Women's rights in Afghanistan and the Afghan man?
346166
It is hypocritical i agree. it is condemnable to give capital punishment for conversion and i support their stand who were keeping tab on a 16 year old case of conversion. but I doubt if that man would have been in jail for conversion to any non christian relegion would it have attracted so much concern? \n\nmost of the organization in Afganistam  are looking out for their interests. the type of humanists you are looking for are not many and those who claim to be one do not go at such places where monetary benfits are absent and risk to their life is many fold.
653993
Girl..im proud of you! and for the person down below about not a wearing a viel in afghanistan and women voting...all these aspects are becasue of the EXTREMIST GOVERNMENTS in these countries and not because of Islam...Why dont you look at UAE. UAE is a muslim country with Churches, Temples and muslims arent FORCED to wear a Viel either. There are women in government positions eg Sheikha Lubna. The things happening in Pakistan like honour killing are not justifiable by Islam and are Wrong!!! Islam does not encourage this kind of behaviour.
50438
Can't believe the answers some people post in this place.\nLet me try to explain something to every reader here: DEMOCRACY DOES NOT EQUAL CIVILIZATION.\nI've heard so many Americans say "oh my God, those people in the middle east are savages, they don't even have a Democracy!!!!". Just can't believe it...\nWe're talking about a culture that has sustained itself through the millenia without democracy, and pretty well I shall say. What happened then that we read about them in the papers every day? WE CAME IN. Americans came in. Europeans came in. We're just trying soooo hard to get their culture like ours, selling them everything they "have to" consume, forcing them to follow our examples.\n\nI remember when the war in Afghanistan started, several major TV networks decided to make a drama scene about "women in Afghanistan", remember that? I actually heard a spokeswoman saying "it brutal how they treat women, not allowing them to expose their bodies. They are complete savages!".\n2 months later there was a video response from some women in Afghanistan, trying to explain to us, stupid close minded Americans, that that's how they lived, and that they were ok with it!\nMiddle East cultures, if you've read any of the Corahn, have a great respect of women. They do not abuse them, that only happens in "civilized" countries like ours.\n\nYes, we are forcing them to accept democracy and to accept the westernized way of life. It's really sad actually, if this keeps on there will be no variety at all in the way people think. Not until we all think like Americans.\n\nAnd the answers in this and other questions throughout this site is just a proof of how close minded we can be.
1178465
From one who was there, and lost all his men, and lived to tell, you are very welcome. I was in Afghanistan in 2002. 19 yrs old. We had and are still having a hell of a time over there. We(the armed forces) need all the support we can get. On another note though, If I had the choice to go and fight knowing what would happen all over again, I would go in a heart beat. No thanks necceccary. We are just doing our job. (Semper Fi!)
182034
Depends on power you give to them or of power you believe in them. Also, it depends of the way you read and interpret the Bible or Koran. But speaking of today's conflicts, seems that these are not about Jesus or Mohamed, but about people who decided to get involved in it and refuse to resolve it in a political way. And, I agree with reichman2007: both care about men. But who cares about women?
945445
Yes, but not as they did: justifying the move on security grounds. I would do it based on equal rights. \n\nIn a democratic country no woman (or man) should be treated in a way that violates her right to be free (even if she is used to deny herself).
323294
Well, I can tell you that I know first hand.. prior to being deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq soldiers were briefed on the extremely prevalence of homosexuality in those countries.. particularly in Afghanistan where the Taliban's rule was so strict about mingling with women and such.. as you described in your question.  This is a huge secret kept from the American people because we might OFFEND our precious Muslim allies should this information get out.  Soldiers were literally ORDERED not to talk about such information with the public.  However, I am serious as a heart attack.  Especially in Afghanistan, but all throughout the strict Muslim world, it is not at all uncommon that men will have sex with men for pleasure.  There is usually no love involved, and I'm sure that Akmed would behead you if you called him gay, but it is extremely prevalent and is often considered acceptable or natural.  The women in those societies are strictly off limits, even the wives (except for reproduction purposes).  One of the biggest problems our soldiers encountered on the ground in Afghanistan was the super high AIDS/HIV rate of the common people, particularly in men.  Furthermore, I know first hand that one of the most difficult things for United States soldiers running those prisons was to keep the Muslim men from having sex with one another all the time.  Our medical troops would test and label who was and who was not HIV positive, only to test a few weeks later and have new cases within the prisons.  It was hell trying to keep the right people separated from one another because of room constraints and the fact that they wouldn't keep their hands off of each other behind closed doors.  Another issue was that terrorists would recruit young boys to fight the coalition forces, and after liberated, there was strong evidence that many of the young boys had been sleeping with and having sex with their elder captors, as a sort of friendship or loyalty thing.  Of course, in reality it mounted to child rape.  It was--and I am sure still is-- a disgusting phenomena within those countries.  I'm sure you've all seen the Iraq prison torture pictures with all the naked Muslim men performing sex acts.. it got the US in big trouble last year... well I sometimes wondered how "uncomfortable" some of those men were.  Furthermore, hasn't Bin Laden been hanging out in a cave for years now with only a bunch of male lieutenants and man servants as companions?  Also, haven't you noticed how every single time a video surfaces from one of the terrorists leaders our CIA issues a statement about that person's apparent health, which usually includes liver problems, obvious nerve damage etc.  I don't think they are chugging corn whiskey or sipping acid in the desert, so liver and organ problems no doubt points to Hepatitis-C, syphilis, or other STDs.  Check out some of the articles compiled on the sites below if you are still skeptical after reading this!
10959
I'm also in the military...The Isrealis tested the concept of women in combat... It failed. Not because women were incapable. Just the opposite in fact. Women were wounded in battle just like their male counterparts. However, male troops feared what would happen to female wounded if captured by the enemy so much that they jeopardized themselves and the mission in order to protect and save dead and severly wounded female soldiers.
