New Iraq needs to protect its women

San Antonio Express ^ | Lynnell Burkett

[Jeff Chandler]

[roses of sharon]

Bring back Saddam, I heard he promised to never, ever, ever, build a WMD program again, and he promised to be kind to his neighbors, and let women have abortions!

[Will_Zurmacht]

the funniest thing is that under the new constitution, women will have less rights that under the old Hussein constitution...

The caveat is that the Hussein constitution didn't dissuade the Hussein boys from nightly gang rapes, so I don't see how this new law is much different than they old.....just more savegery in a savage land.

I just don't see how Muslim men will ever come to terms with women's equality. They have a serious inferiority complex that compels them to puff up like petty tyrants to anyone weaker.

Then they slink away like dogs when anyone their size comes around.

It's a whole culture with a Napolean complex. Their religion isn't much help when it comes to human progress, either...but I digress.

[A CA Guy]

Any theological based government is doomed to poverty and failure.

This is the exact cultural problem that needs to be rectified throughout the middle east.

[drlevy88]

Sharia and sharia alike, boys.

[churchillbuff]

This is the exact cultural problem that needs to be rectified throughout the middle east.""

How?

[chuckles]

What I never understood is how you get women to be muslim in the first place. If they all just set their foot down, ain't gwinah be no sharia law. Momma sez you ain't gettin no poontang till you hush up!. JUst member, you gosta sleep sometime! GI done toll momma bout some Bobbit procedure.

[ThirstyMan]

This article highlights a problem but doesn't put forth any suggestions.

"Don't settle for an Iranian Iraq."

OK, who doesn't agree?

We all. liberals and conservatives agree! We want a modern democracy for Iraq, not an Islamic theocracy with mullah dictators.

But how do we make the Iraqis ready for that if they themselves don't have that dream?

Anyone who can answer that should write an article because that's what I'd like to know. This appears to be the basic weakness of what we've chosen to do in Iraq.

What if we've "liberated" a backwards people who are incapable of and do not want a modern democracy?

Then what?

Riddle me that Batman.

[A CA Guy]

Well, unless they stop producing terrorists, this will erupt to a war of Islam against the whole modern world.

You have these people worshiping a false god of violence that wants anyone who is not them dead.

I don't see any Islamic run country as being capable of tolerance with their world neighbors.

As this trend continues, the world may be forced to end the worship if Islam as it is practiced this day.

The alternative is we accept all being dead.

[TomasUSMC]

In other words, we appear to be helping create another Iran, where mullahs will rule and women will be thrust back to the Dark Ages.

That is not what Americans sent their young men and women to fight, suffer and die to accomplish.

But a document that sets ALL the population back more than 1000 YEARS should not be acceptable.

another Islamic republic, ruled by mullahs who allow violence and persecution of women, what then?

make sure the sacrifice is worth it. Don't settle for an Iranian Iraq.

---

EXACTLY.

[Names Ash Housewares]

"Riddle me that Batman."

America had its dark times as well, and some of them not that long ago. Lets hope that in time it changes if the worst happens. Look at how far America has come in a short amount of time. The may need a civil rights movement of their own there to truly change the culture and society. Free press is a big part of that. They must argue and choose these things themselves. As we did. We can only encourage and point the way. Ultimately we want a country that will not harbor and nurture/produce terrorists. Everything else is gravy. Cultural change on the level we we would consider ideal obviously has a way to go. Some things may take decades. We must wait and see how history unfolds. Women in Iraq will have our support as many other nations will add thier voice as well. Lets hope for the best, be prepared for the worst. A nation that demeans women cannot endure. Change will be inevitable in a free society. As it was here.

[ThirstyMan]

So do we pull out, having helped the Iraqis create another Iranian style mullah dictatorship and hope that time will evolve them? I have to say that'd be very unsatisfying and hard to sell as worth the sacrifice of so many American lives.

