Burqa 'liberation' is a con

London Evening Standard ^ | 15 November 2001 | Chris Stephen

[Restorer]

Who is to say that our values are better than those of Apartheid South Africa.

Exactly.

If you want to believe in cultural relativism, where can you draw a line?

[SauronOfMordor]

We should give firearms and training to the women to make the victory permanent.

We're not in Afghanistan to Westernise it. We're there to destroy an enemy who's hiding there. Try to understand the difference.

If we do not destroy the culture that produced that enemy, then it will raise a new crop of enemies for us within a few years. This is what Gen McArthur understood when he set out to transform Japan into a Western country after WW-II.

[Romulus]

The Afghan culture produced neither OBL nor his Saudi and Egyptian henchmen.

[BlackJack]

We are after the people who blew up the world trade center... remember? We are destroying the Taliban because they hide and protect bin Laden and his Al Quieda Gang. Thats our objective. Whether or not women wear a burqa is a matter for their culture to work out. Geez. The idea that in a few days of bombing we can turn a country into our version of disneyland is NUTZ! All these people live in a time warp. If we can bump them from the 11 century into the 16 century great.....but don't hold your breath.

[Moonman62]

We're not in Afghanistan to Westernise it. We're there to destroy an enemy who's hiding there. Try to understand the difference.

Our mission is to defeat terrorism. Women in Afghanistan have been terrorized into wearing their burqas by the same mental defectives responsible for 911. Women there were already westernized before Laden and Omar. Arming the women would be a great way to neutralize the fundametalist Muslims responsible for terrorism.

[Romulus]

... the same mental defectives responsible for 911.

See above, #63.

[AmericanVictory]

Yes, the inevitable "moral equivalence" propaganda is seen everywhere that bleeding heart liberal journalists abound, which is all over the place. Somehow these same folks don't seem to have had the cajones to bring us pictures of the real torture and atrocities of the Taliban which dwarf the kicking of people seen in the propaganda. What I've seen is about as atrocious as that which my ancestors dished out to tories or the Texicans to the troops of Santa Ana when they turned the tide against them, so I'm not all that worried just yet, but you continue the one-sided spin, it lets us all know just where you stand vis-a-vis America's victories.

[Dr. Frank fan]

But if were going to have some sort of influence there (ie investing money and the like)

Who said anything about "have some sort of influence there (ie investing money and the like)"? The goal was, and is, purely and simply to kill certain people there and to dissuade other people there from following in the footsteps of the killed people. I don't know where you got any other impression.

we should insist they become a lot better off.

I don't give a rat's ass whether they become a lot better off, as long as they stop harboring and funding terrorists. The rest is their problem.

For starters there should be women in the new government.

Whatever.

As long as they stop harboring and funding terrorists. That's the goal. (Though, evidently, not yours.)

[dighton]

... any improvement is surely welcome. It is an example of a situation where the National Interest and the interests of basic decency overlap, and we should feel some pride that we HAVE made the situation better, even if it was not our prime purpose.

Well said.

[FITZ]

Maybe they're shy too.

[Moonman62]

The Afghan culture produced neither OBL nor his Saudi and Egyptian henchmen.

I agree, but our allowing the Afghan culture and their civilization to twist in the wind after we used their thugs and Arab thug friends to defeat the Soviets did lead to the resident terrorist problems. Many of those women were educated professionals before the Taleban took over with their reign of terror in the pursuit of islamic purity.

The United States and the rest of the world now has the burden of bringing civilization (it doesn't have to be western style) to the parts of the world where islamic fundamentalists may use fear and superstition to establish a base and wage jihad against civilization. It's well known how these nut cases like to treat women, and giving women the means to fight back is a good idea.

[weikel]

I like the NA they treat women wellbut don't give into feminist bull****.

[lds23]

We shouldn't collude with this "culture" too much

I'm not sure where I stand in that regard. On one hand, we need some interaction to be able to penetrate and disrupt any anti-US clandestine activities. On the other, you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.

In regard to the "women" issue, I'm sure NOW will be glad to hold diversity classes throughout the Middle East, no?