About that Iraqi constitution ....

[unixronin]

"I applaud them for taking three more days to try to get as much support from the Sunnis as possible," [US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay] Khalilzad told CNN.  He played down concerns about the draft constitution's declaration that Iraq is an Islamic state and that no laws can go against Islamic tenets.  He said the draft also says that no law can be against the principles of democracy and the charter's bill of rights, which includes freedom of religion and forbids discrimination against women and minorities.

Um, wait just a minute here ........... is it just me, or is there a slight problem with consistency in this statement?  Given that Islamic Shari'a law institutionalizes and mandates discrimination against women, how can the new Iraqi constitution both forbid laws that "go against Islamic tenets" AND, simultaneously, forbid discrimination against women and mandate religious freedom?

I suspect this relies upon a highly Shari'a-influenced definition of the phrases "discrimination against women" and "religious freedom."  Unless, of course, any part of this is lies and spin being told to save face for the administration.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Shhhhhhhh! If it gives them an excuse to tell the GI's to buzz off... or gives Dubya an excuse to order them home from the other side of the fence...

I mean, pardon the heck out of me for being a jingoistic son of a bitch, but anything that both hastens the day when all our boys and girls come home for good, and anything that hastens the day when their women rise up and slaughter wholesale the sexist bastards that have ruled the Arab world since Cain slew Abel... well, maybe not anything, but I'm not *too* picky.

They will not LET us fix their problems, because we in our arrogance do not take the time to first understand them. It's best for all of us if we simply leave, taking our money with us, and live and let die.

Yes, the current adminstration is a bunch of flaming hypocrites. Let them be! Besides, if we let them have enough rope, eventually they will hang themselves, and save us the trouble.

[skellington.livejournal.com]

I've read somewhere that there are multiple kinds of Islamic law, and even today people will cherry-pick which one works for them. For example, under some versions, women do inherit a full share. So if you want your daughter to inherit your estate, you declare it under one brand of Islamic law. Etc.

Ugliness, but hey.

[robbat2.livejournal.com]

once in the past I looked into some of it, in relation to a project, and found a huge variance.

On the extremeist-left side, some variants still permit slavery of non-Islamic peoples and total restrictions against women (not even being allowed outside the house except escorted by their husband or his brother[s]).

On the extremeist-right side, there are some variants that are totally against violence in any form (to the point that adherants are vegetarian), and women can 'marry' together (not men, just women, for economic reasons, and they aren't supposed to have lesbian sex [but it is permissible under some circumstances]).

[johnkzin.livejournal.com]

Yup. What it means to be Muslim is as widely varied as what it means to be Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or Pagan.

[nephthys510.livejournal.com]

and it makes me all stabby

and and and I want to hurt someone

IT PISSES ME OFF SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN WRITE A COHERENT SENTENCE.

seriously.