So Much for Promoting "Freedom"

Wasn't one of the reasons we invaded Afghanistan to stop this sort of crap?

The recently drafted Iraqi Constitution removes protections for women that existed under Saddam Hussein. That's right: women will have fewer rights under the new Iraqi regime than they did under a brutal dictator. Now that's progress. The new constitution restricts gender equality in areas like divorce and inheritance. As a (female) coworker of mind pointed out, this conveniently prevents women in abusive marriages from seeking any recourse.

This is all being done in the name of traditional family values, i.e. religion. One of the dangerous things about the new contitution is that it allows members of a religous sect to regulate the personal lives of its own members. If you are Shia, you fall under Shia law; Sunni, you fall under Sunni law; etc. This is of course a) encourages the ethno-religious tensions in Iraq, and b) does nothing to protect the private rights of its members. Instead of dis-establishing religion, it establishes several sects of Islam. Rather than one grand theocratic tyranny we will have many petty ones.

But what is most gruesome is that we are implicated in this oppression. We put this government into place, and hence we are responsible for what it does. Do you really think that Bush spared the time for one phone call to oppose these provisions? Will the State Department make statements condemning these actions? Of course not. Why? Because the Theocons here at home would do the same thing here if they had the chance.