A court in Saudi Arabia is reported to be preparing to hear a plea for divorce from an eight-year-old girl who has been married off to a man in his 50s.
The Saudi newspaper al-Watan said the girl had been married off to the man by her father without her knowledge.
The child's mother is thought to be pushing for the marriage to be annulled - though the father opposes the move.
In April, a court in neighbouring Yemen annulled the arranged marriage of another eight-year-old girl.
She had been married to a 28-year-old man.
Child-protection groups say children are often given away in return for hefty dowries, or as a result of old customs in which a father promises his infant daughters and sons to cousins out of a belief that marriage will protect them from illicit relationships.
Activists have called for an end to the practice.
And, of course, you know how frightening a letter from an activist can be to the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.
And, by the way, remember, we all serve the same God. Yep Allah is just the same as the Judeo-Christian God.
There is no difference.
Now, I'm off to marry a 8 year old.
UPDATE: (with thanks to anonymous) - Cannot help but recall this video of a twelve year old Afghan girl:12-y-old girl in Afghanistan victim of violence by husband"
... or the story of the beautiful child,Shanaz, whose father sold her into marriage when she was seven years old to settle gambling debts. At the age of 11 she burned herself to protest the marriage.
21 comments:
Saudi Arabia? Isn’t that the country:
* from which came 15 of the 19 men responsible for 9/11?
* that opposed the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and whose king, in March 2007, called the invasion an “illegal occupation”?
* that told the United States to remove its troops and find some other country for U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) forward command post?
* whose border is so poorly monitored that 75% of all foreign fighters crossing into Iraq do so from Saudi territory, far more than from Syria?
* whose autocratic government either will not or cannot prevent its youth from going to Iraq – an estimated 40% of all foreigners fighting U.S. troops and Iraqi government forces are Saudi nationals – where they become bomb makers, snipers, and suicide bombers?
* that nearly 60 years after the creation of the modern state of Israel still refuses to extend diplomatic recognition to Tel Aviv?
9 years old!!!
Insert string of violent foul cussing here.
Cannot help but recall this video of a twelve year old Afghan girl:
12-y-old girl in Afghanistan victim of violence by husband"
or the story of the beautiful child,Shanaz, whose father sold her into marriage when she was seven years old to settle gambling debts. At the age of 11 she burned herself to protest the marriage.
I can only imagine the links Natasha brings to this table.
If our media did their job and reported this, it would make it impossible for many, even the most liberal among us, to defend this kind of everyday evil going on in the Muslim world, which would help with support for the war effort by far more Americans.
Bosch,
I can't even get my church to tell the truth about Sudan. I can't imagine getting a bunch of feminists to tell the truth about Sharia.
But, when I sit in the back yard smoking my cigar in the evening, my spirit does sometimes become elevated and I dream that, perhaps, someday our Liberal friends will actually have the courage of their convictions.
By the way, Bosch, don't know if you know this. I am a lifelong registered Democrat. I am quite the Liberal myself. But, I can't support Liberalism as it is currently defined. I actually do believe in women's rights and gay rights and all that stuff my friends SAY they believe in.
Anonymous #1,
Yeah, that would be the country.
Anonymous #2,
Thanks. I added your comment to the body of the post.
This recalls the UNICEF photo of the year.
Hey Kevin,
Would you be interested in helping us out by becoming a contributor here at IBA?
If so, get my email from Always on Watch and email me, please.
Thanks.
This is yet another reason why Judeo Christian, western culture is Superior to Arab Islamic culture. This is legalized pedophilia, anyone who cares about children should be horrified by this.
The little harlot is clearly infected with western ideas.
Looks like an honour killing is called for.
May as well, no one will want a divorced woman anyway.
Actually, [caps for emphasis only]
lets set the Record straight...ONE,
yes, Many Feminists DO CONFRONT THESE HUMAN RIGHT ABUSES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN...all the time,
the THING IS, they don't just focus ONLY on Islam--they confront those similar ABUSES THAT GO ON RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD and THAT IS WHY
they are Demonized--there are in fact over 1,000 feminist blogs online at this very time that YES, DO CONFRONT THESE ISSUES, the Thing is,
and this is something that so many need to GET--what Hurts those feminists when they DO CONFRONT these issues is when the [tolerant ones of these sorts of abuses-both from right and left, depending on Who is doing the abuse] come out and say,
'why what about the priests and the preachers and the LDS and the frat boys and for you to confront Islam its racist, yada yada yada'
so that Does have a LOT of negative impact on liberal feminism, its what they call BACKLASH--that feminist get from every angle, including other feminists because there are various types of feminists.
And what makes it worse, is when you have PRO-PORN FEMINIST BIMBOS AND THE MISOGYNIST FEMINISTS [YES THEY EXIST] WHO HATE THE 'FEMALE' AND THOSE WHO HATE MATERNAL FEMINISM AND THEN THE NATIONALIST FEMINISTS--ALL WHO ARE LOYAL TO
PATRIARCHY
they too jump in on their bandwagons of persecuting those DISSIDENT voices, and UNFORTUNATELY,
like liberals across the board they have CAVED INTO that FEAR OF BEING EXILED, OF BEING LABELED A RACIST OR A HYPOCRITE OR A MOUTHPIECE OF THE RIGHT,
so there is this tendency to SELF-POLICE and unfortunately thats what feminists have Done in this country, DISSENT is a very ugly word today,
both in the left and in the right.
Thats Part of the problem, the other problem is that the range or, widespread abuse and misogyny is so vast and many feminists focus on one or two of those issues and thats where their focus is,
Misogyny and patriarchy effect women in different ways, the Issue with confronting Islamism, is that it does cut across both racial and culture lines, and back in the first and second wave of feminism there was a backlash against feminism that accused feminists of being Only a white middle class American 'ideal' and that American white women, particularly middle class DID not speak from the experiences of Black women, for example, who had to deal with both misogyny AND racism, including abuse from white women...
that had a very powerful effect in silencing women and even to this day that accusation has worked to silence dissent when confronting misogyny that effects women outside of the white middle class.
There Is and Has been debate within the feminist community on this issue, I will say that the majority of the silencing of dissent [within the feminist camp] comes from none other than the Marxist Vanguards, or those Academic Vanguards of feminism that are
hell bent on destroying what was and is deemed as 'liberal feminism' but on the Other side of that coin, you have the Raunch culture--the pro-porn, pro-raunch camp that has hijacked liberal feminism to where,
anymore, to be a radical feminist one must confront misogyny within feminism on All sides PLUS the backlash from both the right and the chauvinist left.
