- For European bankers, it's a war for Libya's Gold. For
oil corporations, it's a war for Cheap Crude (now threatening to destroy
Libya's oil infrastructure, just like Iraq). But for Libya's women, it's
a fierce, knock down battle over the Abaya- an Islamic style of dress that
critics say deprives women of self-expression and identity.
-
- Hillary Clinton and President Sarkozy might loath to
admit it, but the desire to turn back the clock on women rights in Libya
constitutes one of the chief goals for NATO Rebels on the Transitional
Council.
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- For NATO Rebels-who are overwhelmingly pro-Islamist,
regardless of NATO propaganda (see www.obamaslibya.com) - it's a matter
of restoring social obedience to Islamic doctrine. However the abaya is
more than a symbol of virtue and womanly modesty. It would usher in a full
conservative doctrine, impacting women's rights in marriage and divorce,
the rights to delay childbirth to pursue education and employment-all the
factors that determine a woman's status of independence.
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- That makes this one War Libya's women cannot afford to
lose. For those of us who support Islamic modernity, there are good arguments
that Gadhaffi would be grossly irresponsible to hand over power to a vacuum
dominated by NATO Rebels. Given the savagery of their abuses against the
Libyan people (www.obamaslibya.com) -and the Rebel's agenda to reinstate
Shariah and retract women's rights, Gadhaffi has an obligation to stand
strong and block them for the protection of the people.
-
- Indeed, it's somewhat baffling that France or Italy would
want to hand power to Rebels, outside of an election scenario. Elections
would be a safeguard that would empower Libyan women to launch a leadership
alternative that rejects the Abaya. That's exactly what the Rebels fear,
and it accounts for their deep, abiding rejection of the election process.
Democracy poses a real threat to NATO's vision of the "New Libya."
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- The abaya carries so much weight in the battle for Islamic
modernity that Gadhaffi pretty much banned Islamic dress from the first
days of his government. Getting rid of the abaya was part of Gadhaffi's
larger reform package supporting women's rights-one of the best and most
advanced in the entire Arab world. The transformation of women's status
has been so great that the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran imposed a fatwa against
Gadhaffi years ago, declaring his government blasphemous to Islamic traditions.
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- To gain insider perspective on Gadhaffi's reforms for
women, members of a fact-finding delegation in Libya spoke with Najat ElMadani,
chairwoman of the Libyan Society for Culture and Sciences, an NGO started
in 1994. They also interviewed Sheikh Khaled Tentoush, one the most prominent
Imams in Libya. Imam Tentoush has survived two NATO assassination attempts,
one that was particularly revealing.
-
- Tentoush said that he and 12 other progressive Imams
were traveling to Benghazi to discuss a peaceful end to the conflict. They
stopped for tea at a guest house in Brega--- and NATO dropped a bomb right
on top of them, killing 11 of the 13 Imams, who had embraced Islamic reforms
that empower women's rights and modernity.
-
- There were no military installations or Gadhaffi soldiers
anywhere nearby that would have justified NATO bombing. This was a deliberate
assassination of Islamic leaders who give religious legitimacy to Gadhaffi's
modernist policies, and therefore pose a great threat to the conservative
ambitions of Islamic Rebels. NATO killed them off.
-
- What's got radical Islamists so upset in Libya? Here's
a primer on women's rights under Gadhaffi:
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- No Male Chaperones in Libya
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- In Libya, women are allowed to move about the city, go
shopping or visit friends without a male escort. Unbelievable as it sounds,
throughout most of the Arab world, such freedoms are strictly forbidden.
In much of Pakistan, for example, a 5 year old male child would be considered
a suitable chaperone for an adult woman in the marketplace. Otherwise she'd
better stay home. In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, women are frequently
locked in their apartments while their husbands, brothers or fathers go
off to work. Yes, there are exceptions. Some families individually reject
these practices. However, before readers protest this characterization,
you must be honest and acknowledge that the Taliban in Afghanistan and
the Saudis/Kuwaitis aren't the only groups that constrain women's freedoms
in the Arab world. This is common social behavior throughout large swaths
of Arab society.
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- In Libya, women are never locked in their homes, while
their husbands, fathers and brothers go to work. Gadhaffi forbids restricting
women's mobility.
-
- In Libya, women have full legal rights to drive cars-unlike
their sisters in Saudi Arabia. In a lot of Arab countries, a woman's husband
holds her passport. So she cannot travel outside of the country without
his approval.
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- Marriage Rights
-
- Tragically, in Kabul, Afghanistan, a young woman can
be locked in Prison for rejecting her father's choice of husband. Until
she changes her mind, her prospective mother in law visits the prison every
day, demanding to know why her son is not "good enough" for this
girl. Why does she disobey those who know what's best for her? That poor
woman stays locked up in Kabul prison until she changes her mind. And it
happens right under the noses of American and NATO soldiers. A NATO Occupation
won't protect Libyan women, either.
-
- All over the Arab world-from Yemen to Jordan to Saudi
Arabia to Iran- fathers and brothers decide what age a young woman will
be given away in marriage, usually as soon as she hits puberty- She has
no choice in the most important decision of her life. Frequently a young
girl gets married off to one of her father's adult friends or a cousin.
Throughout the Arab world, it's socially acceptable for a shopkeeper to
ask a young Muslim girl if she has started to menstruate. A good Islamic
girl is expected to answer truthfully.
