Worse for women
Change might not be good for Iraqi women
By Marie Szaniszlo
Sunday, August 14, 2005 – Updated: 10:14 AM EST
In a chilling irony, women may actually have fewer rights under Iraq’s new, “democratic’’ constitution than they did under Saddam Hussein.
“The United States government has poured millions of dollars into democracy training for Iraqi women, and more than 1,800 Americans have died for Iraqi freedom. But it may turn out to be for Iraqi male freedom,’’ said Katheryn Coughlin, program administrator for the American Islamic Congress, a nonprofit doing democracy training in Iraq.
“That’s a sad return on such an enormous investment.’’
On the eve of the deadline for the final draft of Iraq’s new constitution, Hub Iraqis blasted attempts to replace the country’s secular civil code with Islamic Shariah law, which restricts women’s rights to an education, to careers and marriage partners of their choice, to divorce and to inheritance. </i>
Funny, I thought the slogan was democracy- not theocracy- was on the march. I must have missed an email or something. Couple this with the “lowered expectations” statement floated over the weekend-
and even the most ardent sticker on the SUV, blinded by the right jackass has to see that we were sold a bill of goods on this war. Sad thing is, to some of those folks, it won’t matter a bit. Because they are fighting a war against evil. Or so they think.
Boy, are they in for a surprise.