The backlash in radical feminist today is actually Against the liberal raunch culture that has once again objectified women, and there is an ironic alliance with those from the East where this issue is concerned...
in Other words--its a bit odd to confront the Sexualizing of women in Islam [the covering, etc] when at the same time, there is the OTHER extreme of sexualizing and commodifying women here, the Raunch rape-sex culture,
and the majority of feminists tend to focus on confronting misogyny HERE, rather than focusing on misogyny elsewhere And that belief too that to speak for women elsewhere is imperialist,
the main thing thrown at women here who confront the abuses of misogyny in Islam is the pointing out of the blatant objectification of women in This society, including little girls.
Yes little girls are sold off into marriages in Saudi,
Here, we plaster little girls in Fredericks of Hollywood clothes at the ages of 8 and then, we're to say,
oh look--at the pedophilia in Islam, when the normalizing of pedophilia Fantasy is perfectly acceptable here, AND is in fact, tied into the Demands of the Economic MARKET. Advertising...
to add insult to injury, it is a well known fact that in the most liberal of areas, Europe, its so normalized to see 8 year old girl prostitutes--trafficked but doesn't matter [same in South and Central America] and GUESS who's buying?
American and European MEN AND WOMAN, via the Tourist industry--so Feminists are confronting with Two sides of the misogynist coin here,
and then to top it off, you have those Token women, the BIMBO PIMPS OF PORN who spew how empowering it is to be a paid 'cunt' excuse the french but its true,
how empowering it is to be debased and so forth, usually a white blonde with breasts that are so huge that its Barbie distorted...
and the Minute feminists confront that its the oh, here comes the Femi-Nazi dykes.
AND GUESS WHERE THAT COMES FROM?
The right--
[and to make matters worse yes there is that segment of misogynist Lesbians]
so, to even be defined as 'feminist' anymore--well, how do you even Define feminism because there about 50 various schools of thought and all hated by
patriarchs.
Putting it bluntly, Feminism needs to get back to HUMAN RIGHTS, because IF the focus was on Human Rights of women then there would be that space to critique All abuses towards women and girls and children no matter who is doing the abusing--
and as you know, confronting Human Right abuses, you confront both the Right, the Left, the Religious, the Secular, and yes, the Misandrous feminists [that segment] or the feminist that denies that women as agents and as humans can abuse and very often Do abuse, be it for nationalism or religion or for their own ambitious power.
But find those feminists--its rare, a very, very small minority. Because to stand for those rights one must confront MANY VANGUARDS AND BACKLASH AND MEN WHO HATE FEMINISTS.
MEN WHO HATE WOMEN, to just be blunt and it takes a lot of courage because the ones who scream their hate the loudest,
ARE OTHER WOMEN.
God forbid if one isn't loyal to A GROUP, or AN IDEOLOGY--
and this is the Main reason I broke out on my own, so I don't HAVE to be loyal to either the right, the left, the feminists, the lesbians, the heterosexuals, the Marxists, the Religious, the radicals, the liberals, even the individualists or anarchists--
but I will say--I have come to find that its the most radical thing there IS today, is to break away from all of it and just speak from where on sits and to confront it all...
and oddly, to do so, hypocrisy becomes glaring including hypocrisy in one's own life.
I've question more of my beliefs since breaking out on my own than I ever have done...including even questioning my faith, for that I have no regrets--and I will say this,
I've made more enemies on all sides--but I have realized something very important in this journey, if one could call it that,
and that is how Far we have come from really understanding, not just as feminists but as ones who fight for liberty whether its liberty from economic stratified oppression or misogyny or racism or religious totalitarianism,
or bigotry or prejudice--
and that is how much we truly have been indoctrinated to be loyal to the 'group' or to 'ideology' or to 'religion' no matter Where we stand. To challenge them all, you find out just how quick,
we've fallen prey to the very things we say we are against.
Question is, How and When did this happen? And is it just a force of human nature??? I don't know the answers to those questions,
and just where the individual fits within the society? Because as one fights or questions all then you see the other side or the importance of belonging,
in other words, its one thing to fight as a group,
another to stand alone and fight and to be the 'odd' one. We have learned obviously in history what happens to those odd ones,
those 'dissenters' and especially those who dissent the most,
used to be, to dissent meant to dissent against the establishment but its gone beyond that anymore, now its dissent against Group think--on all sides.
With feminism, its that Plus fighting the male or patriarchal establishment THAT is also perpetuated by WOMEN, who benefit or who find its easier to play INTO that system and benefit from it--better to have some power than to have none I suppose,
and if that means power under the male but over other women, I presume for some women this is preferable, though it only serves to tighten the chains around them.
The thing with the selling of girls in marriage in Islam--horrendous, an outrage, and I will post on that here in bit or comment but,
there are similarities here as well--maybe not selling girls into marriage But the benefits that women who Choose to comply with patriarchy compared to the hardships to those who choose to DEFY patriarchy,
and the more one defies the more they see the brutality of that patriarchy.
This is NOT to say that the misogyny is on the same level, Hell NO and I'd be the first to say it isn't--its far, far worse in Islam--but there IS that fine line,
meaning, we have that same force of misogyny in This country, especially in RELIGION, that uses Constructs and rigid gender roles [or the other extreme, the raunch culture and dare a woman not fit into those rigid roles as she's cast aside]
and Bottom line, its about whether one believes women are Human Beings OUTSIDE the utility of male desires.
Until we confront That--I do not believe it is fair to pigeon hole all feminists into this accommodating group towards Islamism,
Unless we are willing to confront the same Foundations of those misogynist attitudes here OR to at least, stand in support of those who do dare to confront them here.
What I mean is, its a bit odd to confront the misogyny in Islamism yet to see women, for instance, and men, who slam the silence of feminists who don't BUT WHO WILL THEN TURN RIGHT AROUND
and perpetuate sexism here or chauvinism or gender constructs that are just as patriarchal.
Many feminist see that and say, no, we won't be a part of that, so they join those group thinks and are 'loyal' to them,
its Rare to find feminists who are willing to oppose misogyny on all angles, and not wink, wink when its found within their own circle, so to speak.
Rare indeed--but then, I guess that shows just how little we Have progressed in believing that women are NOT just 'the other' , that women aren't individuals in their own right, no,
but just extensions of the man or male thought, regardless of what that thought stems from or what it perpetuates or asserts....
ah but anyway, never mind me, just pondering a lot lately on individualism, dissent, what it means, truly means and not just in writing or lip speak...
maybe its just me but I'm seeing fascism from so many angles--on a level and its mind boggling I think--that so many I guess,
don't see it, don't see what is happening truly to liberalism.
