April 10, 2007
Female Bomber Strikes in Iraq
It's about time women's lib made its mark in Iraq:
A woman with explosives hidden beneath her black abaya detonated them Tuesday in a crowd of about 200 police recruits northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 16 people, police and hospital officials said.
The woman walked into the crowd at the main gate of the Muqdadiyah police station and blew herself up, according to a police officer at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
At least 16 people were killed and 33 wounded in the mostly Sunni Muslim city about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Dr. Abdul Salam al-Jibour at Muqdadiyah General Hospital.
Suicide bombing...it's not just for men anymore! You've come a long way, baby...
Meanwhile, the big guy in Iraq is not looking for a timetable for our withdrawal:
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, on a four-day trip to Japan, said there was no need to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from his country.
"We see no need for a withdrawal timetable. We are working as fast as we can," al-Maliki said. "To demand the departure of the troops is a democratic right and a right we respect. What governs the departure at the end of the day is how confident we are in the handover process."
What counts, he added, are "achievements on the ground."
Too bad that wasn't the headline of this story.
Show Comments »
I'm confused about what you're trying to say by associating the female bomber with "women's lib". Would you clarify? Thanks.
Posted by: Ro at April 10, 2007 05:51 PMI was being a bit snippy there. I guess I find it amazing that feminists have been so quiet about what's goes on not only in Iraq when it comes to women, but in the Middle East in general. Before we entered Afghanistan, there was a lot of discussion about the plight of women under the yoke of the Taliban. But it seems our involvement in Iraq, etc., has silenced much of the criticism of women's status in Islam. Is it because a Republican-led war is more repugnant to them then women who have no rights under Islamic law? Perhaps it's not the most thought-out post I've done, but it was written out of frustration. I was also upset that not more uproar was made about the two children who were used in a car bombing, especially when we hear so much about civilian deaths being caused by our presence.
Of course, the part about al-Maliki's comments being at the bottom of the story...and the fact that most people read headlines and the first paragraph or two...needs no explanation.
Posted by: Pam at April 10, 2007 06:14 PMI suppose I was a bit taken aback by such a comment in reaction to the deaths of 17 people, and the implication that women's rights activists here might in some way find joy in such an occurance. I appreciate that you seem to understand that concern in your reply.
I would also refute that feminists have been quiet about the way women are treated in the Middle East. A quick search reveal many recent articles, although most are more closely related to how the violence in the Middle East affects women and children in particular, which is not so well covered in MSM. After all, the issues that affect women in Iraq and Afghanistan (beyond the war, that is), are issues that are being raised by human rights activists world wide -- reproductive rights, equal employment rights, harassment, sexual and domestic violence, etc.
Posted by: Ro at April 10, 2007 07:49 PM