-
- Not in Libya. To his greatest credit, bucking all Islamic
traditions-from the first days of government, Gadhaffi said No Way to forced
marriages. Libyan woman have the right to choose their own husbands. They
are encouraged to seek love marriages. Under strict Libyan law, without
exception no person can force a Libyan woman to marry any man for any reason.
-
- Forced marriages have been such a problem throughout
the Arab world, that in Libya, an Imam always calls on the woman if there
is an impending marriage. The Imam meets with her privately, and asks if
any person is forcing her to marry, or if there's any reason she's marrying
this person other than her desire to be with this man. Both Najat and
Imam Tentoush were very adamant on these points.
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- In Libya, the Imams are expected to protect the woman
from abuse by relatives.
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- Right to End a Marriage
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- Divorce is brutally difficult for a woman throughout
the Arab world. A husband can beat or rape his wife, or commit adultery
or lock her in a room like a prison. No matter what a woman suffers, as
a wife she has no legal rights to leave that marriage, even for her own
protection. When her father negotiates that marriage contract, she's stuck
for life. A man can divorce a woman in front of two witnesses by repeating
three times: "I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you." He
can text that message on a cell phone, and it's over. The woman has no
reciprocal freedom. She's stuck in that marriage until her husband lets
her go.
-
- Not so in Libya. A Libyan woman can leave a marriage
anytime she chooses. A woman simply files for divorce and goes on with
her life. It is very similar to U.S. laws, in that a man has no power
to stop her. It's completely within her control to initiate a divorce.
-
- In Libya, if a woman enters a marriage with her own assets
and the marriage ends, her husband cannot touch her assets. The same is
true of the man's assets. Joint assets usually go to the woman.
-
- These "abnormal" marriage rights stir deep
anger among conservative Libyan men. Rebels particularly hate Gadhaffi's
government for granting marriage rights to women.
- But consider how delaying marriage impacts women's opportunities
in society.
-
-
- Delayed marriage means delayed childbirth, which empowers
young women to continue education and gain employment. Not surprisingly
then, Libyan women enjoy some of the best opportunities in the Arab world.
That might also cause simmering resentments among conservative Libyan men.
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- Education of Libyan Women
-
- In Libya more women take advantage of higher education
than men, according to Najat. There are professional women in every walk
of life. Many Libyan women are scientists, university professors, lawyers,
doctors, government employees, journalists and business women. Najat attributes
that freedom and the range of choices to Gadhaffi, and his government's
insistence that women must be free to choose their lives and be fully supported
in those choices. Najat and Tentoush said that some Imams in Libya would
like it to be otherwise-especially those Imams favoring the Rebels- but
Gadhaffi has always over ruled them. For example there are many women soldiers,
and they are very strong and fully capable of contributing to the military
defense of the country.
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- Women receive education scholarships equal to the men's.
All Libyans can go abroad and study if they so desire- paid for by Gadhaffi's
government. Single women usually take a brother or male relative with them,
and Najat said all expenses are covered for both the woman and her companion.
-
- In Libya, women are not required to seek a husband's
permission to hold a job, and any type of job is available to her. In contrast,
many employment opportunities are proscribed in many other Arab countries,
because work puts women in daily proximity to men who are not their husbands.
That eliminates many types of job opportunities.
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- Bashing Women's Rights
-
- These are some of the reasons why Rebels consider Gadhaffi
an "infidel." They frequently express a desire to reinstate the
Shariah. It's an open secret in Arab circles. In ignoring this point, NATO
resembles the three monkeys. See no truth. Hear no truth. Speak no truth.
But the Arab community understands this dynamic. Rebels are going to pat
Hillary Clinton and Sarkozy on the head right up until they capture power.
Then they're going to do exactly what they started out to do. Reinstate
Islamic law-under the protection of the United States and NATO governments.
Conservative social codes will be enforced just like Afghanistan.
-
- Libyans understand this point, even if Americans and
Europeans are lost in denial.
- It should surprise no one, therefore, that some of Gadhaffi's
greatest support comes from Libyan women. Nor should it surprise Libya
watchers that Gadhaffi's not exactly "clinging to power" as the
corporate media likes to suggest. Quite the contrary, Gadhaffi's support
has skyrocketed to 80 or 85 percent during this crisis. President Obama,
Sarkozy and Bersculoni would be thrilled to enjoy such intense popular
support.
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- NATO bombing has backfired and alienated the Libyan people
from the Rebel cause, destroying community infrastructure that Libyans
are truly proud of. Rebels are chasing pro-Gaddhaffi families out of Benghazi,
a sort of political cleansing. But they have no street credibility that
would give them power in negotiations with other Libyans, because losers
don't get to dictate the terms. NATO can propagandize until Sarkozy falls
over in a fit, but the people have resoundingly rejected these Rebels.
-
- NATO is pushing a political resolution, because Europe
wants off the merry-go-round. In truth, the music is getting uglier every
day. NATO never should have jumped on this bandwagon in the first place.
There's no sense to it. They're fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and embracing
Al Qaeda and conservative Islam in Benghazi.
-
-
- Those of us who support Islamic modernity should be relieved
that Libya's people are smarter and savvier than NATO bureaucrats. And
we should all say a prayer that Gadhaffi holds on.
-
- ####
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- (This article may be republished in full or part with
attribution to the author.)
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- As a U.S. Asset, Susan Lindauer covered Libya and
Iraq at the United Nations from 1995 to 2003, and started negotiations
for the Lockerbie Trial. Lindauer is the author of "Extreme Prejudice:
The Terrifying Story of the Patriot Act and the Cover Ups of 9/11 and Iraq."
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