And you just can't blame the communists either--this is a process that was happening even before communism came onto the scene,
Love of authoritarianism, THATS what it is,
its like, geesh if there isn't some authority over some thought or ideology then its like people reject it...be it religious authority or political or ideological,
there is this mindset that people have to have some kind of authority--
including feminists--dare Anyone defy authority or group loyalty 'authority' these days,
hmmmmm [hell even Anarchists have fallen prey to this trap]
LOL maybe I'm not so much feminist as I am just anti-Authoritarian,
LOL--sorry, thinking outloud here...
OK--now to this issue of selling children,
because THATS what this shit is in Saudi and in Islamist nations, is SELLING GIRLS,
chattel slavery, for dowry price [and I do believe in India this also is the norm] but,
in India there is women fighting this practice--and I am not sure how much 'caste' fits into the practice, etc., as its not been my focus of in depth study, not yet anyway.
But lets begin, by stating for the record [for those who lurk here] that the chattel slavery in Islam is NOT ABOUT CULTURE--ITS A PRACTICE THAT IS YES ISLAM AND WAS SANCTIONED BY ISLAM AND IS AT THE ROOT OF EXPANSION IN ISLAM.
So--that for the record, it won't matter how many women object to this deplorable slavery because Islam not only condones it but sanctifies and gives its blessing to it,
Muhummad (sic) married a 6 year old girl and as we know they model after what he did and what he sanctioned, Pedophilia is sanctioned in Islam,
under the Hadiths and under Sharia. Women are half the worth of man, in practicum in Islam they aren't even worth that--how Could they be?
They are breeding mares to earn income for the father and to breed children for THE KINGDOM OF IMPERIALIST ISLAM, nothing more.
So, until THAT is crushed, and yes I do mean crushed, all the objections of women in these countries and under Islam is going to fall on deaf ears. Because the problem IS ISLAM,
not culture, not habits, not traditions, but Islam itself. And not just ONCE was the misogyny sanctioned in verse but numerous times, including the hadiths so,
I don't see how even the reformists will be able to change much when it concerns the treatment of women and girls.
What WESTERN countries Should be doing is absolutely not wavering on the laws when it comes to children's human rights--BUT,
here's where its a problem, at least in America,
freedom of religion and how Separation of Church and State has been used to not only justify this type of shit but to PROTECT THIS TYPE OF SHIT GOING ON HERE,
and Yes, this is where My blood starts to boil--because the truth is we've been tolerating misogyny AND PEDOPHILIA within some quote, religions, in this country under the 'religious freedoms' and THAT, THAT I find outrageous,
not surprising no, but outrageous yes. And this is yes, where I will butt heads against those who want to establish Religion in a way where abuses under religion can't be touched because by golly thats how it is and blah blah blah
to that I say, hell Fuck no,
I don't care if God himself came down and inscribed in stone that you are entitled to rape some three year old or force some 10 year old into bed with some 50 year old religious guru your ass should be castrated and shot.
Until we get the balls to stand on that and mean it, I think we have a problem in even confronting whats going on in Saudi because guarantee you they will USE that tolerance to pedophilia here in this country as a means of protecting that shit here,
under Islam.
AND as much as I yes, am opposed to a police nanny state--well aware of how that works to actually do more to reinforce patriarchal standards on women, the whole 'bad mommy' complex crap ESPECIALLY USED AGAINST THE POOR in this country,
I will say, we need Some kind children's human rights that protects children from these types of abuses, because until then,
even on an international scale its impossible really to END these types of human right abuses. ESPECIALLY TOWARDS LITTLE GIRLS because children one, are perceived to be 'property' of the parents--fathers especially, under patriarchy and two,
girls-a.k.a. women or WOMBS, lets just say WOMBS because in reality thats how women are treated is either wombs or tits on sticks [love that term thank you Redmond],
are just commodities for sale--to the highest bidder. Especially in Islam--if not for sale, well at least in the West they are primed and conditioned to be able to 'sell themselves',
but anyway,
to Confront the horrendous child marriages in Islam we have to confront the whole concept of commodification (sic) of children internationally, and by golly make it stick. No tolerances or exceptions,
because FACT is, children worldwide are working in slavery and in sweatshops and are forced to fight in wars and are taught how to kill and rape by the time they are 8 in many regions,
and like the abuse of women this has to be attacked on all fronts--where NO ONE can excuse it under Religion or Culture, regardless,
and this is where the UN makes me sick. They hold up these standards yet at the same time they make allowances to Sharia which protects and even punishes children who flee forced marriages,
which is punishing children who are fleeing being enslaved and trafficked and sold.
It is an outrage and why there Needs to be a militant abolitionist movement for children against slavery in this world. NOT in the extreme that some wack job Marxist pedos want to where there is no parents or family or community protection of children,
thats the other side of the coin to where children are vulnerable to every pedo out there--not talking about supporting that garbage and yes that garbage is within that multi-cultural crap that is being pushed to wink wink at the pedophilia sanctioned in Islam--
but a children's rights platform that guarantees them the Human Right to have love and family and protection [excluding abuse in families] AND to protect them from being sold off and bartered and exploited.
and Religious 'justifications' to Hell with them--zero tolerance period,
and Thats the attitude we need both here at home and internationally to END these types of abuses.
and THAT includes cracking down on the 'neo-liberals' including those feminist sects who think that they are entitled to 'entice' or 'lure' or condone child abuse/child sex abuse--
or using children as 'pawns' in cases such as divorce.
[oh yes I have no issue with pissing off a lot of feminists on That issue, including confronting women who abuse children including sexual abuse and it DOES HAPPEN]
And the Root is about consent and violation of consent--about boundaries, and when they sell these girls in marriage [or when female teachers have sex with their 12 year old students or men teachers, uh hum] they are violating consent and boundaries
AND IT IS RAPE.
Doesn't matter how pretty they want to package it IT IS RAPE.
no ands ifs ors buts about it, and the KEY to really understanding INFORMED CONSENT, and rape by fraud is still rape,
is this,
Would you give the car keys to a six year old child or to a twelve year old child or would you give them a business contract to sign?
NO, and Why is that?
Because they are not emotionally or mentally mature enough to understand the consequences to their decisions,
but in these cases of where girls are sold into marriages its even worse, because its not even about whether or not they understand--its Forced upon them, and its beyond fraud,
its forced and its rape by force.
AND to top that off--IF, IF a mother or sister or the girl herself revolts, then the Laws of Islam come in and say, that is unacceptable and she is guilty of adultery or they sanction murder, and then they have the gall to call it honor killings.
We must work to have a zero tolerance towards pedophilia in the West, and if that means confronting religion so be it...
because IF we do not, confront we will soon see these cases here, with proponents of pedophilia using or hiding behind means to push for Sharia even if its Sharia only over the Islamist communities here,
and children, all children will be vulnerable.
