August 26-27 is the day U.S. women took the right to vote

When feminists organized 1972-1985 we used to celebrate women getting the right to vote on Aug 26th or 27th - I cannot remember which now. But as this day draws to a close with no mention of our struggle here in the US, my thoughts go to Iraq. There women are in a fight of grave consequence for equal rights. What happens to them will be a lesson for everyone.

Where are the US people who claim to be feminist?

Feminism does not stop at the border. Women are a caste in the world. An attack on the rights of Muslim women must be answered by free women standing with the women of Iraq. Democracy means equal rights. If we leave a theocracy in Iraq there was no honor in the war.

But there is also no honor in women who claim to be feminists and hope their sisters live in slavery so that they can say "I told you so" to George Bush.

What we all must do now is write by e-mail to the Office on International Women's Issues, Rice at the State Dept. and Rumsfeld at the Defense Dept., demanding that the US civil and military occupation teams mount an open political campaign with the goal of educating and persuading Iraqi to insert an equal rights clause in the constitution and to make the legal system secular and independent of sharia law.

We should be opening regional battered women's shelters as our version of the Muslim madrases. They could serve as a base for civilian resistance to violence.

An open and honest political campaign consists of media, TV is especially important, blogs, televised debates, posters, computer teleconferences (not meetings, to prevent victimization by fascists who want the rule of the knife and bomb instead of the rule of the ballot). We should be funding Iraqi organizations who are campaigning similarly.

The current US ambassador, who was our ambassador to Afghanistan, is not committed to women's rights. He and Karzai accomplished nothing for women to date in Afghanistan except lip service and tokenism. He will not protect women's rights in Iraq.

It is critical that feminists exert pressure on the administration and the office of International Women's Issues in the State Department and Rumsfeld at the Defense Department to fund an open, honest, political campaign for a democratic constitution which includes equal rights for all women and a secular legal code.

U.S. tacticians think losing women's rights at this stage is not critical but it is. If they abandon the ideal of women's rights in order to get a quick but empty victory for good PR, it will bring tragic results in that Iran will be supported in their terrorism by the entire southern half of Iraq. Better to allow the Iraqi to take their time, maybe another 6 months while an education campaign is conducted. This campaign should include televised messages from Congress to the Iraqi people. Lectures on the amendments to the US constitution should be televised, there and here. This could be a time of great education and development for both countries.

American media should be holding televised town meetings between Iraqi women and the early leaders of the feminist movement in the United States. Where is C-Span?

To find the State Dept. Women's Office go to my green column on your right - find the "no justice - no peace" banner. It is a picture of the Taliban jailer shooting a woman - click on it.

For the other links , also on the green column click on the Social Change Moon toward the top of the green column.


FOUND THIS ARTICLE ON THE FRIENDS OF DEMOCRACY WEBSITE___________

Friends of Democracy Sponsors Women’s Rights

by Omar at Iraq the Model

Friends of Democracy held a lecture and a round table discussion about women and the constitution. The main lecturer was Dr. Fawzi Al-Juboori, a law professor and vice dean of the law school at Kirkuk University. The event was attended by representatives of women’s organizations and civil society activists in Kirkuk.

The first part of Dr. Juboori's lecture shed light on the general principles of the constitution and its concepts. After that there was an open discussion for all the participants about the proposed draft of the constitution. The women participants expressed disappointment with some clauses of the draft.

The Personal Affairs Law’s undermining of women's rights was a hot topic. So were the issues of a woman’s freedom to travel without a sibling male escort, “honor killings,” and the rights of women to assume high posts in government. The participants also condemned the suggestion to call Iraq an Islamic country.

At the end of the event, the participations signed a document that included their demands and suggestions.
Friends of Democracy will submit that document to the Constitution Drafting Committee.