Posted on 11/20/2011 9:38:13 AM PST by Innovative
The woman of Afghanistan are facing a crisis which threatens to roll back many of the advances in equality and human rights that the West promised after the fall of the Taliban. Brothels in Kabul continue to service NATO officials and contractors, burkas are once again becoming the norm, and Afghan women continued to be legally viewed as mere property of their families and husbands, with criminal penalties for failing to act as property.
As one of her supporters, this author expected more from First Lady Michelle Obama. While she has won praise for her excellent fashion sense and her support for healthy foods, both issues are safe and uncontroversial. The American people bestowed upon her a unique and priceless soap box on which she can stand and command attention. As perhaps the most popular and respected person in America, her powerful voice has been silent on far too many important issues. One of those issues is the Obama Administration’s failure to support women’s rights in Afghanistan. This article looks at just three of the problems facing Afghan women.
1. On June 20, 2011, the Kabul Press published its second report on the sex trade in Kabul. Entitled “Kabul Brothels Continue to Service NATO,†the report detailed the re-birth of brothels in Kabul as a result of the American invasion. As the article explained, the unofficial message from NATO’s leadership to victims of oppression is:
“We will liberate you as long as your women agree to service our officials and contractors.â€
That is a sad reality of both NATO and United Nations peacekeeping missions.
This scandal in Afghanistan has been the subject of numerous investigative reports including the following: “Women trafficked to Afghanistan to meet demand from Westerners†by Jess McCabe, “theFword.org,†(June 23, 2008). “NATO Men Romp in Afghan Brothels,†The Sun (April 7, 2008). “Sex Trade Thrives in Afghanistan†by Lisa Tang of the Associated Press (June 15, 2008). “Despite Allegations, No Prosecutions for War Zone Sex Trafficking,†by Nick Schwellenbach and Carol D. Leonnig, with the Center for Public Integrity (June 26, 2010).
At the forefront of these investigations has been RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. Established in 1977 by a 20-year old Afghan woman named Meena; it is the oldest and most respected women’s rights group in the country. Meena was kidnapped and murdered in 1987, but her organization continues. She was highlighted in Time Magazine’s November 13, 2006 issue entitled “60 Years of Asian Heroes.†Unfortunately RAWA representatives are apparently not welcome at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul due to the organization’s criticisms of U.S. contractors and NATO officials in Afghanistan, which include RAWA’s publication of “Lifting the Veil on the Afghan Sex Trade,†by Rajeshree Sisodia (April 9, 2006).
Despite all the publicity about the Kabul brothels, NATO, the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul have remained dishonorably silent. The official proclamations of Western support for women’s rights are mere window dressing because officials and foreign contractors continue to crave the presence of trafficked women. Afghan citizens and traditional elders have to deal with Western hypocrisy. There are public speeches by Western officials in Kabul about Western values and women’s rights, while privately these same officials condone the sex trade and refuse to punish their own personnel who abuse Afghan women. Such duplicity makes the Taliban look good in comparison.
As a former U.S. Air Force Captain with the First Special Operations Wing, this author’s first inclination if posted to Kabul would be to take a security police unit and shut down all the brothels, ensuring that each women or child got to somewhere safe; either back to their families or if that would not be safe, then to another country that would take them in and protect them. Anyone who would not do that has no place representing the United States overseas.
2. Another growing problem in Afghanistan is the reemergence of the head to toe covering called the burka. Rangina Hamidi is the 34-year old daughter of Kandahar’s late Mayor Ghulam Haider Hamidi, who was assassinated last July by a suicide bomber. She returned to Afghanistan from Virginia in 2003 to found a successful non-profit organization in Afghanistan’s south. Last month she recounted to Martin Kuz of Stars and Stripes that in 2003, one could travel freely in Kandahar without a burka, but now she said “you don’t go anywhere without a burka.†She used to drive herself from Kandahar to Kabul, but now cautions that such a drive is much too dangerous. Ominously, she, her daughter and her husband (an Afghan civil engineer), plan to return to Virginia this month, her view being that all hope is lost for her country. These individual stories belie the Pentagon’s fancy charts and expensive consultants who prepare dubious reports that boast of progress against the Taliban.
3. Finally, Afghan women continued to be legally viewed as mere property of their husbands, with criminal penalties for failing to act as property. The European Union issued a commission to director Clementine Malpas to prepare a documentary about human rights abuses suffered by Afghan women. The film: “In-Justice, The Story of Afghan Women in Jail†focused on women in Afghan prisons and why they were there. It turns out that 50% of the women in Afghan jails committed no crimes that are recognized in the West or in most countries in the East and South. They are jailed for moral crimes. This includes women fleeing abusive marriages (which is a crime); women who refuse to marry those to whom they have been promised (which is a crime) and those who have been raped by relatives. The latter crime is called “zina,†which is a Farsi/Dari term for adultery. The difference in Afghanistan is that a wife who is raped by a male relative is almost automatically guilty of zina as she can almost never prove her innocence. Last week the EU bowed to Afghan censors and revoked its approval to show the documentary, which is now effectively banned. It is, by all accounts, an important film and a story which should be told and screened in the West.