I don't just see this issue of just about Islam, but about something that is far more dangerous and widespread--it IS a war against children and especially against girls.
And it needs to be fought on that principle...because if it isn't, there will be those 'back doors' where they will not only protect these abuses but these abuses will spread and become more widespread.
and tragically, the abuse of children, is made more normalized than the abuse of women...the perps of pedophilia want to normalize it in a way that to confront the CRIME they say is puritanical,
or just 'taboo',
and its not just about 'taboo',
Its about violation of consent, forced and rape by fraud,
and the Worst human right violations because it not only effects the child, the individual but sets a dangerous precedence in societies that slavery, selling of human beings is totally acceptable because hey,
if you can Sell a child, under the false lie of marriage,
then whose to stop the selling of other humans?
IT is no coincidence that the belief that its tolerable to sell girl children into forced rape contracts [the illusion of a consent relationship] that slavery and trafficking are notorious in these societies, as well as concubinage--slavery, chattel slavery,
and the Clincher, what is so laughable and sick is for those to be tolerant to these human right abuses to Do so under the lie that they are fighting wage slavery.
Why they need to be confronted and why the practice of child sales needs to be crushed and obliterated from the Planet..
zero tolerance.
and that will mean, confronting the idea that children are commodities to be sold, bartered, traded, exploited, raped, trafficked, used and abused...
Human Rights begins with children, if its tolerated to abuse the human rights of children,
it then opens the door to tolerate abuses to all humans.
Agreed Pastorious but thats just It too,
we have a market that yes creates those tweens that is perpetuated off of countries that TOLERATES SLAVERY,
and makes profit off of that SLAVERY...and they ARE intertwined,
in other words, they compliment each other so to truly be militant and oppose Islam and the abuse of Women in Islam you are going to have to have
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR MISOGYNY NO MATTER WHERE ITS FOUND...
because to not do so just perpetuates the complimentary forces that those who say, well, look at the history of Christian religion
and the fact is, those Abuses here are not just a minority, oh HELL NO,
THEY JUST BECOME SO NORMALIZED THAT WHEN THEY DO HAPPEN HERE ITS THE 'BLAME THE VICTIM'
rather than confront the misogyny that perpetuates those abuses and that same misogyny is in bed with supporting or condoning the forces of Islam because hey,
one, its profit and two, don't want to get Too vocal against the abuse and enslavement of women because then we might just have to confront other forms of abuse and enslavement and Yes there are those Elites who do not want any to go there,
you know these abuses towards women in Islam have been going on for centuries...before 9-11 you didn't hear much complaints about them FROM THE RIGHT,
it wasn't until it became a THREAT TO WOMEN AND OUR WAY OF LIFE HERE...
and That, that speaks volumes and yes, a few, FEW, EMPHASIS ON FEW Christians and Human Right advocates DID speak about the abuses of women and children in those countries but the public really could have cared less--WHY is that?
and Why now, all of a sudden we take the moral high road?
AND THAT, my friend is what the feminists many of them, DO SEE, and then its not about confronting Islam, or the abuses to women, then its about the political agendas BEHIND CONFRONTING ISLAM
so what I am saying you have to confront ALL MISOGYNY, so that its not easily tossed into the pile that is easily just summed up to political agendas, ESPECIALLY AGENDAS OF PATRIARCHS...
because the bottom line is, the ones who are suffering ARE THOSE WOMEN who are caught in those systems,
and they HAVE NO DAMN WAY OUT.
They aren't just tokens or political agenda pieces, and THATS what I am saying,
either its Women's Human Rights all the way or it isn't, because don't think for a minute that WOMEN DON'T SEE IT,
they do.
And, it doesn't matter Pastorious if its a minority of abuses here,
the FACT that they happen, they are violations of human rights and they should NOT be happening, period.
But its not that they happen, its that we don't take ownership or we blame the victims or we perpetuate misogyny on so many levels and when we do that THEN we turn and say, well hey look at Islam,
it renders our work, women's human rights advocates, as impotent and ineffective.
Because misogyny is across the globe, not just in Islam--but yes, I totally agree with you, its worse in Islam in how its STATE LEVEL, and not just state level but the entire foundation of Islam is built upon violence and subjugation--Islam means to submit.
BUT if we want a powerful force in THIS country to oppose the abuses and to oppose Islam in This country it can't just be from a political agenda or from right wing or from Patriarchs--not when confronting abuses of women and girls,
its the equivalent of lets say, someone in the South back in the day of Slavery objecting to slavery but saying, well, I don't beat my slaves so its o.k. for us because we treat our slaves better,
could you imagine how that would sound?
Let me put it to you this way, I can confront Islam in regards to the abuses of women all I want, but IF, IF I am silent to the abuses and justifications of misogyny here,
how Serious do you think those objections would be taken, especially by feminists?
They wouldn't, all it would say is that I'm a mouthpiece for the Right or the Patriarchal right,
and lets not forget something, Women didn't have a lot of the rights today because they were given to us, and it wasn't that LONG ago where even Domestic Violence was not even criminal--in fact the 70s,
the 70s, it was perfectly legal to beat one's wife and today, in many states, ITS STILL LEGAL TO RAPE YOUR WIFE, ITS NOT EVEN DEEMED AS RAPE,
so take that, and take That to a platform that is working to allow Sharia law here and try having moral high ground and see just how fast they laugh you out...
we have men who go on and on about the covering of women but these same men don't even Wince at churches who put little six year old girls on the podium promising daddy they'll stay virgins as if Daddy owns her vagina!
never mind the double standards, you don't see little Boys being paraded like that,
so yes, we Do have those double standards and misogyny right here and on such levels, cases Still in fact, Two, right now, women who have fled this country and sought asylum against abusive men because they couldn't get protection here...
so they aren't as minority as you may think--they are just manifested differently. But case in point, I totally Agree with you on the level of misogyny AND THE THREAT OF ISLAM WHICH IS BY FAR THE WORST,
you'll get no argument from me there, in fact I think I have put myself on the line because unlike Chesler I have not joined the Right platform to speak out against Islam and militantly so--
I do so from a leftist and independent perspective which is a minority and KNOWING the arguments and ways the multiculturalists ARE silencing women especially within the feminist camps...
Truth of the matter is Pastorious we NEED critics of Islam who will also be just as vocal against misogyny here, and not protective or silent,
because the more vocal those voices are, the harder is it going to be for those cultural relativists to USE misogyny here, that compliment, to condone or sanction tolerance to the misogyny AND SLAVERY AND FASCISM of ISLAM.
