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About 1,500 schoolgirls stay home after acid attack
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Date: Thu. Nov. 13 2008 7:43 AM ET
Some 1,500 Afghan girls stayed home from school on Thursday, one day after a vicious acid attack on eight of their fellow students.
The principal of Mirwais Minna Girl's School in Kandahar said none of the 1,500 girls enrolled at the school showed up Thursday because of fear.
On Wednesday, two men on a motorcycle hurled acid at the eight girls in a shocking attack that made headlines around the world.
Three of the eight girls were hospitalized with serious burns and others have been treated and released. U.S. military spokesmen said at least two of the girls still in hospital were blinded.
Two girls who were wearing full-length burkas were not harmed.
Mahmood Qaderi, the principal at the school, called the attackers the "enemy of Afghanistan" and the "enemy of education."
"They want our youth to be illiterate and not get an education," Qaderi said Thursday.
He said both students and teachers are worried about their safety.
"Until security improves... they will not go to the school," he said.
Video of two of the badly burned girls shows them both in a state of shock, with one barely able to open her eyes.
Bibi Athifa, one of the girls who suffered acid burns to her face, said she and her friends were walking to school when two armed gunmen on a motorbike stopped.
"One guy squirted acid from a bottle on us," she said. "Nobody warned us. Nobody threatened us. We don't have any enemies," she said.
Afghanistan's government has condemned the attack, calling it un-Islamic and perpetrated by the "country's enemies," a usual reference used to describe the Taliban.
"We hope our students will continue their education after this terrorist act and we strongly condemn the attack and hope we find the culprits and bring the criminals who are doing these kinds of activities to justice," Education Ministry spokesman Hamed Almi said Thursday.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi has denied that the insurgents were involved.
During the Taliban's rule, between 1996 to 2001, girls were banned from schools. They were also not allowed to leave their home without a male family escort.
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I applaud the budget, even though Health Care and education may stay unscathed. Sadly this cannot last and I worry to later this year where cuts will become enviable. If anything, this provides the Wildrose Alliance plenty of ammo when an election is called.
Comments are now closed for this story
M in Ottawa
said
IM in Ottawa
said
Matt
said
This is a setback, but the people of Afghanistan are building their police and are starting to work on this type of crime. We can build the schools, but we need to help them build up the security to keep people safe so they can use them too.
Without security and safety for the people, aid money means very little.
Jessie
said
San Jose
said
montreal
said
the only group would do such a act is TALIBAN they have done it so many times in the past!!!!
canada and other NATO countries SHOULDN'T even think about negotiating with TALIBAN!!!!!!
NT
said
Mickey
said
Until the Muslim world embraces secularism, women will always live in fear and oppression.
Tom in Calgary
said
The world needs to be in Afghanistan to put a stop to this Islamic extremist madnass. There is no negotiating with a "Taliban". There is no Taliban leadership just backwards cavemen under the title Taliban who attack progress whenever they see it. And who else would want to attack there own womemfolk to make such a perverted point.
Evan/Kingston
said
afghan-montreal
said
During the Taliban's rule, between 1996 to 2001, girls were banned from schools. They were also not allowed to leave their home without a male family escort.
now they play smart, they do such a act and then they denied that the insurgents were involved, !!!!
Anne Ottawa
said
Peter
said
Reece
said
all religions not just Islam.
Shamaro
said
I find that there are many people who say Canada should cut and run from Afghanistan are the same people who say they are advocates for women's rights.
My question to them is, are women in Canada's rights more cherished then women in Afghanistan?
That is why Canada must stay and fight the Taliban and work at establishing strong institutions, so that the women and underpriviledged of that nation, can live in equality and a better standard of living, without fear of reprisal from the evil of the Taliban who want to oppress women.
LANCE E TAYLOR
said
Christians lead in respect toward women
said
AJ
said
IM in Ottawa
said
Allan Eizinas
said
2004 – Afghanistan is becoming safer and we have the Taliban on the run.
2005 – Afghanistan is becoming safer and we have the Taliban on the run.
2006 - Afghanistan is becoming safer and we have the Taliban on the run.
2007 - Afghanistan is becoming safer and we have the Taliban on the run.
2008 - Afghanistan is becoming safer and we have the Taliban on the run.
Time to declare victory and go home!
Lance E Taylor " Edmonton"
said
Dave
said
Doug
said
... This insurgency is troubling enough.But this attack makes me very angry.... I also think the Taliban are responsible.But I also suspect a lot of common criminals are taking advantage of a terrible situation.And,in fact,may of the Taliban are likely not in this insurgency for anything more than personal gain.
I truly hope this ugly incident is used as a rallying point.Peace loving Muslims must denounce this kind of brutality.Only cowards attack the most vulnerable.Women,children,theelderly and the disabled should not have to live in fear. ...
Em
said
Adam
said
Andy L
said
It's this type of cowardice that allows these attrocities to go on. Men who stand idly by while other are abused are no better that the abusers.
Eileen25
said
Adam
said
Though its not fair or right to ask children to be on the front line. Its a truly sad affair.
Mike
said
These creeps have to be hunted down and destroyed. Support our troops!
Marth in BC
said
Nanook
said
Mark
said
These cowards don't *deserve* talk; they deserve death.
God speed the troops!
Where's the logic
said
What then, Allan? Sit around and wait for the Taliban to come back, set up shop, and train some more suicidal freaks to attack the West - and listen to them brag about it too?
