Update on Lack of Feminist Support for HR-1371

Today, I received the below update from Maria Rohaly concerning the continuing lack of feminist support for HR-1371, a bill which concerns Iran's participation on the UN Status of Women Commission-as they prepare for another stoning punishment to be meted out to a woman charged with adultery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------


"Dear Gary,

The whole world is coming out against the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani case - even CNN: http://missionfreeiran.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/cnn-news-sakineh1/

But despite being invited to join us, no one from Feminist Majority showed up. No one from NOW showed up. No one from Code Pink showed up in DC to protest the stoning of Sakineh, or the hanging of another woman, Zeinab Jalalian. Or the stoning of two other women we've just learned about in Tabriz prison, also at imminent risk of stoning.

No regime that stones women to death has any right to sit on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and now is the time to complete the delegitimization of that regime by demanding its removal fro that Commission. I think Sakineh would agree.

Yet, when I checked each of their websites this afternoon, not a single one mentioned the UN Commission on the Status of Women. There was not a peep about the stoning of Sakineh.

CNN has had over a million hits on this story alone on their site. The stoning of women matters to people. People care about this, and their hearts break for Sakineh and her kids. Any feminist organization that fails to respond to human concerns that affect women disproportionately won't survive long as an organization.

The clock is running out for women's organizations to stand up for women in Iran. It's a countdown to obsolescence. In fact, the clock may already have run out.

Best,
Maria.

July 6, 2010 12:58 PM


Gary Fouse said...
Thanks Maria,

I will post this as an update. It's a troubling story both in Iran and here.

July 6, 2010 5:03 PM