The one thing the left and FAR left cannot accuse me of is being from a right wing agenda OR being sympathetic or quiet whatsoever to misogyny or patriarchy here, or even to capitalism,
and THAT SCARES THE SHIT OUT OF THEM, BELIEVE ME IT DOES,
because it gets to the Root of the agenda of the fascists who are riding on the Pan Islamist tail to create a fascist totalitarian establishment in the West...using Liberal ideals to do so,
and the ONLY way to defeat them is to pull those ideals from under their feet and expose them for the liars they are.
NOT by creating another form of religious patriarchal nationalism then it just becomes religion verses religion,
and Islam I don't think is truly a religion, its a fascist imperialist ideology wrapped in a CULT.
All I know is, obviously confronting Islam from a radical feminist perspective is dangerous on a level because yesterday, on another very liberal blog an Islamist counter-posted to something I said and used get this,
blaming communism for hijacking Islam, that Islam was a religion of peace and that it was communists that made some Islamist terrorists.
Of all the things that was the first I heard of That taqiyya...I've heard plenty but that was a first.
And sure enough, thats the new wave of videos they are pushing, that Islam is really just a religion of peace and that it was Hitler and Communism that took some sects of Islam and made it a terrorist type of fanatical system, or branches of...
I'm sure its in light of the discourse within the whole Obama campaign here.
Bottom line, its a battle over people's minds, you know that,
and while you and others here May know the difference of the level of misogyny, sure, between Islam and in the West, there are those who do NOT have that level of knowledge and who are easily deceived,
and being silent or even protective in any minute way or even supportive of patriarchy here, is going to BACKFIRE in educating people about the horrors of fascist Islam.
When Horowitz and others like him go to campuses and speak on the women's rights in Islam the majority laugh because that same political group protects policies such as cutting funds to domestic violence shelters here...
do you See how that hurts us?
IF we rely only on the moral superiority of Religion verses Islam I guarantee you we will lose the ideological battle in America when it comes to keeping Sharia OUT of our judicial system,
and what I am fighting is to keep Sharia or even the Tolerance to any aspect of Sharia being perpetuated or protected here and internationally.
And yes, as a feminist, I can't do that and then say, well, its not so bad here that women are raped and still the perps walk because we still demand a type of four witnesses in our court room OR
in one recent case, where a 17 year old girl was JAILED IN THIS COUNTRY because they couldn't prove she was raped so they jailed her, and THOSE CASES HAPPEN MORE THAN YOU MIGHT REALIZE,
or right now the Dunbar Village cases where even Al Sharpton took defense for the gang rapists who not only raped a poor black woman but her son,
but hey, she's ghetto and poor and by golly one of those lazy ass women on welfare so you know,
who cares right?
those cases happen a hell of a lot more and they aren't just 'minority cases',
one a day At least.
And you know, frankly I don't give a damn if its a minority here, the girls that were held down and raped by that son of a bitch in the LDS camp and they are sent back to that shit by the US SUPREME COURT,
because hey, we don't Want to touch religion here,
oh no, Hell no,
and those girls aren't just sexually abused THEY ARE SLAVES, to polygamy and to those families in those compounds, and that shit has been going on in this country for hundreds of years, WITH TOTAL IMPUNITY,
so I don't think, religiously or even from a right wing we can take the moral high ground here...IT Has to be on the foundation of human rights and it has to be confronting All cases of abuse,
and fascism, not just Islam--
a Little Leaven leavens the entire loaf...
if we give misogyny an inch, we had better be prepared to give it a mile.
In other words, to slam feminists for not confronting Islam--is in a big way extremely hypocritical,
because there is guilt on many other sides...IF we have a zero tolerance to child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, misogyny and make it law--
or at least fight to make it law,
then the multiculturalists can't come in and say, its just culture, because it won't matter--there is zero tolerance period.
What hurts the West, especially the US, for example, in the UN--one one hand, the fascist alliance says, you can't confront Sharia...on the other hand, the United States Still has not ratified CEDAW which if they did,
would make it harder for that fascist alliance to say, you can't confront Sharia.
they Don't want to ratify CEDAW because to do so would mean challenging All misogynist practices..even trafficking, and Bush has done an Exceptional job in confronting that hideous industry--they already are working to make it impossible for young women to sue their enslavers...
I simply just believe in zero tolerance being the strength needed to confront Islamism and to crush it, to keep it OUT of the West,
and that platform is direly needed.
Natasha,
I can't speak for the right, but before 9/11 I was a "non-political person".
I didn't know about what was going on in the Islamic world.
I bought the line that we all worshipped the same God basically and that we all loved our children, as Sting taught me.
You must be familiar with the syndrome.
And, that syndrome is perpetuated by the LEFT, people like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn and Jean Baudrillard (all of whom I read quite a bit) who make America the pariah of the world. Oh sure, I learned how to blame America for everything, and then leave it at that.
Leftist philosophy has no dialectic, it exists only to feed itself. And, it feeds itself on a constant state of blaming itself. The only way a leftist can redeem themselves is by not eating at McDonald's and by driving a Prius. The really really good leftists feed some starving people in Africa and oppose the DDT which would get rid of maleria, and save hundreds of millions of lives.
Now, I go to church, and you know what I see. I see people who go to Africa, donate to Africa, and live in Africa. I see a lot more money where mouths are in church than I ever saw among my bitter leftie friends (all of whom I am still friends with).
Also, while you are speaking of third world slavery feeding American industry, remember there is another truth which is hard to accept, but true:
If America consumes 1/3 of the world's resources, that means 1/3 of the people in the world who are working have jobs because America buys their products.
And, that's just an estimate. The numbers are probably much higher.
And, America freed South Vietnam, South Korea, Eastern Europe, Germany, Japan, and the American South itself.
So, stop blaming America. Put things in proportion. Criticize, don't rant, rave, and rail. You sound like a fool.
And, if you want to go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow.
and see you just Assume one, that I carry pictures of Mao, which I don't, hardly and Two, that I blame America,
prejudice and I am going to call you on it.
Secondly, Zinn, LOL where to even start with him, Chomsky, was at One time alright but he's an elitist typical neo-liberal academia, who Yes, like the majority of academia Does only place the blame on America.
You Think because one can critique America that they only lay blame on America, thats sort of narrow don't you think?
Its the state of the WORLD, and its more complex than just America, and its a VARIETY OF FACTORS THAT PLAY INTO THE PROBLEMS, THAT FEED INTO THE PROBLEMS WITH THE DEVELOPMENT and its not just bad America or bad East or the libs or the right wing,
its a combination of many things. The economy, the development of both wars and the nation-state formations and balkanizations, national security And greed,
and not just America, and I do believe I have made that clear when addressing Imperialism, AND in critiquing Mao and Stalinism,
which for Years I've been extremely vocal in doing so. NOT from a prejudicial right wing view but from knowing from working within that ideology and seeing the flaws of those ideologies AND the refusal of those in the left to take Ownership of,
some have, most have not. But I do reference to Mao and Stalin and the development of both to Show those in the left the fallacy of those beliefs, the danger in them and Why they failed.
