Committee to Defend Yanar Mohammed

Pravda.ru columnist requested to post the following announcement:
Call to join our Committee
Dear friends: Yanar Mohammed is the head of the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) and the Editor in Chief of the only progressive women's newspaper in Iraq called Almosawat (or Equality). As you know, she has recently received a death threat by Islamists in Iraq because of her effective activities against the violations of women's rights and for equality and secularism.

Yanar's commitment to change the situation for women in Iraq, and her ideals for a better world have been warmly received by the population at large in Iraq, Middle East and the world. Today, Yanar Mohammed is an international figure renowned for her humane ideals and courage. Her life and the principles she personifies must be defended. A defence of Yanar is a defence of humanity, women's rights, secularism, and egalitarianism. Protecting Yanar's life as well as other OWFI activists is a precondition to sustaining the only glimmers of hope for the women of Iraq.

This is the urgent and critical task of those who support Yanar, and the OWFI's ideals. Join the Committee to Defend Yanar Mohammed.

What are the Committee's aims?
1- To unequivocally defend and protect Yanar Mohammed's life.
2- To defend secularism, namely the separation of religion from the state and educational system and full equality for women.
3- To cancel all discriminatory laws towards women and institute laws that are pro-women.
4- To defend the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq's activists.
5- To strongly denounce Islamic terrorist groups.
6- To strongly denouce the USA government, which is primarily responsible for the abysmal situation it has created in Iraq that now threatens the life of and affords no protection to Yanar Mohammad.
7- To strongly denouce any efforts aided by the USA government to Islamicise the government, constitution or laws of Iraq.
8- To hold the USA government fully responsible for Yanar's life and safety.

What can you do?
1- Join or endorse the Committee.
2- Sign our petition online www.PetitionOnline.com/Yanar/petition.html and
circulate widely as well as write letters of protest to the USA government demanding Yanar's protection.
3- Raise Yanar's defence, including via resolutions in trade unions, political parties, human and women's rights organisations, so that immediate action may be taken.
4- Collect financial support for Yanar's protection.
5- Raise this urgent issue in the parliaments of countries you work and live in, including the EU parliament, or through public meetings to raise awareness on the situation of Yanar and women's rights activists in Iraq and demand action.
6- Highlight the issue in the media by writing letters or articles in this regard and much more.

We look forward to receiving your support and solidarity in this critical time.

Best regards,

Houzan Mahmoud, Nadia Mahmood and Maryam Namazie
Committee to Defend Yanar Mohammed

Contact information:

Houzan Mahmoud
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0) 7956883001
Web: www.equalityiniraq.com

Nadia Mahmood
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: + 44 (0) 7890065933

Maryam Namazie
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731

To donate to Yanar's Defence Campaign, send a check to or deposit money
earmarked Yanar Mohammed's Defence in:

Middle East Centre for Women's Rights
BARCLAY BANK
Sort Code: 20-80-57
Account No: 80 98 15 67
London-UK