Your logic seems to be like getting rid of the police because people are still going to commit crimes anyway.
We need to stay long enough to make the Afghan government strong enough to keep the Taliban at bay. They'll never get rid of them completely, any more than we'll get rid of our criminals.
Gail (Hamilton)
said
Barry
said
griff
said
Are looking at history in a very simplistic manor.
Or just out right trying to rewrite history.
The fact of the matter is that the christian higherarchy "DID NOT" support giving women the vote.
On the contrary...many prominent members of both the "controlling" religions of the time,catholic and protestant, issued statements that it was against "God's" will that woman should be treated equally to men.Be it with the vote or education.
So lets not get all rightous about christians doing the right thing.
Fact of the matter is that religion in all its forms and reincarnations.
Has been the leading cause of war and opppresion since the dawn of time.
None of them practice what they preach,love and understanding,and this is just another terrible example.
These fundamentalists are backwards thinking and undefencable.
But not the first by any stretch of the imagination.
Afghanistan is being abused
said
It was CIA agent-provocateurs
said
Michael from Toronto
said
The men are largely uneducated and moulded by "inappropriate" cultural models. Their women have historically been taking the brunt of this dysfunction. When the men see their women bettering themselves, they view them as easy and justifiable targets.
The region will not survive unless their men change their dysfunctional culture.
just a kid
said
Wendy In Montreal
said
Lorne
said
These types of actions will never be eradicated and will continue for centuries to come, just as in years past.
Countries such as Pakistan, etc., provide a safe haven for these extremists/terrorists and will continue to do so.
Monies from drug sales rule these corrupt governments.
Countries can send it more troops, but it will not help because of the different ideology of the nations involved.
Reformed Republican
said
As far as religion is concerned ... the reason that the Taliban feel justified in throwing acid in the faces of little girls is because they believe that the Koran forbids women from getting an education - of course this is religiously inspired, and no amount of denial will change that.
Religious fundamentalism is at the core of many of our problems. Until we grow up enough to reject superstitious nonsense, we will continue to be plagued by social evils.
GHW
said
1. Stay the course and pull out in 2011 having done our NATO duty and allow the U.S. to fill the gap we leave behind.
2. Stay indefinitely policing a never ending cycle of violence to help the Afghan women and children.
The danger with #2 is being entrenched in the Middle East when all hell breaks loose as it will most certainly will in the not to distant future.
Tony
said
Ron McGregor
said
Andy
said
Good men do what is right and not what is always popular. I am not a religious person, but I believe that the sacrifice put forward by young Canandian and American soldiers in helping their fellow man will open the doors to heaven for them (if there is one) and that all the so called men of religion will rot in hell where they belong.
Dan ottawa
said
Lost Cause
said
I'm no fan of the Taliban, but what you people are doing by holding the Taliban of this crime responsible without any proof is extremely dangerous. You could even be putting the women and girls of Afghanistan at greater risk by making these declarations and screaming for the war as it stands to be furthered.
I'll use a comparative international example involving women's rights and brutality against women to tell you why. In Mexico, hundreds of women have been brutally raped and murdered in Ciudad Juarez since 1993. Many potential culprits have been jailed over the years. None appear to have been the right culprits and because of that, the murders continued. Many times when the wrong culprit or culprits were locked up, the number of brutal murders actually increased.
When justice is the first casualty, no one is made safer. In fact, if the wrong person or group is blamed or punished for this acid attack by unthinking mob mentality, then the real culprits or those who identify with them can become emboldened to do it again and blame it on someone else.
Please wait and see if they can find out who actually did it before seeing red and letting out your war cries.
MuskyBuck
said
This is a big thing in India. Women who reject suitors in India face the real danger of having them return to do exactly this.
An incident like this happened here in Canada just recently, it should be noted it was an attack done by a foriegner.
Pakistan is also known for this sort of treatment towards women.
I'm not capable of putting into words what I would do to these men if I caught one doing this, as I'm sure the editors here would opt to leave my entire comment out.
Taliban didn't attack the west.
said
GHW
said
Jim in Ottawa
said
I hope this proves to be the turning point that brings about their demise.
Education is the worst enemy to despotism.
said
I wonder what the prophet would think if he was still alive? I don’t think those that did this act have a clue about it.
And you want to negotiate with them? Some Taliban factions are getting fooled by extremists that do not want any compromises.
That’s why the world democracies must defeat them, otherwise that germ will spread through the world like the plague and infect all minds.
It’s ashamed to see how short one’s memory is as my parents went to war in the 1940’s to say no to Hitler and his Gestapo brainwashing their young children’s to hate and kill for the motherland. Our soldiers defend democracy no out of hate, period, a big difference. They are serving the world so we, the humans, get rid of evil, hate, slavery, discrimination, servitude and self serving despot, poverty, so all humans have a share of the pie, prosper and grow into full and free individuals, the right to educate themselves and grow intelligence.
Steve in Fredericton
said
The most brutal forms of violence are often cloaked in a religious cover.
Stop the hypocracy; outlaw ALL religious activity within secular society (state offices, schools, public institutions and practices). They generate disparity and segregation among populations. Replace fundamentalist religious crockery with enlightened secular wisdom, and you'll most certainly rid the world of most violence.
And yes, that means getting rid of "god keep our land" in our own national anthem. I find it offensive as I don't want or need a god to keep anything of mine safe or free.