NOT every thing in the principles of which they fought for was bad, in many ways they were comparable, in regards to fighting oppression to the principles of our founding fathers in fighting monarchy--its in the make up of the government that the far left is extremely flawed.
But I will say there is more in common with centralized power within the far left and the centralized 'elitist' power that we see in representation especially of the corporate kind, that bears more similarities and that IS a danger to direct and even social democracy...
and I have no regrets for my years of working in that left environment because it gave me a real understanding of the preciousness of what Democracy truly is..and I do not refer to democracy in that elitist way, but democracy that protects the individual rights of individuals.
Those principles, and NOT just from economic exploitation, but from government rule that is oppressive.
And the truth is Pastorious is that while Yes, there is so much Good about America...we, the people, over the years have become so consumed with consumption and privilege that we are going to have to face up to the fact that yes, we took freedom for granted...
generally speaking. I remember my ex asking me why so many Don't vote here, back in the 80s, because voting is mandatory in England or at least it was then...and the truth is, we became complacent in this nation, isolated even,
times were good and hey, that, that was over there...AND, lets also be very truthful, there was and still is that element of geo-political racism, and no, its not just the right its the neo-liberal left too.
NOW its in our face, a threat here, not just over there, and good, I mean its good that people ARE waking up and getting vocal and involved, but too it concerns me a little because thats Exactly how fascism was birthed in Hitler's Germany,
the non-political moved onto the political stage...and demanded action and a force, especially because of the threat of communism.
Today its the threat of Islamism, and totalitarianism [and I would say yes, communism is still very much a threat].
Look, its like this, lets say a group of gang members is moving in to attack my home, and lets say I am gearing up to protect my home..but in the process if one of my kid's has all this time been making deals with one of the gang members and IF I do not confront that,
I leave myself wide open. To critique how America has, yes, fed into the forces that are a threat today doesn't mean one is anti-American, it simply means one is looking at all the angles and looking for solutions.
On one hand we have leftists and liberals and relativists here who are making deals with Islamism and some out of ignorance and some because they have bought into the lie that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence OR, I think the biggest factor of influence is the 'guilt' factor,
that America did, yes, partake in policies that were abusive to human rights--to fight off the Reds during the Cold War, and sure, some of that was to expand the free market, etc etc etc., there is no such thing as purity in politics, it would be nice if there was but politics is dirty business,
I'm sure you are aware of that. Sometimes its making a choice between two evils and I do think a lot of the policies our former government administrations Did make were just that, a choice between two evils, which one could they hold off while fighting one that needed to be taken care of right then and there, AND yes,
economic sustainability IS in deed part of that equation because if the economy goes to shit and you have revolts then you have a power vacuum, thats politics 101.
Its a tight rope, I'm well aware of that, and it works both ways, why nation-states expand for resources and why they do things that are totally unacceptable.
But now as those truths are becoming more known among those who may NOT have the political understanding that is where the despots move in with their propaganda and distortions and manipulate people, Especially in academia, to turn against the system, and its NOT that the system doesn't need change,
the key is that its 'what they want to replace the system with' and That, THAT is what most are not aware of,
those who support the left truly are convinced of the lies that if only the hegemony was removed then there would be this new world...and its sad but thats the truth, so many believe that,
and I don't even need to back that up with empirical evidence because hey look, look how many are swallowing the Obama lies?
Its not enough to just say, Mao is bad because of this, this, and this, one has to be able to show Why those regimes not only failed but why they will fail time and time again,
and no its not because capitalism is better, its Because of how there is a system of checks and balances within our own principles of democracy and the ONLY place like it in the WORLD.
The principles of Contract law, and yes, even the conflict between the power of federal government to that of the state,
and Ironically, it was studying the polemics of the far left that Lead me personally to an understanding of those principles in our government, not the other way around. Though I would have to say I believe more in Direct Democracy to protect individual rights and the Bill of Rights far more than I support representation by Elites...
you Think because I dare critique, that lumps me in with Mao???
Now, thats the Group think right there that I'm talking about...
yes, I know exactly what you mean by those lefties, who speak of Africa but do nothing to help Africa,
and those in Churches or missions that do--I can also tell you of those who work in missions that also perpetuate or support those ideologies that oppress the poor and peasants in those countries,
while those who truly stick their neck out to help those in those countries are often abandoned and/or even killed.
Including two I know personally who were in Pinochet's Chile during Reagan's era, both very strong Christians and who barely survived, while the donations dried up,
but see thats part of my journey I don't talk much about...how my work in the political was spurred from my desire to go into relief work, and from that first trip to Mexico working with street children, right across the United States Border, yea I saw those mission dollars at work,
I wasn't impressed. Not when it was ONE woman, ONE, living in Brownsville, TX who by herself and with very little help and with her own income, drove across that border/river every day because she could not get residency in Mexico and she herself took those abandoned children, children who due to disabilities and who are usually thrown into the RioGrande to drown because mama's are too poor to care for them,
and she took these children into a little school like building that smelt of piss and all these kids had was the bare minimum...a blanket and a doll and lucky at that,
but they had her, her love and their lives and they were grateful. Where did all that church money go? To her, NO,
but it went to build more churches...
you know I didn't get into the far left because I hated America,
I saw injustice, like many do, the difference is I like a few others, kept reading and kept asking and we didn't fall for the propaganda...
my two friends who were in Chile and whose postcards I still have, that btw were censored before they were allowed to be mailed OUT of that country, SAW with their own eyes how Pinochet torched kids in the streets because they wanted more than slavery,
but you see that was what our government did to fight off communism. Killing poor peasants who wanted oh my god,
drinking water that wasn't poisoned.
How dare those brown people demand that huh...
no, I do criticize a LOT about America because I EXPECT MORE FROM HER,
NOT BECAUSE I HATE HER.
because of those principles we have and I expect more from those who Yes, do oppose Islamism,
and fascism, I EXPECTED IT FROM THE FAR LEFT--AND I STOOD UP, THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT OBVIOUSLY AND TOSSED ME OUT,
THATS FINE, NO REGRETS,
BUT that doesn't mean I won't do the same to the Right or to the Center, and all I said, and I stand firm on it,
IF we are going to confront misogyny and slavery and injustice then we must confront them in their entirety because the Last I checked,
that was what the principles of Freedom were based upon...
