Faiza has a good new English-language post up, containing her reflections on the post-election scene. She is still, like many thousands of Iraqis, hanging around in a neighboring country– in her case, Jordan.
This post is something she wrote last Saturday. The whole post is definitely worth reading. But if you can’t catch the whole thing, at least pay attention to what this wise woman writes about her country’s immediate priorities:
- I think Iraq needs another year, until the picture gets clearer. The new government faces a lot of challenges, like the security file, which is the most important issue that needs to be treated seriously, and logically, then there is the administrational corruption file, and putting logical solutions to stop it from spreading, and thus ruining the country, then there is the issue of writing the new constitution, then, lifting up the broken economy of the country, bringing life back to it, starting building the infrastructure projects of the country, (water, electricity, sewage lines,…), and all other related projects of schools and hospitals, in the far areas deprived of such services. Iraq is in need of a long term building and constructing plan, for tens of years, and is in need of the Iraqi
Being pro-choice, I suppose I have to be pro women’s own choice to wear whatever they like. And I agree with Faiza that these issues should be discussed by women in Arabic societies first and foremost. But, if one of those women sounds off elsewhere, for whatever reason, that should be her right to. It’s unfortunate that Faiza risks having her views quoted by the sort of people who threaten muslim women in the west who speak their own minds.
As i recall, the justification of the ‘need’ for women to veil themselves is to avoid ‘disturbing’ men.
Maybe something similar to ‘girls’ in the us of a being advised not to display ‘too much’ ability in math or science, if they want a ‘boyfriend’?
Helena,
You may want to post a link to Riverbend’s site on this comment page as her last two entries contain eloquent reminders of the other side of the “veil” issue.