Dear friends,

We strongly urge you to sign the petition in defense of Iraqi women that Radical Women is circulating.


Freedom Socialist Party National Office

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Please sign the petition at www.radicalwomen.org/iraqi
petition.html. Women in the Middle East are rising up to demand equalrights. In Iraq women are mobilizing to end the rape, abduction and killing of females.

The petition�s text is reproduced below.

In solidarity,
Christina Lopez
Radical Women * 206-722-6057 * RWseattle (at) mindspring.com



In Defense of Iraqi Women

For solidarity with our sisters and an immediate end to the occupation!

To President George W. Bush and U.S. Congress:

Whereas the only weapons of mass destruction in Iraq belong to
the U.S. and its allies, and the U.S. government's profit-driven mili-
tary policies are killing U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of
Iraqi civilians, we, the undersigned stand in solidarity with those
hardest hit by the occupation: the women of Iraq.

The situation facing females in Iraq is dire. In the name of spreading
�democracy,� U.S. support of reactionary Islamic fundamentalists
has resulted in widespread femicide � including the beheading of
feminist activists and �honor killings� � compulsory veiling, kid-
napping, and torture. Iraqi women are imprisoned in Abu Ghraib
and other jails and have been raped and brutalized by both U.S.
and Iraqi guards. Economically, they are hit hardest by the nearly
70% rate of unemployment. And as casualties of the war, women
and children are the overwhelming majority of those wounded and
slain by �precision� bombs. Iraqi feminists, such as groups like the
Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, stand as courageous
leaders in the movement to take back their country but we recog-
nize that their efforts need urgent support by all those opposed to
this racist war.

Therefore, we demand the following actions be taken at once:

� Reparations to Iraq paid by U.S. war profiteers, from
Halliburton to Bechtel! Restoring the economy is essential
to restoring public safety.

� Release all women in custody of the occupation or the pup-
pet Iraqi government! Their safety cannot be guaranteed.

� Stop U.S. support of Islamic fundamentalists! For a fully
democratic, secular government that ensures complete
freedom for women.

� U.S. out of Iraq now! No more invading, bombing, or
occupying under the guise of liberating women!


Go to www.radicalwomen.org/iraqipetition.html to sign the
petition or download a copy to gather signatures in your area.

Issued by Radical Women
For more information, please call 415-1278 or email rwbayarea@
yahoo.com
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Freedom Socialist Party

Australian Section
580 Sydney Road
Brunswick, VIC 3055
Australia

U.S. Section
4710 University Way NE, #100
Seattle, WA 98105
USA