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN RIGHTS,
so if that makes me a fool then, well, so be it,
you know what they say about those Peculiar people,
Natasha
in the meantime,
see what you can do with this, one of those realities the left here doesn't want the public to take notice too
4 workers to be flogged and sexual apartheid - a crime against humanity
In the August 13 programme of TV International, Maryam Namazie talks to Bahram Soroush about the flogging sentences of four workers - 2 men and 2 women - for the ‘crime’ of celebrating May Day. Get the latest update on the case and find out what you can do to stop the Islamic regime of Iran from carrying out the brutal sentences. You can also hear Maryam’s open letter against sexual apartheid and the need to disgrace and relegate it to the dustbins of history like racial apartheid.
To see this week's programme, click here.
http://maryamnamazie.blogspot.com/
in light of the recent Tyson decision, think this should be spread through the alliance airwaves...esp in light of the DNC this week.
Natasha
Posted the above on the Biden...
here you go, you can use this,
details of the Family Protection Law being proposed in Iran, this is detailed, shows you What Sharia is, legal wise--and This is example of what the West, especially Women, need to know...
its long, but worthy to know.
rom Bad to Worse and Beyond…
by Elahe Amani
Friday 15 August 2008
Discriminatory family law in Iran is on the brink of taking a few steps back! The “Family Protection Bill” passed swiftly and quietly during the first round of discussions of the legal and judicial commission of the Iranian parliament in July 2008, almost one year after it was drafted. Opposition to this bill has solidified one of the largest coalitions formed to protest a bill in recent years. An inclusive and strikingly diverse group of women activists, feminists, human rights defenders, as well as secular and religious groups (including some conservative women’s groups) are opposing this bill and demanding that the government take action to prevent it from passing through parliament for a final vote.
The bill is a gross violation of the human rights of Iranian women, reinforcing current discriminatory laws, and creating an encouraging environment for polygamy. The women’s movement has demanded that the bill be scrapped, as it reinforces existing unequal divorce laws and makes it more complicated and challenging for women to file for divorce. While the women’s movement has been working consistently for equality in divorce laws, the bill represents a huge setback to this fight. It removes the requirement to register “temporary marriages,” rather than banning such marriages completely, and suggests taxation for dowries ( Mehr ), which have traditionally provided a fragile financial safety net for women. In doing so, the bill denies the rights of Iranian women to equal access to resources, discouraging their participation in the workforce to ensure their economic security. Finally, the bill does not remove the barriers Iranian women face in marrying foreign nationals. Rather, it brings more complexity into the lives of Iranian women considering marriage to foreigners, going so far as to stipulate punishments for the “crime” of marrying a foreign national.
There are many speculations about the reasons the bill has been passed at this time. Some argue that it is the Iranian regime’s response to an increasingly powerful women’s movement in Iran and their battle to change discriminatory laws, including polygamy. Others claim that the threat of a US military strike against Iran creates an environment of uncertainty, which, combined with an economic crisis and political and social repression, provides a fertile climate for the patriarchs in power in Iran to bring the anti-family bill into public discourse.
The bill was drafted and discussed by the previous Iranian parliament. The discriminatory content of the bill enraged many human rights activist and women’s NGOs in Iran.
Article 23 is one of the most contested articles of the bill. It states: “Marriage to a subsequent permanent wife shall depend on court authorization upon ascertainment of the man’s financial capability and undertaking to uphold justice among his wives.” Article 23 scraps the need for the consent of the first wife if her husband wants to take another spouse, a condition that was previously a legal necessity. The bill requires a man to provide a judicial permit for a new marriage, confirming that he has the financial capability to provide for the new wife, that justice will be upheld amongst his wives, and that all wives will be treated equally. However, no further specification appears in the bill as to what constitutes “justice” or unequal treatment. Thus the husband’s subjective appraisal of his ability to be fair constitutes the only criterion. “Justice” is a transcendental and abstract concept, and upholding it could mean different things to different people. In addition, no clear, specific and measurable criteria are provided to define a person’s financial capability in order to support two, three or four wives. Many critics argue that the language of this bill also reduces and minimizes a host of women’s needs to the satisfaction of undefined and ambiguous “financial needs,” ignoring the emotional and well-being of women. In doing so, it objectifies women. In response to the controversy generated by Article 23, a member of the judicial commission stated: "This article is in accordance with the religious laws, and the controversy is a creation of the media. This article is religiously acceptable and will be approved by parliament, so no one will dare to challenge this vote." However, another statement citing decrees from top Iranian clerics such as the Grand Ayatollah Yusuf Sanei, indicates that second marriages are only legal when first wives agree to them.
Based on current Iranian family law, men can take four wives and divorce any of them without stating a reason. However the law limits women’s access to divorce. The reasons women may cite for seeking divorce are not clearly defined by law - it is up to the court and judges to decide whether such women have grounds. It is often very difficult for a woman to prove that she has reason to divorce. Prenuptial agreements granting women the right to divorce are a recent phenomenon. While Iranian women activists and their male allies are striving to change such discriminatory laws, many women protect their rights in prenuptials or temporary legal documents. Within the body of Islamic family law, polygamy has been appropriately considered a major factor in perpetuating gender inequality, and a violation of women’s human rights. The very fact that a woman may have to share her husband and home with co-wives says much about the gender inequality built into the law. A woman lives with the constant possibility that her husband will take another wife. If she fails to behave in accordance with her husband’s wishes, she runs the risk of having to live in a polygamous household. This possibility reinforces patriarchal power relations within the household and creates and environment of fear for women, who feel forced to comply with their husband desires, decisions and preferences.
Article 22 of the Bill states: “Registration of temporary marriage shall be subject to Rules of Procedure to be approved by the minister of justice.” The Bill removes any requirement for registering temporary marriages with the Registrar’s Office. The practice of temporary marriage has existed amongst Shiites, while many Sunni majority societies have banned it. Historically, the practice has been limited to shrine cities like Meshed and Qum, and mostly to pilgrims who traveled. The “sigheh’ or “temporary marriage” contract should have an expiration date, varying from a few hours after the marriage up to 99 years. Many secular Iranians view legalized “temporary marriage” as a reflection of the hypocrisy of clerics, who have exploited “temporary marriage” over the years but are adamantly opposed to premarital or extramarital sex.
Despite its religious imprimatur, temporary marriage has never been very popular in Iran. Many Iranians regard sigheh as little more than legalized prostitution. The practice of “temporary marriage” has been debated in recent years and advocates point out that children of such unions are legitimate and entitled to a share of the father’s inheritance. The current bill will leave women who engage in such marriages and children being born from these unions without any legal protection or rights.
