This
article is published on 15/08/2005 in The Independent
Houzan Mahmoud: Iraq must reject a
constitution that enslaves women
Islamic terrorism is killing and injuring Iraqi
women daily, employing, among other weapons, acid attacks
Published: 15 August 2005
Today is the deadline for Iraq's ruling political classes to agree a brand
new "constitution" for the country - but don't be deceived, this is
likely to be nothing but another false dawn for Iraq's women. Much of the
debate over the constitution's main articles has centred on the degree to which
Islam will be the source for future laws in Iraq. This spells disaster for Iraq's women, and represents a cave-in
to the terrorist Islamist groups who are "committing crimes against
humanity" on an almost daily basis, in the words of Amnesty International.
The constitution's drafting committee, like Iraq's legislative assembly, is
dominated by religious, ethnic and tribal figures. Committee members have been
pushing for Islamic Sharia law to be the sole source of the constitution and
there is strong resistance to the incorporation of any human rights standards
that are seen as usurping Islamic legal supremacy.
By all accounts, the finished document is going to reflect the growing
forced Islamisization of Iraqi life, as the poison of Islamic groups spreads
into the mainstream. Supposedly moderate politicians are disastrously
disinclined to challenge the increasingly powerful Islamist factions that now
hold sway in almost every quarter of post-occupation Iraq.
Whether Sunni or Shia; in the current government or in opposition;
affiliated directly to al-Qa'ida or to the Jordanian fanatic Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, or are former Baathists who "freelance" as so-called
"resistance fighters", what unites Iraq's armed Islamists is a fierce
hatred of women that rivals their hatred for US and British
"invaders", foreign "infidels" and other assorted enemies.
Across the country, a steady clampdown on women's rights has been going
unreported and unchecked by the government. Islamic terrorism is killing and
injuring Iraqi women daily, employing among other weapons, acid attacks.
My women's rights group, the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, has been documenting part of the
upsurge in violence against women. In March this year, for example, followers
of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr targeted an outing of students from Basra University. Playing football and listening
to music, the mixed group was attacked in Basra Public Park. One male student was killed
trying to defend his female friends against Islamists who literally tore the
women's clothes off their bodies. Sadr's men photographed the dishevelled,
half-dressed women, and told them that their parents would receive the photos
if they didn't refrain in future from "immoral" behaviour.
More widely, professional women have been deliberately targeted and killed
- notably in the city of Mosul - and, recently, anti-women
Islamists in Baghdad have taken to throwing acid in women's faces
and on to their uncovered legs.
So-called "honour killings" are rife, as is the kidnapping and
rape of women. Beheadings have occurred and women have been sold into sexual
servitude. When I was in Baghdad a few months ago, I couldn't go
anywhere without a bodyguard. The sense of danger and threat was tangible.
Islamist repression against women is a campaign of "moral"
terror. Leaflets, graffiti and verbal warnings in their thousands warn women
against going out unveiled, against putting on make-up, and against shaking
hands or mixing with men. Female doctors have been prevented from treating male
patients, and male doctors warned not to attend to women.
This is a recipe for future gender enslavement, second-class citizenship
and ignorance. Thousands of female university students have now given up their
studies to protect themselves against Islamist threats.
Islamist hostility is contagious and echoed daily in high-level political
debate. Currently there is a drive over the "right" of men to have
four wives, to make divorce a male preserve and for custody of children to be
given to men only. Even women on Iraq's National Assembly - the
country's parliament - have been calling for resolutions to allow for the
beating of women by their guardians (males relatives, such as husbands or
fathers).
This is all the outcome of the occupation of Iraq. This has been pursued under the
name of liberation, but what we actually see is women
increasingly losing their freedom, while political Islamists feel free to
terrorise them. The Islamicists pour into this invaded, so-called Muslim land
in order, they say, to liberate it; but in reality, neither the US nor the Islamists are our
liberators. They both really fight for power and influence in Iraq and in the region.
The January so-called election and today's constitution are all part of
the same procedure, which is to legitimate the current installed government in Iraq. It is only in an atmosphere of
occupation and terror, they can push their reactionary
ideas forward.
The constitution is set to add to a growing fearfulness among Iraqi women,
as their rights are passed over or signed away to Islamists hostile to Iraq's entire female population. Women
in Iraq face being dragged back into the dark ages.
We need to stop this tragedy before it's too late. A constitution based on
enslaving women, religious sectarianism, and tribalism must be rejected.