Into all of this is First Lady Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She successfully practiced law with the mega-law firm of Sidley Austin and later served as a Deputy Planning Commissioner in Chicago and an Associate Dean at the University of Chicago. Despite her considerable skills and talent, since inauguration day almost three years ago she has virtually disappeared from the political stage. So much was expected of this dynamic, poised and articulate woman, but it is never too late to change.
Al-Jazeera published an excellent article on October 31, 2011, by Ted Rall entitled “US Double Standard.†While not dealing specifically with the NATO sex trade or women’s issues in Afghanistan it discussed the broader issue of how U.S. officials freely negotiate away human rights for some (where the dictator is a friend of America), while expressing indignation about human rights violations where the dictator is a foe of America. Mr. Rall likened it to a company that maintains two sets of records. He concluded by stating that “This double standard is the number-one cause of anti-Americanism in the world.†That broader issue of America’s ethical flexibility is at the heart of the abuses suffered by Afghan women. Too many Obama Administration officials have become far too comfortable with their arbitrary pronouncements of morality. Hunan rights are only embraced when it is convenient to do so. Mr. Rall writes that human rights should not be negotiable.
There are things worth fighting for and worth taking risks to advance. As with any risky undertakings, the effort might fail, but it might also succeed. The more important the issue, the more it tends to become a character test for the public officials, legislators or judges involved. As it is easier and safer not to take the lead, most of these individuals unfortunately spend their time inventing reasons why they should not act. They thus fail the character test.
Mrs. Obama should begin by ignoring everything she is told by the State Department. She should meet with Rangina Hamidi and Clementine Malpas and then screen “In-Justice†at the White House for members of her Administration, Congress and the news media. Then she should travel to Afghanistan as Laura Bush did and visit Kabul’s main prison at Pul-e Charkhi in order to meet with women victims. After that she should sit down with representatives of RAWA and then she should hold a press conference in Kabul in order to speak out publicly about what she has seen and heard. That would be a good start.
Democrats support slavery and women and chattel
and the religion/political base that demands both.
She’s just a giant mean-assed beard for the moslem turd burglar anyway.
We have our own problems without adding world’s super social worker to our role as world’s super policeman. We’re broke.
“While she has won praise for her excellent fashion sense and her support for healthy foods,”
What the ...
She was not elected and has NO Administration.
In all fairness, she, along with Rimshot Joe’s wife, are rather busy right now trying to weasel away the “redneck” NASCAR vote and the military vote for her anti-American Marxist husband.
Why should the Obama’s care about Afghan women? There are no votes in it for them.
“The American people bestowed upon her a unique and priceless soap box on which she can stand and command attention. “
Trouble is, when she stepped on the soap box, it broke out the burden of her girth....
Geeez! She’s already ****ing up the race at Homestead. Driver J.J. Yeley just tweeted that he can’t get to the driver’s meeting because the Secret Service has the tunnel blocked waiting for Moochelle to show up. If he misses the meeting, he’ll be going to the back of the pack. Damn politicians. Can’t they just leave us alone for a minute?
If they had squash gardens, the Wookiie might have had an interest.
She might as well be wearing a sign that says I HAVE A POOR BODY IMAGE.
No surprise here. She never struck me as a warm caring woman, just an angry opportunist.
Good.
It's not her job and she has already spent more money extorted from taxpayers than all previous First Ladies combined.
"Culture,"[key world here], Leno says, "affects the interpretation of religious texts which results in assaulting women’s rights." Proof is in that women, prior to the Taliban rule could become elected officials in Kabul.
[the feature was excerpted, on her quote above to only see her statement on Bible vs. Qur'an in what religion was most liberal toward women]. We all agree there are those who use the Bible to serve their "words", not the other way around; fall under the same acts of abuse on the rights of all women.
Leno has always been active [without media attention] in fighting for women's rights in other parts of the world.
‘Useless thing! when the birth of a baby girl in some Asian country. At least the US has strong advocacy groups under Christian values in the right to life. However, the slavery of girls and young women into prostitution, or out begging to bring the male pimp his income is universal. Many countries around the world are complacent over the rights of the young female, many to be sold even to the wealthy in the US as well.
Sad, that a first lady would only become known for her organic garden. Becoming the first black FLOTUS, should with humble appreciation extend her focus to all women's rights issues, not just appearing before this group and that reading a lightweight script of whatever issue of the day will help her husband politically. Have the Obama's ever truly been active in any causes before POTUS? if not; why should they act any differently now? It's all about the Obamas, is how it appears to me.
Why no mention that she lost her license to practice Law???
I bet she never ever had a case before a Judge? wouldn’t know what to say with out a written script.
The media made her...not American voters..
she lacks Class and Dignity for the office she holds.
Vote them out in 2012
If that woman want to go horseback riding they would need to borrow a Clydesdale off of Budweiser.
I've heard/seen "Airbrushing" and "Enhancement" before, but this "new, improved--dare I suggest "attractive" and "Svelte?"--Queen Antoinette/Obama, lifts that "art form" to new levels, if not a "science!"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.