Temporary marriages have been encouraged in the last decade as a response to the complex social issues and restricted Islamic norms in terms of socialization of young men and women. However, in finding a “religiously-acceptable solution” to deep-rooted social issues, the legalization of “temporary marriages,” and it’s social consequences, has not been evaluated in the context of sexuality, public health, sexually transmitted diseases, women’s human rights, birth control, violence against women, and the welfare of children born within these marriages.
Article 25 of the bill states: “At the time of registration of marriage, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance is required to collect tax on unreasonable and higher-than-conventional marriage portions, in view of the condition of the couple and the national economic issues, progressively in ratio to the increase in the amount of the marriage portion.
“The amount of conventional marriage portion and the amount of tax shall be determined with a view to the general economic conditions of the country by Rules of Procedure to be proposed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance and to be approved by the Council of Ministers.” This article introduces a new concept to the legal system by effectively taxing women’s dowries (Mehr). In traditional marriages, women are required to stipulate a consummation price (Mehr), which they are entitled to receive at marriage and before sleeping with the groom. Historically, this is paid to women upon divorce. According to the data from the Registrar’s Office, last year in Tehran, only 3% of the women who had asked for their dowries received them. 87% of divorced women did not receive their dowries, while14% had to give up their dowries in order to convince their husband to divorce them. (There is a proverb in Persian which translates as “I give up my dowry to gain free my life – Mehram halal, janam azad.”)
While dowries do not fully protect many unions, imposing taxation on dowries is a form of interference in the marriage contract, which is a contract between two private parties. Taxation is intended to be a response to increasing dowry amounts - an outcome of the inequalities that women are facing. While more than 60% of students in higher education are women, according to the Center for Women’s Studies at the University of Tehran, men’s participation in the workforce is 5.1% times higher than that of women. Imposing taxes on dowries is ineffective in removing barriers to marriage among younger generations. The economic crisis, unavailability of affordable housing in major cities, high unemployment rates, and inflation, along with barriers to women’s participation in the workforce, are the real challenges that younger people are facing in getting married.
It should be noted that polygamy and temporary marriages have hardly become part of the fabric of Iranian society. Although the number of polygamous marriages has increased after Iran adapted to Sharia law after 1979, it remains relatively rare in Iran compared with some Arab countries, and is frowned upon by many.
Article 46 states: “Any foreign national who marries an Iranian woman without obtaining the permit mentioned under Article 1060 of the Civil Code, shall be sentenced from ninety-one days to one year’s imprisonment. In that case, the woman, if she has got married of her free will, and the girl’s father, if the marriage has taken place with his permission, will be sentenced as accomplices of the offence.” This means that foreign nationals who marry Iranian women without first obtaining permits will face prison sentences ranging from ninety-one days to on year. Even a woman who marries of her own free will, and all the parties involved, could face harsh sentences. Although marriage is a desirable institution, current family law shows no respect for the rights of those marrying foreign nationals, which means a lack of equality in citizenship. The impact of this bill on Iranian women living abroad is significant. Based on existing family law, Iranian women married to foreign men will not be able to obtain citizenship for their children, even if these children are born and raised in Iran.
This bill not only fails to resolve the discriminatory nature of the existing family law, but takes it a few steps back. Considering the large number of Iranians living abroad (estimated at more than 4 million), the bill potentially discriminates against vast numbers of women. In addition to the above, Articles 15, 19, 40 & 44 will have some impact on the lives of Iranian women living abroad.
Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel laureate, has harshly criticized the bill. She is not alone when she claims that it would bring “moral corruption” to society. Iranian women activists and human rights defenders are warning that the bill will increase violence against women, as well as violence perpetuated by women, since it is expected to intensify levels of discrimination against women in Iran.
In a recent meeting organized by the Defenders of Human Rights Center to oppose the bill, Ebadi stated that "this law will bring decadence and moral corruption to society.” She took a step further and described the bill as a “tyranny,” not only against women, but also against men. She also stated that "if you have become rich overnight, no matter how, you can legalize your desires."
The assault of the Iranian regime on the rights and dignity of Iranian people has intensified in recent years. The bill is not an isolated measure, but rather aligned and consistent with other repressive measures to curtail freedom and democracy in Iran. Different social policies, such as limiting the number of women entering higher education, cracking down on women who do not observe strict Islamic dress code, arrests and detention of women activist and human rights defenders, repeated censorship of women’s/feminist websites, demanding outrageous bails for women activists, harassing the men who support the plight of Iranian women to change discriminatory laws, and other measures by the government, are aimed at silencing the brave and inspiring women’s movement in Iran.
One would be appalled at the lack of transparency when comparing the status of women in Iran with the statement made by a delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the fifty-second session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women on March 3, 2008. In a three-page statement, the delegation said: “In Islamic Iran, women can be active members of society without neglecting the family. In Iran, women in general are regarded as the center of the family, and hence, the center of society, since society is but the connected parts of family units coming together, and women are its principal trainers.” How one can justify such undignified treatment of and discrimination against women, who are exalted as “the center of society?”
Using the rhetoric of “justice,” “equality,” “rights and democracy,” and the “center of society” is hardly meaningful if such discourse is not supported by action. Western imperialists are using this language to invade and destroy the infrastructures of other nations, under the banner of “democracy and human rights.” Religious extremist transnationally, regardless of whether or not they are in positions of power in Iran, Afghanistan or the FLDS camps in United State, cannot talk of “upholding justice,” “security,” and the “well-being of women and girls” while violating the human rights of women and girls in polygamist, patriarchal power structures.
Iranian women seeking democracy at home and in society are envisioning a world beyond “patriarchal bargaining,” and will strive to make structural changes to outdated patriarchal family laws. They will do so by relying only on the women’s movement and the support of broader social movements, not by collaborating with forces that use the rhetoric of “human rights” to further their political agenda.
Source:iran-women-solidarity.net/spip.php?article430
Natasha,
You said: you just Assume one, that I carry pictures of Mao
I say: I was only being metaphorical.
I'm sorry that I assume you "blame America". It sounds like it when you say that right wingers want to ignore that slavery is an inherent part of the capitalist system.
Or, was that not your point?
Do you agree with me that a disproportionate amount of jobs in this world are the result of America buying up services, products and resources?
By the way, Natasha, I don't think you are a Maoist. I think you said you are a follower of Trotsky. Isn't that right?
Damien said...
«This is yet another reason why Judeo Christian, western culture is Superior to Arab Islamic culture. This is legalized pedophilia, anyone who cares about children should be horrified by this.»
I agree with you.
Natasha,
“Brevity is a great charm of eloquence”
Ever heard that? You have mental diarrhea.
Make your point and move on.
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