Wehrt Euch!!
The Independent reports:
"Across Iraq, a bloody and relentless oppression of women has taken hold. Many women had their heads shaved for refusing to wear a scarf or have been stoned in the street for wearing make-up. Others have been kidnapped and murdered for crimes that are being labelled simply as "inappropriate behaviour". The insurrection against the fragile and barely functioning state has left the country prey to extremists whose notion of freedom does not extend to women.
In the British-occupied south, where Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army retains a stranglehold, women insist the situation is at its worst. Here they are forced to live behind closed doors only to emerge, concealed behind scarves, hidden behind husbands and fathers. Even wearing a pair of trousers is considered an act of defiance, punishable by death.
One Basra woman, known only as Dr Kefaya, was working in the women and children's hospital unit at the city university when she started receiving threats from extremists. She defied them. Then, one day a man walked into the building and murdered her."
Ok, so in the West we have a bunch of women more interested in local politics (the removal of Boosh) than the crisis facing Iraqi women. It does not say a lot of good about Western women that the impending return to chatteldom of their Iraqi sisters barely makes it to their mind's eye.
WOMEN!!! We are watching a slow descent into barbarism! What use was the suffrage movement if all you care about is your own miserable asses here? Get your nails done, remove Boosh and elect Hillary/Gore/Kerry. Has half of the western world gone insane? I can understand that the average Joe might be less than impressed with the plight of women in the Islamic world, even though I deplore the lack of foresight on their parts. But you women ... WAKE UP.
The European women are even less able to account for their failure to stand against radical Islam. Instead, their elected governments appease the Middle Eastern tyrants, and then sell them weapons and technical support. Billions worth. America bad! Well they have some news coming: Muslims will be in the majority in some European countries very soon. That is not good for women's rights. Not good at all. If we just shut the door on the Middle East and hope all will be well, we are doing the 1932/1936 dance all over again. Chamberlain was a hero in 1938 and Churchill a villain. Ahmadinejad is not joking. Behind that shut door a more virulent form of Islam will breed only to spew forth in the Great Jihad against our way of life.
Some western women might have forgotten the Taliban: walk in front of your son (let alone your dad or husband) and get your knees whacked. Smile at a joke and get your teeth knocked out (don't even think of nagging -- unless you like pain). Forget your headscarf, get a shaved head. Show too much ankle, get your ankles beaten by dudes you have never even seen before. Too flashy, then you are a slut sent by Satan to tempt righteous men and deserve to be beaten or raped. Of course, then you need to be killed by your family to preserve its honor. Your husband tired of you? "I divorce thee" (times three) and the deed is done. No, alimony, no custody, no house, no car, nothing. Nada. You return to your father's house for a lifetime of servitude, or learn to beg on street corners.
What is wrong with people that they are ready to shut the door on this? This is not a new phenomenon: the Barbary Pirates were appeased by the Europeans -- the money going to the Bey who expressed the desire to lead a glorious Islamic army against the infidel. Who eventually led a navy against them? The United States found it necessary to establish a navy to send against them. Islam created the first US Navy by force of necessity. The Europeans? Estimates are that between 10 and 20% of national budgets went to pay off the Bey and other Muslim warlords to leave them in peace. Sound familiar? President John Adams signed into law the treaty with the Bey of Algiers in 1797. The Europeans? Nowhere to be seen. Eventually, of course, the English came to the see the same necessity, but the French? Distressingly familiar. Ultimately the Bey of Tripoli declared war against the US in 1801, only to sign a treaty agreeing to no further "tribute" payments and free passage to American shipping in 1805. His flagship "Tripoli" was captured and disarmed by the US sloop Enterprise -- with no US casualties. During that time the Brits were busy kicking French and Spain heine at Trafalgar. Hmmmmm. Still familiar.
"Across Iraq, a bloody and relentless oppression of women has taken hold. Many women had their heads shaved for refusing to wear a scarf or have been stoned in the street for wearing make-up. Others have been kidnapped and murdered for crimes that are being labelled simply as "inappropriate behaviour". The insurrection against the fragile and barely functioning state has left the country prey to extremists whose notion of freedom does not extend to women.
In the British-occupied south, where Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army retains a stranglehold, women insist the situation is at its worst. Here they are forced to live behind closed doors only to emerge, concealed behind scarves, hidden behind husbands and fathers. Even wearing a pair of trousers is considered an act of defiance, punishable by death.
One Basra woman, known only as Dr Kefaya, was working in the women and children's hospital unit at the city university when she started receiving threats from extremists. She defied them. Then, one day a man walked into the building and murdered her."
Ok, so in the West we have a bunch of women more interested in local politics (the removal of Boosh) than the crisis facing Iraqi women. It does not say a lot of good about Western women that the impending return to chatteldom of their Iraqi sisters barely makes it to their mind's eye.
WOMEN!!! We are watching a slow descent into barbarism! What use was the suffrage movement if all you care about is your own miserable asses here? Get your nails done, remove Boosh and elect Hillary/Gore/Kerry. Has half of the western world gone insane? I can understand that the average Joe might be less than impressed with the plight of women in the Islamic world, even though I deplore the lack of foresight on their parts. But you women ... WAKE UP.
The European women are even less able to account for their failure to stand against radical Islam. Instead, their elected governments appease the Middle Eastern tyrants, and then sell them weapons and technical support. Billions worth. America bad! Well they have some news coming: Muslims will be in the majority in some European countries very soon. That is not good for women's rights. Not good at all. If we just shut the door on the Middle East and hope all will be well, we are doing the 1932/1936 dance all over again. Chamberlain was a hero in 1938 and Churchill a villain. Ahmadinejad is not joking. Behind that shut door a more virulent form of Islam will breed only to spew forth in the Great Jihad against our way of life.
Some western women might have forgotten the Taliban: walk in front of your son (let alone your dad or husband) and get your knees whacked. Smile at a joke and get your teeth knocked out (don't even think of nagging -- unless you like pain). Forget your headscarf, get a shaved head. Show too much ankle, get your ankles beaten by dudes you have never even seen before. Too flashy, then you are a slut sent by Satan to tempt righteous men and deserve to be beaten or raped. Of course, then you need to be killed by your family to preserve its honor. Your husband tired of you? "I divorce thee" (times three) and the deed is done. No, alimony, no custody, no house, no car, nothing. Nada. You return to your father's house for a lifetime of servitude, or learn to beg on street corners.
What is wrong with people that they are ready to shut the door on this? This is not a new phenomenon: the Barbary Pirates were appeased by the Europeans -- the money going to the Bey who expressed the desire to lead a glorious Islamic army against the infidel. Who eventually led a navy against them? The United States found it necessary to establish a navy to send against them. Islam created the first US Navy by force of necessity. The Europeans? Estimates are that between 10 and 20% of national budgets went to pay off the Bey and other Muslim warlords to leave them in peace. Sound familiar? President John Adams signed into law the treaty with the Bey of Algiers in 1797. The Europeans? Nowhere to be seen. Eventually, of course, the English came to the see the same necessity, but the French? Distressingly familiar. Ultimately the Bey of Tripoli declared war against the US in 1801, only to sign a treaty agreeing to no further "tribute" payments and free passage to American shipping in 1805. His flagship "Tripoli" was captured and disarmed by the US sloop Enterprise -- with no US casualties. During that time the Brits were busy kicking French and Spain heine at Trafalgar. Hmmmmm. Still familiar.
posted by Zaphod at Wednesday, June 07, 2006
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