Tomorrow Gen. Petraeus is testifying before Congress. With the mainstream media for the most part, and certainly the U.S. media and political leaders having completely forgotten about the deteriorating condition of women's rights in Iraq, and new evidence that the U.S. is SUPPORTING groups that abuse and kill Iraqi women, let's send the Senate committees a message. Below the jump is the contact info for the Sen. Foreign Relations Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and my draft email.
Senator Kerry,
What I am asking of you is simple. With all of the news in Iraq about the surge and U.S. casualties, the treatment of women has been completely forgotten. As Newsweek reported this week, the U.S. is actively helping a group that suppresses women's rights, abuses, and kills Iraqi women.
Tomorrow, when Gen. Petraeus is testifying before your committee, please ask:
"Gen, Petraeus, why is the U.S. supporting groups like the Sahwa who abuse Iraqi women and suppress their rights? What are YOU doing to improve the rights of women in Iraq, as this is key to making real progress in building their democracy?
Please stand up for Iraqi women and show that not everyone in America has forgotten them. Thank you!
From Newsweek:
"Iraqi parliamentarian Samira Musawi worries that the Americans are sacrificing the possibility of a more liberal Iraq by putting too much trust in groups like the Sahwa.
"There is a lot of respect for tribal sheiks, but a lot of them are not educated," she says. As she sees it, the less education they have, the more reactionary their views tend to be, especially on issues like women's rights. The Americans should be more cautious about building up the Sahwa, she says: "There have to be criteria."
...But at present, U.S. forces are too pleased by the sharp drop in jihadist attacks to lose sleep over things like gender issues."
http://www.newsweek.com/...