The writer is the UK Head of the Organisation of Women's Freedom
in Iraq and co-founder of the Iraq Freedom Congress
houzan73@ yahoo.co.uk
Today is the deadline for Iraq's
ruling political classes to agree a brand new "constitution" for the
country - but don't be deceived, this is likely to be nothing but another false
dawn for Iraq's women. Much of the debate over the constitution's main articles
has centred on the degree to which Islam will be the source for future laws in Iraq.
This spells disaster for Iraq's
women, and represents a cave-in to the terrorist Islamist groups who are
"committing crimes against humanity" on an almost daily basis, in the
words of Amnesty International.
The constitution's drafting
committee, like Iraq's legislative assembly, is dominated by religious, ethnic and
tribal figures. Committee members have been pushing for Islamic Sharia law to
be the sole source of the constitution and there is strong resistance to the
incorporation of any human rights standards that are seen as usurping Islamic
legal supremacy.
By all accounts, the finished
document is going to reflect the growing forced Islamisization of Iraqi life,
as the poison of Islamic groups spreads into the mainstream. Supposedly
moderate politicians are disastrously disinclined to challenge the increasingly
powerful Islamist factions that now hold sway in almost every quarter of
post-occupation Iraq. Whether Sunni or Shia; in the current
government or in opposition; affiliated directly to al-Qa'ida
or to the Jordanian fanatic Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, or are former Baathists
who "freelance" as so-called "resistance fighters", what
unites Iraq's armed Islamists is a fierce hatred of women that rivals their
hatred for US and British "invaders", foreign "infidels"
and other assorted enemies.
Across the country, a steady
clampdown on women's rights has been going unreported and unchecked by the
government. Islamic terrorism is killing and injuring Iraqi women daily,
employing among other weapons, acid attacks.
My women's rights group, the
Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, has
been documenting part of the upsurge in violence against women. In March this
year, for example, followers of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr targeted an
outing of students from Basra University. Playing football and listening to music, the mixed group was
attacked in Basra Public Park. One male student was killed trying to defend his female friends
against Islamists who literally tore the women's clothes off their bodies. Sadr's men photographed the dishevelled, half-dressed
women, and told them that their parents would receive the photos if they didn't
refrain in future from "immoral" behaviour.
More widely, professional women
have been deliberately targeted and killed - notably in the city of Mosul - and, recently, anti-women Islamists in Baghdad have
taken to throwing acid in women's faces and on to their uncovered legs.So-called "honour killings" are rife, as is
the kidnapping and rape of women. Beheadings have occurred and women have been
sold into sexual servitude. When I was in Baghdad a few
months ago, I couldn't go anywhere without a bodyguard. The sense of danger and
threat was tangible.
Islamist repression against
women is a campaign of "moral" terror. Leaflets, graffiti and verbal
warnings in their thousands warn women against going out unveiled, against
putting on make-up, and against shaking hands or mixing with men. Female doctors
have been prevented from treating male patients, and male
doctors warned not to attend to women.This is
a recipe for future gender enslavement, second-class citizenship and ignorance.
Thousands of female university students have now given up their studies to
protect themselves against Islamist threats.
Islamist hostility is contagious
and echoed daily in high-level political debate. Currently there is a drive
over the "right" of men to have four wives, to make divorce a male
preserve and for custody of children to be given to men only. Even women on Iraq's
National Assembly - the country's parliament - have been calling for
resolutions to allow for the beating of women by their guardians (males
relatives, such as husbands or fathers). This is all the outcome of the
occupation of Iraq. This has been pursued under the name of liberation, but what we
actually see is women increasingly losing their
freedom, while political Islamists feel free to terrorise them. The Islamicists
pour into this invaded, so-called Muslim land in order, they say, to liberate
it; but in reality, neither the US nor
the Islamists are our liberators. They both really fight for power and
influence in Iraq and in the region.
The January so-called election
and today's constitution are all part of the same procedure, which is to
legitimate the current installed government in Iraq. It
is only in an atmosphere of occupation and terror; they can push their
reactionary ideas forward.
The constitution is set to add
to a growing fearfulness among Iraqi women, as their rights are passed over or
signed away to Islamists hostile to Iraq's
entire female population. Women in Iraq face
being dragged back into the dark ages. We need to stop this tragedy before it's
too late. A constitution based on enslaving women, religious sectarianism, and
tribalism must be rejected.
The writer is the UK Head of
the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq and co-founder of the Iraq Freedom
Congress houzan73@ yahoo.co.uk