If these people are incapable of dreaming of a democracy and want Sharia law, then what choice do we have? How do we affect the desired change? Seems they'll drift backwards as we pull out and become another Iranian pain in the neck.

[TomasUSMC]

We had the same problem with the Nazis and Tojo Japan. Both of these countries taught their people that they were superior. Heck the Germans had it down to a science, using anatomy, history... and the Japanese didn't even bother trying to convince you they'd just lop off your head.

Well after, let me emphasize AFTER the war, not during the war, but after the fighting was over, AFTER they had unconditionally surrendered, then, THEN and only THEN, did we start rebuilding those countries and we MADE SURE that the constitution they came up with met with OUR specifications FIRST.

And the way we won the war had a lot to do with how easy it was to fix the retarded crazed collective mindset of the German and Japanese people after the war. You see we didn't confuse them by giving them new sshools and roads and sewers and pipelines until AFTER WE HAD BEATEN HELL OUT OF THEM.

YES, including killing every living thing. The message was crystal clear. Do what the Allies say or you are toast, not figurative toast, LITERAL TOAST.

Once we proved to the enemy that continued resistance was futile, they surrendered.

This is not the message we are giving in Iraq.

Vietnam redux is the message today. We go to the worst part of a city, where the most IEDs have been planted, and we give teddybears and candy away, detain some guys and send them to a prison where they get better room and board than what they are getting now, and then we drive away. AND THATS IF NONE OF OUR TROOPS GETS KILLED IN THE PROCESS.

Instead of sending the WW2 message of telling the whole city to watch what happens to a neighborhood that supports terrorists. Then they get an air show and a big parking lot to boot. No teddybears though.

Our President Bush allows terrorist to use Iran and Syria as sanctuaries and he does nothing at all about it.

Instead of sending the WW2 message of destroying the entire Syrian and Iranian Air force and anything or anyone else in those countries that oppose us.

You asked: We want a modern democracy for Iraq. But how do we make the Iraqis ready for that if they themselves don't have that dream?

Believe me that the German and Japanese people in 1945 were not ready for a modern democracy. But within a few years they were there. Why ?


Because if you fight like WW2, you will finish like WW2. If you fight like we did Vietnam, you will finish like Vietnam.

[TomasUSMC]

A nation that demeans women cannot endure.

---

It would seem that the 1.2 billion nation of Islam has been demeaning women for over a thousand years - thats pretty enduring.

I'd say we can put an end to it, right now, this week, if our President takes a stand and tells these Iraqi politicians in Baghdad that if there is no freedom of religion, there will be no more U.S. help. As the author said, our troops can't be dying to "..create another Iran, where mullahs will rule and women will be thrust back to the Dark Ages."

[Hunble]

Darn good thing that N.O.W has worked so hard over the last few years to support the women of Iraq.

[drlevy88]

Exactly who's going to surrender on behalf of Iraq? Saddam? Laugh me another one.

[TomasUSMC]

Zarqawi, dead or alive.

Oh you forgot there is another option, its surrender of die.

You start wiping out the Sunni cities, and I bet ya they come up with some ole tribal chieftain, some respected mullah, they'll come up with somebody to say, "Ok, we get it, we quit, we surrender, just please stop annihilating us".
Against such a weak enemy as these bunch of punks with RPGs, its really not that difficult, unless you tie the hands of your military with Vietnam PC Religion-of-Peace kinder gentler compassionate war fighting strategy.

[ThirstyMan]

I like what you say.
If the Iraqi dream is Sharia law, not democracy, fine,
BUT we're putting on the table these
minimum acceptable standards for their "Sharia law" constitution:
freedom of religion,
a form of equal rights for all citizens,
a free press and the right to dissent,
a representative elected government.

These for starters as the price they pay for our establishing their Country as Saddam-free. We must assert these minimums to make our sacrifice worthwhile.

[Lurker]

I'm thinking nukes and nerve gas, but that's just me.

L