Abdul Rahman Vs. The Women Of Afghanistan

You know, I’ve been thinking the last couple of days about Abdul Rahman, the Afghan man who converted to Christianity from Islam. The Muslims in Afghanistan, that country we freed from the restrictive Taliban, want to kill him for this “crime” against Islam.

Apparently, while we were cheering about all of those changes we brought to the country, no one was paying attention to the fact that there weren’t any real changes being brought to the country. We ousted the Taliban and we’ve had those nifty elections where we forced the Afghan men to let the Afghan women vote for our PR cameras, but as I’ve written here before, almost nothing has changed for women in Afghanistan — they still have to wear burqu, they are still held hostage in their own homes, they still find it next to impossible to get a divorce, even from an abusive husband, etc.

The fact is that the Afghan people built their Constitution on Islamic law. Imagine that. So much for Freedom and Democracy being on the march.

But what really got me thinking about Abdul Rahman is the outcry on both the right and the left. I mean, I’m glad that we could come together on this and join in the outrage over a man’s right to practice his religion of choice, but it pisses me off to no end that there’s no outcry over the fact that the women of Afghanistan still aren’t free after four years after President Bush told us, “The mothers and daughters of Afghanistan were captives in their own homes, forbidden from working or going to school – today women are free.” They aren’t free! Where is Michelle Malkin’s outcry posts and articles over their rights? Where is the pressure from the leaders of the world’s nations to release the women imprisoned for running away from their abusive husbands? Where is President Bush’s condemnation over their loss of freedom?

Why is Abdul Rahman so much more important than all the women in Afghanistan?

tags: Abdul Rahman, Afghanistan, Women's Rights, George W. Bush

3 comments

1. on March 28, 2006 at 10:07 pm

   Big Dog said:

   While I admit things are not 100% for women there, mostly in very rural areas, things are better than you report, at least according to Afghanistan online.

   Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, many would agree that the political and cultural position of Afghan women has improved substantially. The recently adopted Afghan constitution states that “the citizens of Afghanistan - whether man or woman- have equal rights and duties before the law”. So far, women have been allowed to return back to work, the government no longer forces them to wear the all covering burqa, and they even have been appointed to prominent positions in the government. Despite all these changes many challenges still remain. The repression of women is still prevalent in rural areas where many families still restrict their own mothers, daughters, wives and sisters from participation in public life. They are still forced into marriages and denied a basic education. Numerous school for girls have been burned down and little girls have even been poisoned to death for daring to go to school.

   Not bad but not the best it could be. Thousands of years of oppression will take a bit of time.

2. on March 28, 2006 at 10:08 pm

   Big Dog said:

   Forgot the link:

   Afghanistan Online

3. on March 28, 2006 at 10:08 pm

   Big Dog said:

   here, you cut an paste, I messed something up….
   http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/

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