Author Archives: admin

Burqa Politics: The Plights of Women in Afghanistan

Visions of Afghan women throwing off their burqas in the name of freedom helped fuel the Bush administration’s case for war against Afghanistan. Just how free are women in today’s Afghanistan? Was removing their burqas ever really the issue? Continue reading

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Afghan Woman Reportedly Stoned to Death over Adultery Claim

”The Afghan government has the responsibility of protecting women from violence, committed not only by the state but also by private individuals and groups,” Amnesty said in a statement issued after sifting reports of Amina’s stoning to death.

Amnesty, citing eyewitnesses, said Amina’s husband and local officials dragged her out of her parents’ house before stoning her to death in public. The man accused of committing adultery with her reportedly was whipped one hundred times and freed. Continue reading

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Afghanistan: Drugs, Bases, and Jails

If Iraq has been the disaster zone of Bush foreign policy, Afghanistan is still generally thought of as its success story — to the extent that anyone in our part of the world thinks about that country at all any more. Before the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan experienced a relative flood of American attention. It was, after all, the liberation moment. Possibly the most regressive and repressive regime on Earth had just bitten the dust. The first blow had been struck against the 9/11 attackers. The media rushed in — and they were in a celebratory mood. Continue reading

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ACTION ALERT: Demand Better Media Coverage of Afghanistan

Media in the United States have greatly exaggerated any victories for women’s rights, and downplayed the conditions of warlordism, oppression and poverty that still flourish. In a recent trip to Afghanistan, Co-Directors of the Afghan Women’s Mission, Sonali Kolhatkar and James Ingalls found that the situation of women and girls was extremely dire and that little had changed since the fall of the Taliban.

Read our report. Download a flyer.
AWM Interview on independent media, Democracy Now!

Click here if you are a member of the media and are interested in an interview. Continue reading

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Forgetting Afghanistan Again

In the past two years the US media have drastically reduced their coverage of Afghanistan. According to the American Journalism Review only three news organizations–Newsweek, Associated Press and The Washington Post–have full-time reporters stationed in Kabul. What little is published focuses mostly on feel-good stories, superficial change and unopposed reportage of the Bush administration’s claims. Continue reading

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Afghanistan 3½ Years After the U.S. Invasion

When I was in Afghanistan, I noticed that in Kabul, certainly schools were open, women were walking around fairly openly with not as much fear. Outside of Kabul, where 80% of Afghans reside, totally different situation. There are no schools. I visited the Farah province, which is a very isolated, remote province in western Afghanistan and there were no schools except for the one school that Afghan Women’s Mission is funding that is administered by our allies, the members of RAWA. Continue reading

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Fresh News on Dismal Condition of Women in Afghanistan

In the first report from her recent visit to Afghanistan to observe the status of women and children’s rights and health, and to assess the US-led military occupation of Afghanistan, a leader in American support for Afghan women will tell the hidden story of the Afghan situation, and a new film documenting prisoner abuse will be shown at a Code Pink-endorsed event in Los Angeles on Saturday. Continue reading

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RAWA Supporters Southern California presents a screening of “Taliban Country”

Video Screening, Slide Show and Music
Proceeds to Benefit RAWA

Taliban Country is a documentary where journalist Carmela Baranowska spent three weeks embedded with U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. She then returned in secret to the area where she was with the Marines to document what was really happening that the Marines would not let her see. Its a story of prisoners abused and villagers humiliated. "This report prompted US inquiry."

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RAWA Appeal – Projects in Danger of Closing

RAWA enters 2005 with a financial crisis, which adversely affect tens of humanitarian projects which are currently being run in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Due to significant downfall in the level of donations over the past few months, RAWA may be forced to close down many of its projects while they are still greatly needed like before. That would be a painful decision for us and have bitter ends for thousands of suffering Afghan women and children. Therefore we appeal to all of our supporters and well-wishers of Afghan women to share their contribution in keeping the great humanitarian task goes on. Continue reading

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US may take on Afghan anti-drug missions

U.S. military forces may take a larger role in the anti-narcotics campaign in Afghanistan, a top general said Wednesday. Continue reading

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