GENDER SEGREGATION OF HEALTH SERVICES &
>>>>>>>CENSORSHIP OF WOMEN'S ISSUES
>>>>>>>April 24, 1998
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Iran's parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Wednesday gave
>>>>>>>initial approval to a law requiring hospitals to fully segregate all
>>>>>health
>>>>>>>services offered to men and women. This move at widening the system of
>>>>>>>gender apartheid puts women's health in severe jeopardy because
there are
>>>>>>>not enough women doctors across the country to attend to women's needs.
>>>>>The
>>>>>>>regime must be stopped from putting in danger the health of 30 million
>>>>>>>women by taking away their access to health care.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Recently, the parliament also passed a law that prohibits the press
from
>>>>>>>using pictures of women, even when fully veiled, on the publication's
>>>>>front
>>>>>>>page. The law also makes illegal discussions of women's issues or
rights
>>>>>>>outside of the requirements of the Shari`a (Islamic law) as
interpreted by
>>>>>>>the ruling clerics. This law will endanger activists, journalists,
>>>>>writers,
>>>>>>>publishers, in fact any one who seeks to improve women's status.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>After the Islamic Republic came to power in 1979, it instituted forced
>>>>>>>veiling for women under the penalty of flogging and imprisonment, and
>>>>>>gender
>>>>>>>segregation in all public spaces. It excluded women from numerous
fields
>>>>>of
>>>>>>>study and employment, nullified the family protection law that gave
women
>>>>>>>rights within the family, reduced the minimum legal age of marriage for
>>>>>>>women to nine, and passed a penal code that includes stoning of women
>>>>>>>suspected of adultery. Despite the regime's oppressive measures, women
>>>>>>>resisted and forced it to withdraw in certain areas. It has now
begun once
>>>>>>>again to extend the parameters of its gender apartheid policies.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>In 1997 President Khatami was elected to office by the overwhelming
votes
>>>>>>of
>>>>>>>women who expected him to ease the policies of gender apartheid.
However,
>>>>>>>nothing tangible has yet occurred. On the contrary, the tension between
>>>>>>>civil society and the regime is increasing. The regime has consistently
>>>>>>>tried to limit women's freedom of movement and access to public
>>>>>>>institutions. Women have been resisting and fighting back. In the past,
>>>>>the
>>>>>>>regime has had to withdraw in many areas under pressure from
domestic and
>>>>>>>international forces. It is imperative that the international community
>>>>>>>makes its position known on this issue in support of Iranian women.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Action Requested:
>>>>>>>Please write to the Iranian authorities expressing your support for the
>>>>>>>women of Iran, and urging them to rescind these laws which will
reinforce
>>>>>>>gender apartheid in Iran.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Addresses:
>>>>>>>Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, Office of the President
>>>>>>>Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, The Islamic
Republic of
>>>>>>>Iran   Fax: 98-21-674-790
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Hojjatoleslam Ali Akbar Nateqr-Nouri, President, Islamic Consultative
>>>>>>>Assembly
>>>>>>>Imam Khomeini Avenue, Tehran, The Islamic Republic of Iran   Fax:
>>>>>>>98-21-204-0541
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>H.E. Mehdi Faridzadeh, Ambassador, Iranian Mission to the United
Nations
>>>>>>>622 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA   Tel: 212-687-2020   Fax:
>>>>>>>212-867-7086
>>>>>>>____________________________
>>>>>>>Sisterhood Is Global Institute
>>>>>>>4343 Montgomery Avenue
>>>>>>>Suite 201
>>>>>>>Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
>>>>>>>Tel: 301-657-4355
>>>>>>>Fax: 301-657-4381
>>>>>>>Email: <sigi-AT-igc.apc.org>
>>>>>>>http://www.sigi.org/
>>>>>>>___________________________
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>**************************************************************
>>>>>>>Women's EDGE is a U.S. coalition which unites individuals and
>>>>>organizations
>>>>>>>to advocate on gender, development and economic globalization
issues.  To
>>>>>>>learn how to join EDGE or receive more information about our programs,
>>>>>send
>>>>>>>an e-mail message to <womensedge-AT-igc.org> with the word "info" in the
>>>>>>>subject line and your mailing address in the body of the message.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Women's EDGE
>>>>>>>1424 K Street, NW
>>>>>>>Suite 700
>>>>>>>Washington, DC  20005
>>>>>>>TEL: 202-637-6215
>>>>>>>FAX: 202-628-3306
>>>>>>>E: womensedge-AT-igc.org
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>*****************************************************
>>>>>>>>Amazon City: The first city for women on the Internet.
>>>>>>>>http://www.amazoncity.com * city-AT-planetamazon.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>----
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>>>>>>Admin requests (subscribe, help etc) to Majordomo-AT-postoffice.utas.edu.au
>>>>>>Other requests/comments to owner-ausfem-polnet-AT-postoffice.utas.edu.au
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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