We're Now There for the Afghan Women

“Let there be no doubt — even as the US role in Afghanistan changes in the next few years of transition, we will continue to stand with and work closely with Afghan women."

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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed Wednesday never to accept a peace agreement in Afghanistan that rolls back women’s rights, despite reaching out to the Taliban for talks.

  

The Taliban? How about the guy we installed in the presidency?

This week, Karzai endorsed an edict from the Afghan Ulema Council — Afghanistan’s highest Islamic authority — that women are worth less than men and supporting “Sharia-compliant” beatings of women.

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The edict states that “Men are fundamental and women are secondary.” It further demands segregation of men and women and prohibits women “mingling with strange men in various social activities such as education, in bazaars, in offices and other aspects of life.” It also suggests that women should not work or go to university and should wear a “full Islamic hijab.”

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Of course, those low-value, secondary women in our military forces have been fighting to keep Karzai alive so he can sit in his palace and proclaim them to be inferior human beings.

  Jonathan Turley

Afghan women and public interest groups are opposing an effort of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take over all of the shelters for abused and battered women. You may recall Karzai’s earlier feminist agenda when he initially support the legalization of rape. The new move is viewed as a way for the government to satisfy hardliners in blocking access to some women to shelters. The government is also expected to close some shelters entirely.

Not only are many shelters expected to be closed under Karzai’s plan but women will have to be subject to a medical review to be admitted to shelters and will be prevented from leaving the shelters.

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Karzai (who has repeatedly said that he wishes he had supported the Taliban and not the United States) is cracking down on shelters to appease the Taliban and eventually entice them to join his government.

  Jonathan Turley

Oh, and by the way...

In the meantime, human rights groups have issued a report that the situation for women in Iraq is worse since the United States took over the country.