Afghan group to rally for women's rights

A group of Afghan Americans is inviting people to take a stand today for women's rights in Afghanistan with a show of support on a Fremont street corner.

Rona Popal, executive director of the Fremont-based Afghan Coalition, said she told police she thought 100 people might show up at 1 p.m. on Fremont Boulevard at Thornton Avenue -- in an area that's been nicknamed "Little Kabul." But she's hoping even more will come.

The purpose is to raise awareness about the condition of women living in Afghanistan. While women are now allowed to work and leave the house, they are still treated unequally as traditional thinking, along with Taliban factions, continues to gain a stronghold in the country.

"It's just getting worse and worse," Popal said.

The backdrop of Fremont's protest is International Women's Day. The demonstrators will be asking people to sign a petition of solidarity for Afghan women and contact Congress asking them to change conditions. Similar peace protests will occur in New York and Virginia.

Popal said local Afghan-American women were inspired by two women in Ireland who created a women's peace movement in the 1970s to protest violence there.

Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-920-5002 or lfernandez@mercurynews.com.

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