Hillary Rodham Clinton Condemns Violent Abuse of Algerian, Afghan Women

In a speech before a large group of professional women in Tunisia's capital, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton harshly condemned the violent abuse of women in Algeria and Afghanistan by fundamentalist Islamic groups.

Clinton described barbaric acts committed against women in Algeria. "We hear stories of girls whose legs were burned with acid because someone deemed their skirts too short. We hear stories of women who were raped and pressed into slavery, women whose throats were slit and bodies thrown into a well. Those who perpetuate these hateful deeds pervert the great religion in whose name they claim to act," declared Clinton.

The First Lady also condemned the Taliban, who abuse Afghan women "in the name - the misused name - of religion."

Media Resources: AP - March 26, 1999

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