Friday, February 18, 2005

Woe to the Iraqi Women

Okay, so we "freed" Iraq from Saddam, but isn't it a sick twist of fate that under Saddam, women were allowed to be secular in public (didn't have to wear the jubba or hijab), and were relatively safe from kidnappings and rapes from strangers. Don't misunderstand me, rapes and crimes against women, and men for that matter, did occur under Saddam's regime--but since Saddam ran his show with an iron fist, the majority of crimes occurred under his direct orders. But, Saddam certainly did not tolerate rampant lawlessness in his streets where other people could commit crimes at will such as women being snatched and raped, and attacked and humiliated for not following Shariah Law's edict on clothing and public conduct. Ironically, women may have enjoyed more freedoms under Saddam than they enjoy now under the occupation, and who knows how things will pan out for women since the elections- due to the proclamation from the Shiites that Shariah Law will be the mandate if they have anything to say about it. And don't get me started on the raping and pillaging that has been speculated upon at the hands of American soldiers, or has been actively allowed by American indifference and unwillingness to get involved in the criminal affairs of Iraqis that does not involve the soldiers personally because it has not been deemed worthy by the Bush administration. I feel I have an obligation, as a woman and mother, to give props to an organization that is attempting to help the plight of Iraqi women. Maybe if more people hear about their plight we can get a grassroots effort to care because it certainly isn't going to happen at the White House level because Bush could give a rat's ass about American women, let alone give 2 shits about some "heathen Muslim" bitches. Let's be clear about this: Our govt has set out to humiliate and subjugate Iraqi men, whether it be by sexual abuse, beatings, or disregard and mockery of their religion...and in turn, Iraqi men turn that rage onto the members of society that they can subjugate and humiliate...Iraqi women and children. This is what happens when people are stripped of power--you lash out at those you can control to feel some sense of empowerment. I guess that logic pans out for our soldiers, too: They are made to feel powerless due to the inhumane edict our govt has set forth for them in regards to torture and the de-humanization of the Iraqi people, so they in turn wield their dictated power over those people, and the ugly cycle continues.
Posted by Tina :: 12:36 AM :: 6 Comments:

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