Among the constant petitions which arrive for me via e-mail was one, two weeks ago, that asked me to look at the treatment of women in Afghanistan.

As many of you know, because of the recent Mouthpiece Media focus on Afghanistan as Osama bin Laden's hideout, that country is now ruled by an extremist Moslem faction called the Taliban.

Let me make this clear, this is not an anti-Islamic article. I lived in Egypt during my early years, and have the greatest respect for Islam and the Arab peoples. The poetry of the Arabic language has always been close to my heart, and most of the countries of the Near East have a special place for me.

At the same time, I feel that Moslem extremists, like Christian extremists, give their religion and their people a bad name. They represent the worst of human impulses.

What you may not know about the Taliban, since few outlets have decided to publicize the issue, is that they are among the most atavistic practitioners of Islam on the planet and that women under their rule are oppressed in the worst possible way.

In a recent article[4 October, 1998] by Bob Herbert in the New York Times, we read this:

Women are not allowed to work outside the home. Girls are not allowed to go to school. No female is permitted to leave her home unless she is accompanied by a close male relative -- a husband, father, brother or son. Homes and other buildings in which women or girls might be present must have their windows painted so no female can be seen from outside.

Women who leave their homes must be completely covered by a burqa, an all-encompassing garment with a small mesh opening through which the wearer can see and breathe. Women are not allowed to wear shoes that make any noise when they walk. Their footsteps must not be heard. They must come and go in silence.

Violations of any of the Taliban's edicts are treated summarily and brutally. It is like a reprise of some dark, medieval period. Women who ventured from their homes unaccompanied or improperly clad have been whipped, beaten and at times killed. A woman was dragged from a vehicle and viciously beaten because her arm accidentally slipped into view. Another woman was stoned to death when she attempted to leave the country with a man who was not a relative.

Very few medical facilities are available to women, and women are so frightened of being flogged or beaten in the streets they often are reluctant to seek the little help that is available. Even the most serious illnesses are going untreated.

The prohibition against work has had a profound effect. Women and girls who do not have male relatives to support them have been left destitute. Not surprisingly, human rights groups are finding extraordinary levels of anxiety and depression in the women they see.

What the Taliban are perpetrating is a war on women as heinous as any other form of oppression with which G21 is familiar. To their credit, as this article also points out, Jay and Mavis Leno have involved themselves in making more Americans aware of this outrage. They are putting their money, in fact, where their morals are on this issue. More power to them.

The rest of us can do something about this, too.

The Feminist Majority is working on this issue. G21 encourages you to contact the organization and offer your help.

We have said it before at this site, and I'll say it again: when one person's rights are diminished, all of our rights are jeopardized. When you see a cop beating on a guy, a husband abusing his wife, you see me.