Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) is planning a public demonstration to call for human rights in Afghanistan and our opposition to the ideology of the Taliban. We call for U.S. and other government policies to make women’s rights a priority in their decisions. Decisions that do not prioritize women’s rights – half of humanity – are decisions that we will always question.
Our demonstration will be on Wednesday, May 12 from 12 Noon to 2 PM in Washington DC at Lafayette Park and the White House sidewalk. The demonstration will coincide with Afghanistan President Karzai’s and United States President Obama’s meeting on May 12 to plan “reconciliation” or “reintegration” between members of the Taliban and the Afghanistan nation.
We will be joined by women and men, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jews, and people of diverse races and ethnic origins – who share our commitment to unqualified, universal human rights and to pluralism.
We support efforts to achieve peace, but we also know that peace without human rights, will only provide more suffering to the most vulnerable. We seek to keep hope alive for human rights for all in Afghanistan.
We remain concerned about the false belief that Taliban members will allegedly “renounce violence” against soldiers and tanks, when they may instead continue a reign of terrorism against Afghanistan women, minorities, and other Muslims.
Afghanistan Taliban Today (Photo: Saeed Achakzai/Reuters)
R.E.A.L. is deeply concerned about:
— the perspective among some in Afghanistan that there is a “good Taliban” and a “bad Taliban” – we believe that those who continue to accept the Taliban’s anti-human rights ideologies do not offer any “good” for the Afghanistan people or for peace
— the history of the Taliban ideology in oppressing women, religious minorities, and Muslims in Afghanistan
— the reports that reconciliation plans may include allowing Taliban members “to join the Afghan army or police force”
We call for any “peace” to ensure that women’s, minorities’, and Muslims’ universal human rights are made a priority in Afghanistan. We believe that Taliban supremacists are no different than any other religious or racial supremacists. We urge people of all religions, all ethnic groups, all genders, and all races to join us in our concern for a real peace, based on a commitment to human rights in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Taliban "Police" Beat Women in Public - in Kabul - in 2001 - We Must Never Let Afghanistan Return to This
The Taliban’s anti-human rights ideological views are no different than any other organization that defies our universal human rights. So we ask President Obama to tell President Karzai “no to reconciliation” with those who continue to promote the Taliban supremacist ideology. Those who renounce the Taliban supremacist ideology and who support our universal human rights are the only ones that America should be supporting reconciliation policies towards. Support for our unqualified, universal human rights must be a priority for any peace in Afghanistan.
We will meet at Lafayette Park at 12 Noon. Our planned goal is to be there from 12 Noon to 2 PM. I have met with the National Park Service about the Lafayette Park and White House sidewalk area, we expect to receive our permit by fax by close of business on May 11 (we spoke to NPS on May 11 AM and they confirm this). However, we don’t require a permit for less than 25 individuals (backup plan). In addition, we submitted our assembly notification to the Metropolitan DC police of our intent to protest in the Pennsylvania Avenue blocked off street area between Lafayette Park and the White House.
To quote Demond Tutu, “Reconciliation is not about being cosy; it is not about pretending that things were other than they were. Reconciliation based on falsehood, on not facing up to reality, is not true reconciliation and will not last.”
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Related articles:
May 2010: “Hamid Karzai is failing Afghan women”
— Anber Raz: “The message of the women was loud and clear: they were not prepared to see their rights sacrificed and did not support the plan to give positions of power to the Taliban. The Taliban have many differing aims, but one thing has remained consistent: their opposition to women’s rights and equality.”
— “when Karzai met with a leading Afghan militant group last March as part of the process leading up to reintegration, one of its main demands was for a new constitution – so you may forgive the women of Afghanistan for fearing the worst.”
April 7, 2010: New Afghan Strategy: Karzai and Holbrooke Praise Taliban
— April 2010: Karzai to lawmakers: ‘I might join the Taliban’ – Afghan leader made threat twice at closed-door meeting, witnesses say
— April 2010: Afghanistan: Rights Experts Have Doubts about Reconciliation with Taliban
— August 2009: Afghanistan Exit Strategy: Buying Off the Taliban? VP Biden Says Only 5 Percent of Taliban are “Incorrigible,” 70 Percent “are in it only for the money”
— March 2009: Obama Ponders Outreach to Elements of Taliban
— October 2008: Afghanistan President Karzai Offers Taliban’s Mullah Omar Safe Passage and Taliban Positions in Afghanistan Government
— September 2007: Taliban unveils hardline Afghan constitution as “Constitution of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” where “where women would remain veiled and uneducated, ‘un-Islamic thought’ would be banned and human rights would be ignored if ‘contrary with the teachings of Islam'”
— September 2007: Afghanistan President Karzai Offers to Meet with Taliban’s Mullah Omar and Offer Taliban Political Power
— February 2007: Afghan assembly grants immunity for war crimes
May 6, 2010: Afghanistan: Woman dies in Taliban suicide bombing of Afghan government offices
— Afghanistan: Kandahar woman’s rights activist Roona Tahrin gets death threats from Taliban, children see her “dead” in their dreams
— Afghan Woman Murdered as She Leaves Work
— Afghanistan: Women’s rights are being forgotten
— Kandahar’s street without women
— A Year Ago – April 13, 2009: Afghan Woman Politician and Women’s Rights Activist Killed in Kandahar
— Afghans Question ‘Good Taliban’ Times Ahead
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Logistics and Map:
If you are taking the Washington DC subway (Metro), you should exit at the Farragut West (Orange/Blue Lines), Farragut North (Red Line), or McPherson Square (Orange/Blue Lines) metro stops.
FARRAGUT WEST METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions: 1. Exit station through 18TH & I (EYE) ST NW entrance. 2. Walk approx. 1 block S on 18th St NW. 3. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW. 4. Walk approx. 3 blocks SE on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
FARRAGUT NORTH METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions: 1. Exit station through CONNETICUT AVE & K ST NW entrance. 2. Walk a short distance S on Connecticut Ave NW. 3. Walk straight on 17th St NW. 4. Walk approx. 1 block S on 17th St NW. 5. Turn left on I St NW. 6. Walk a short distance E on I St NW. 7. Turn right on Connecticut Ave NW. 8. Walk approx. 1 block S on Connecticut Ave NW. 9. Bear right on Jackson Pl NW. 10. Walk approx. 1 block S on Jackson Pl NW. 11. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW. 12. Walk approx. 1 block E on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
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