88615
belief in women’s rights: belief in the need to secure, or a commitment to securing, rights and opportunities for women equal to those of men
468118
Try contacting the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Secretariat/Punjab chapter. They may forward it to her. Mail to hrcp@hrcp-web.org.
862370
It just follows the pattern of the sick islamic society--- they punish and hold down the very sex who was chosen to bear all their race. They take away the rights of women. They ALWAYS look for a reason to blame the women. I am by no means a feminist. I have oserved this for a very long time. \nI wonder sometimes if the men of the country feel threatened by women??? I respect my husband, he is the head of the household OUT OF RESPECT not out of fear. These men will NEVER know this feeling. That poor woman was abused again by the very system that should have protected her. I do not think ther "religion" is so great if all it teaches is to dominate through fear.
157413
if "women rights" in your opinion is when a woman gets money for showing her body as a tool for advertisment and being so cheap ... then no, we muslims have no women rights\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUNLESS you mean women right to go work in a safe working condition and having the right to vote then yes we have women rights since 1400 yrs ago up to this minute.\n\n\n\nabout the retards husbands that treats their wives badly we can find those retards in any religon and not only Islam.\n\n\n\n\n\nProphet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: "Treat women well and be kind to them; they are your partners and committed helpers\n\n\n\n\nProphet Muhammad(PBUH) said: "Only an honorable man treat women with honor and integrity. And only a mean, deceitful and dishonest man humiliates and insults women." Referring to physical abuse, he added: "Never hit your wives, they are your partners and sincere helpers." He exemplified this by never, ever, hitting a women or child. The Prophet guaranteed protection of the life, honor, and property of women.
458438
cyanne is right. Theoretically, there can be no oppresion. In practice, women are very badly abused in Muslim societies. You should read this article from the International Herald Tribune which is about women in general, not only in Islam. (The IHT is published outside the US by the New York Times. This article may or may not have also appeared in the NYT.)\nhttp://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/24/opinion/edali.php
187994
While not technically in the Middle East, Pakistan had a female leader in the 90s for a few years.\n\nSaudi Arabia just started allowing elecions at the local level last year and is slowly moving to the modern world as elections take hold.  \n\nIraq has a few female members of its Parliment.  Kuwait also has a growing call for female leaders.\n\nIt will probably take another generation before we see widspread representation of women in official positions in the M.E..  Onless we allow the Whabahhists (sp) to take over, then there will be no women in power.
297056
Women getting the same rights as men.
641599
"ALLOWED", No man allows me to do something it is my choice I am NOT own by any man not my Husband, Father, Brother or so on. Understand in alot of countries women have a mind of their own.
316647
HERE IS A SURVERY FROM FREEDOM HOUSE THAT SHOULD ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.....\n\n\nMorocco is a country undergoing positive changes towards economic and political liberalization in particular more recently under the leadership of King Mohammad VI who ascended to the throne in 1999. Morocco is a traditional, hereditary monarchy with a limited parliamentary system. NGOs advocating on behalf of women’s rights are generally free to organize, plan conferences, seminars...\n\nNondiscrimination and Access to Justice: \n\nMorocco’s legal system is based on the Maliki School of jurisprudence under Islamic law and the civil law systems of both France and Spain. According to the constitution, women are afforded equal political rights as men however there is no statement of equal civil rights. There are measures taken to advance the status of Moroccan women such as the creation of a ministry responsible just for reviewing the status of women. For Muslim citizens, family courts adjudicate over issues of marriage, divorce, inheritance, child custody, etc. which are partial to men’s rights. In addition, Moroccan women can neither pass on citizenship to foreign-born husbands nor to the children of their foreign-born husbands except under special circumstances. New laws enacted have generally promoted the interests of women under the penal code. Cases of adultery, abuse, violence and are punishable equally for men and women but young women are prosecuted for pregnancy out of wedlock, Witness/testimony of a woman is still not equal to that of a man and while Morocco passed CEDAW, it did adopt reservations to certain articles.\n\nAutonomy, Security and Freedom of the Person: \n\nWhile the majority of people in Morocco are Muslim, there are small Christian and Jewish minorities who are free to practice their religions. Muslims who choose to convert other religions encounter social ostracism and it is unlawful for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim husband. Laws preventing women from traveling independently or obtaining a passport have been repealed however in practice government officials may still request young girls and married women to produce consent from fathers or husbands.\n\nA progressive step towards gender equality within the family was an amendment to the CSP stating that women and men shared joint responsibility over the family and family matters with rights and duties of both spouses without discrimination; raising the marriage age for girls from 15 to 18 years is another example of policies adopted to gradually improve the status of women. Women are now offered the option of consensual divorce and divorce due to irreconcilable differences.\n\nThey are still at a disadvantage in custody cases and the trafficking of young women whether Moroccan or African is a serious problem for the country. Underage employment remains a common element of Moroccan society where young girls between the ages of 10 to 12 are hired as domestic servants although the legal employment age was raised from 12 to 15 in 2002.\n\nWomen continue to suffer from violence and harassment within the family and in public and better measures should be taken to prosecute such offences.\n\nEconomic Rights and Equal Opportunity: \n\nDiscrimination against women in the Moroccan economy is a factor holding back gender equality. A lack of access to equal economic rights is generally more common amongst the rural population than the urbanized segments of society due to lack of literacy and knowledge about rights, however apply to all women when it comes to inheritance laws which still distribute property according to Islamic law. Moroccan women are legally entitled to freely and independently dispose of the incomes they generate and property inherited. Women-owned businesses represent a tiny fraction of female labor participation; those in business tend to rely on personal funds or family capital to start-up and are unwilling or uninformed about access to credit resource