AWR Frontpage News comprises interesting items for and about amazing and inspirational women. Click here to send us your story ideas and suggestions.
The green you see on the site is to express solidarity with all the people of Iran
(no matter what "side" they are on),
in their struggle to achieve freedom and peace in their country.
Leyla Cries By Day, And Shouts From The Rooftop By Night
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Tonight, as she has every night since Iran's disputed election, Leyla
will walk up to the rooftop of her apartment building in Tehran and
join the collective shouts of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great").
Her protest is not confined to the roof of her building. Leyla, who
has never been politically active before, has attended all the Tehran
street rallies to protest against the alleged fraudulent results of the
presidential election which saw Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad returned to power.
"I have gone every day and I have cried every day," she says.
The
protests initially saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets
demanding a recount. But as the violence has escalated and with the
security forces very visibly present in main squares and crossroads,
the protests have shrunk - some rallies this week numbered in the
hundreds, say witnesses.
"Of course I'm scared of being injured
or killed," she says. "When I water my plants these days I cannot help
crying because I feel how much I love to live. But I'm also fed up with
this feeling of fear that has penetrated my soul for three decades
under this regime."
Death spares no one. But our spirits never die. It's up to each of us to make our lives count. Together we can make the world a better place, a peaceful place of joy for everybody.
We are the world. Heal the world. Make a little space, to make a better place.
Make your life count in one small way today. Help stop the crackdown in Iran. Click the link. Sign the petition. You can make a difference right now.
There's a place in your heart, and I know that it is love
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try, you'll find there's no need to cry
In this place you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow
There are ways to get there
If you care enough for the living
Make a little space make a better place...
Heal the world, make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place, for you and for me
If you want to know why
There's a love that cannot lie
Love is strong
It only cares for joyful giving
If we try we shall see in this bliss
We cannot feel fear or dread
We stop existing and start living
Then it feels that always love's enough for us growing
So make a better world
Make a better world...
Doctor Who Tried To Save Neda Speaks Out Despite Fearing For Life
Friday, 26 June 2009
Neda's Last Moments Inspire Doctor Who Tried To Save Her
Susan notes: this video speaks for itself. This man happened to be passing by when a young woman was shot in the street in Tehran. He also happened to be a friend of world-famous author (and one of my favourite writers) Paulo Coelho, who by chance saw a video of Neda's death and recognised his friend. Now the doctor tells the story of her last moments, even though in the telling, he puts his own life in jeopardy.
Everything happens for a reason.Thank you for speaking out. In solidarity with all Iranians and victims of violence everywhere.Never give up hope for freedom and peace. We are all connected.Wherever you make your voice heard, please try to do it peacefully.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Today, the hearts and hopes of people around the world are with protesters facing awful risks on the streets of Iran. Regardless of who won the election, the question now is one of fundamental human rights.
Top Iranian leaders are divided, so every bit of pressure matters. With massive new protests imminent, Iranian activists are urgently appealing for a united international response to oppose the violent crackdown.
Click on the link to sign the petition calling on ALL governments to condemn the crackdown and withhold recognition of any Iranian government until election concerns are peacefully addressed. Let's build a massive global outcry of 1 million voices against the crackdown:
Ebadi said that Iran's constitution allows people to protest peacefully without permission [EPA]
Shirin
Ebadi, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel peace prize
winner, has told Al Jazeera that she is prepared to represent the
family of a young woman shot dead during a protest in Tehran.
The
woman, named as Neda Agha Soltan on social-networking websites, has
become a symbol for people protesting against the disputed
re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president.
Ebadi
told Al Jazeera on Wednesday: "I am personally prepared to legally
represent her family against the people who ordered the shooting and those who fired at her."
Susan warns: This CNN story includes graphic video images of a young woman Neda, who was shot and killed in the streets of Tehran during the recent demonstrations. It is very disturbing. The rest of the story talks about the important role women are playing in the events in Iran.
In eerie, deserted silence on the outskirts of Phnom Penh sits the Prey Speu detention centre.
Barely legible on its grimy walls a few weeks ago were cries for help and whispers of despair from the tormented souls once crammed into its grimy cells. “This is to mark that I lived in terror under oppression,” read one message.
It recalls a Khmer Rouge torture centre from the genocidal 1970s. But in fact the building was used just last year as a “rehabilitation” centre, where detained sex-workers, along with beggars and the homeless, learnt sewing and cooking. They were rounded up in a crackdown on trafficking for the sex industry.
At first an
attempt to clean up Phnom Penh, it soon escalated into a violent
campaign by the police against prostitutes and those living on the
street. According to Licadho, a local human-rights group, guards at the
centre beat three people to death, and at least five detainees killed
themselves.
Sreymoa, a trafficked sex-worker, detained in May 2008 with
her four-year-old daughter, recalls daily beatings, rapes and one death.
I'm following developments in Iran with interest on several different levels. First, it's fascinating to observe transition and change on a macro level as an entire nation experiences yet another revolution of sorts. Second, of course, is the role that women have to play in making change. Third, is the impact of technology and media, social media in particular, in the mix.
A couple of weeks ago, I began to follow Naseem, a 24-year-old UAE National student on Twitter. I was intrigued by her insightful tweets on a diversity of topics. I later learned that she is part Iranian and highly politically aware. Naseem has been tweeting virtually non-stop for three days on the developments in Iran. I'm amazed and inspired by her passion, her persistence and her desire to play a part on an indvidual level in the destiny of her mother's country of birth.
This morning I salute Naseem, and all women (and men) around the world who do whatever they can to initiate positive change in the world. You can follow Naseem, directly or through me, by clicking on the links in the Twitter stream on the right-hand-side of the page.
Below, Octavia Nasr, CNN's senior Arab affairs editor, talks about the role of technology in Iran's presidential election.
Hopefully you've heard the good news by now – yesterday, because of your fast-acting calls and emails sent to Congress during the final moments before a critical vote on women's human rights, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make the U.S. Office for Global Women's Issues permanent.
This major victory just proves that when you speak up for human rights, the people in power do listen. It may have taken us a lot of effort to seal the deal, but today, the fight seems well worth it. Because of you, the doors are now opened for major advancements in combating violence against women and improving women's health care, education, and economic stability.
Thank you for taking action to help empower women worldwide! We'll continue to keep you posted as the bill moves on to the Senate before finally landing on President Obama's desk.
Dear Susan,
