IRAQI WOMEN FAIRING BADLY:

[rodeodance]

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=914257&ct=1346873#4


IRAQI WOMEN FAIRING BADLY: President Bush has said that the "advance of women’s rights and the advance of liberty are ultimately inseparable.” U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad claimed recently that there would be "no compromise" on the inclusion of women's rights in Iraq's constitution. But now reality has set in: "Iraq's existing civil family law, which gave Iraqi women rights almost equal to those of men, has been changed to correspond with religious family law," the Wall Street Journal reports. "For Muslim Iraqis, the rights of women regarding divorce, child custody and inheritance will be based on strict Sharia laws such as the ones exercised in neighboring Iran." The New York Times judged that the Bush administration had "let its politically motivated obsession with an arbitrary deadline trump its responsibility to promote inclusiveness, women's rights and the rule of law." Earlier in the week, various factions complained about heavy pressure from Ambassador Khalilzad. "His main interest is to push the constitution on time, no matter what the constitution has in it,'' said Salih Mutlak, a Sunni delegate. A Kurdish member of the constitutional committee said it "seems like the Americans want to have a constitution at any cost."

See also:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4434180&mesg_id=4434180

IRAQ'S NEW ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY: The Bush administration's defenders will argue that the constitutional process was a powerful, if imperfect, step toward democracy. The White House yesterday said the charter was evidence of the "essence of democracy" in Iraq. Yet the fact that large portions of Iraq's population -- namely women and Sunnis -- have been significantly excluded from the constitution, and that the Kurds and Shi'ites failed to check each other's interests (both Kurdish separatists and fundamentalist religious Shi'ites were mostly satisfied with the draft document) cannot be downplayed. As Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria has argued, democracy is quite distinct from the notion of a liberal democracy -- "a political system marked not only by free and fair elections, but also by the rule of law, a separation of powers, and the protection of basic liberties of speech, assembly, religion, and property." This latter bundle of freedoms, which he terms "constitutional liberalism," is "theoretically different and historically distinct from democracy." Unfortunately for Iraq, Zakaria adds, "Constitutional liberalism has led to democracy, but democracy does not seem to bring constitutional liberalism."



Under the Radar

[whatever4]

1. Okay, so let me get this straight

Because I'm not sure I do. Not only are women not being granted rights they were promised, but their rights have been FURTHER erroded by our occupation?

"Iraq's existing civil family law, which gave Iraqi women rights almost equal to those of men, has been changed to correspond with religious family law," the Wall Street Journal reports."

Yes. I cannot possibly hate this war and those responsible for it any more than I do. No longer will I pay lip service to those who still see "good things" from it. Bastards.

[Child_Of_Isis]

2. Shrub (and the media) is throwing around the word Constitution a lot.

Those who are not in the know just associate it with our Constitution and think all is well. Shrub is hoping the word association will stick in the minds of the sheeple.

[etherealtruth]

3. To those that like to claim ...

..."This IS their culture and we have no right to inflict our values on them ..." (sorry, I have been railing against the lack of interest "Americans" have shown r/t this, and in many posts I get the "culture" response.)

This is about HUMAN RIGHTS, no more, no less ... one can not "explain" away HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS as simply "well that's their culture!"

[Trillo]

4. Bush prolly squealin' with joy....

In the U.S., we may have a document that claims we have separation of powers, rule of law, and is protective of rights that include religious freedom as well the others mentioned in the OP's excerpt, but how many times have we complained that it doesn't seem to be followed? That the separation of powers is eroded in practice? How the law is applied unequally in all kinds of matters? How the corporations have bought off the legislators leading them in their highest expression of legislation to compromise with instead of protect the people from economic predation, and in their lowest form of non-protection, simply written laws for mega-entities specific benefit? How the Executive Branch has grown more powerful and brazen over the years since the founding?

How many times in the U.S. has the minority's concern been pushed aside by the majority? How many times has religious discrimination gone unpunished? Don't we still have a homophobic culture?

How free do the majority of U.S. citizens really feel? Do you get up every morning and do what you want after a couple of hours of work? Or do the majority spend most of their waking hours working just to be able to purchase the necessities of life, food, clothing, and shelter?