HRH Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned
Posted on 05/16/2007 9:26:35 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
In a rare appearance of a female Middle Eastern leader, Qatar's first lady argued Islam has been incorrectly blamed for the rise of extremist violence when the real culprits include poverty, a lack of political freedom and "failed U.S. policies."
Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned told the Los Angeles World Affairs Council Tuesday that societies worldwide were failing to provide jobs, hope and a feeling of greater good for their citizens.
As a result, youth "are seduced by a global culture of violence that is fueled by cynicism," said Sheikha Mozah, dressed in pants, a business blazer and with her hair covered.
"In the Middle East, youth feel politically paralyzed, and are doubly excluded. Like the general population, they cannot choose their governments and are severely limited in venues of self-expression," she said. "Certainly, failed U.S. policies in the Middle East have provided a fertile ground for radical groups."
Her 15-day U.S. tour includes stops in New York, Los Angeles and Houston to push her country's vision for the future of the Middle East and expand sister campuses with U.S. universities. Outside of more liberal countries like Israel and Lebanon, public appearances of Middle Eastern first ladies are rare, much less by one giving speeches and opining on world problems.
But over the past two decades, gas-wealthy Qatar has become one of the leading proponents of reform in the region. Qatar has women in government posts, held nationwide municipal elections in 2003 and several U.S. universities have opened branches in the nation's Education City.
The tiny Gulf country is home to the Al-Jazeera satellite television network and Washington's Mideast military headquarters, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It regularly hosts international conferences of the World Trade Organization, World Economic Forum and others.
Sheikha Mozah is the second of three wives of Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and is a leading voice for increased female participation in public life and education.
Answering questions after the speech, the first lady rejected the idea that Islam is the reason for limited education of women in many Middle Eastern countries.
"Muslim countries prohibiting the education of women is not because they are Muslim," she said. "There are other cultural aspects" that guide those decisions.
She said it was important to educate women because both sexes had to "share in the responsibility of their societies in the Middle East."
Without singling out any leader or country, she said the youth in much of the Middle East had lost faith in their rulers, which made some attracted to extremist movements offering them a sense of purpose.
But she also criticized Western democracies, referencing U.S. participation in Iraq in questions afterward.
"We live in times when we have to swallow the bitter pill of hypocrisy called Western democracy or else be injected with the poison of extremism," she said.
She criticized an increasingly globalized world economy, saying that hyper competition had created a world of "consumerism and survival of the richest, of the man with the biggest gun has the loudest voice."
She said defeating extremist violence and other ills would require "a major paradigm shift," but didn't offer concrete details of solutions.
Despite all the negatives, she said she believed young people would pave the way to a more humane global community.
"You are probably ready to diagnose me with a bad case of naivety, but I can bear this diagnosis," she said in closing. "For I believe idealism is exactly the antidote we need to the cynicism of our times."
I see she got her DNC Talking Points fax.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...
The fact that the Middle East is stuck in the 7th century is all our fault. Good to know.
HRH Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned
Another “blame Bush” nitwit speaking.
She makes no sense whatsoever! First she blames it on not being free to choose their government and then blames the USA which is providing that freedom in the M.E.
She's an assclown.
Problem: Poverty
Cause: Islamic males stuck in the 7th Century.
Problem: Lack of Political Freedom
Cause: Islamic males stuck in the 7th Century.
Problem: Failed U.S. Policies
Cause: Islamic males playing the Victim Card to Congressional Dhimmocrats...
“Failed U.S. policies” is code for “support of Israel”.
The lives of 500 million ME Muslims have been ruined by 5 million Jews. Sure.
"Why is this woman allowed to speak??!! Stone her!! Stone her!!!"
Let's see, those things could apply to sub-Saharan Africa, many places in South America, and a lot of places in East Asia, yet their citizens are not slamming airplanes into our cities.
This b!tch is gonna find out seriously what "failed U.S. policies" mean when we withdraw from her sand dunes, and let the Shiites go to war with the Sunnis. May Mecca turn into a smoldering ruin on the next hajj (pilgrimage).
On WikiPedia, it says this woman has had seven kids. With a face and structure like that, something doesn't fit. Lol!
Muslim women have names ??
As well informed as Marie Antoinette.
DANG !!
Maybe we need to hear from wives 1 and 3 before knwoing the position of the First Women. BTW—which of the three have honorary degrees from US universities???
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