Afghan women praise Karzai's female cabinet picks

[NJmaverick]

KABUL - Afghan women’s activists praised President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday for nominating a record three women to his cabinet, and said it was now less likely that women’s rights would be hurt by negotiations with the Taliban.

Two-thirds of ministers originally proposed by Karzai for his new cabinet were rejected by parliament last month, forcing him to re-write his list, which now contains three female nominees.

Almost two months after Karzai’s inauguration following an election marred by fraud and widely criticised by the West, Afghans are still waiting to find out who will run their country.

Leading women’s rights activists are hopeful the female nominees will be approved by parliament this week.

“We are trying to lobby for them and we are hopeful that they will be passed (by parliament),” said Sima Samar, head of Afghanistan’s independent human rights commission who was on a panel of leading Afghan women gathered in Kabul to discuss the presence of more women on Karzai’s new list.

“I hope that men in Afghanistan will show that all the allegations that they are against women’s rights in their country can be removed and they would take action and vote for these women.”

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/January/international_January579.xml§ion=international

This is certainly welcome news, in terms of ensuring woman's rights in this nation.

[asjr]

1. Really good news. I wonder which of the women

held a gun to his back.

[NJmaverick]

2. lol! I suspect the US and Europe might have been pushing him

it's funny how unpopular woman's rights are, here on DU.

[NJmaverick]

3. Who unrecced a victory for women's righsts? Why?

[winyanstaz]

4. K & R,,,,,

Doesn't matter who the little weasel is...I just nullified the un rec and kicked it back up. :)

[NJmaverick]

7. Apparantly that would be "weasel(s)" as your rec for woman's rights

was countered

[winyanstaz]

10. guess we might have some taliban women haters aboard...

shame shame shame on them.

[NJmaverick]

15. So it would seem, or it's simply some freeper with DU accounts

[ieoeja]

9. People opposed to war for any reason.

Any good that may come out of a war undermines their position.

[NJmaverick]

12. True, the people the suffer the black and white thinking of war is bad

have problems when faced with the positives that come out of armed conflicts. Be it the saving of the Jews in Europe or the Chinese at the hands of the Japanese or woman with no rights in Afghanistan. They simply don't want to hear that there can be good things from taking out bad people.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

5. It's great until she gets goddess forbid raped and goes to trial under Sharia law......

[NJmaverick]

6. The Sharia law went with the Taliban

as long as they are kept out of power, Sharia law is not the law of the land.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJmaverick]

11. Well my truth hating friends

What I posted was neither 4 paragraphs or the entire article, and it certainly included the link back to the Mid East publication (which is infinitely better than your UK publication).

Still you keep trying to censor the truth just because it makes you and your position look bad. It's been my experience in the end you will lose, as the truth has a tendency to win out (if given enough time).

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. Know your facts. Karzai signed in Sharia law in March 2009. Link

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/31/karzai-rape/

[NJmaverick]

14. Factually speaking your link doesn't support your assertions

it talks about some poor laws, but it certainly doesn't support the claims you made including Sharia law or that it legalizes rape (at least in the broadest sense of the word). You are also ignoring the FACT that things were infinately worse under the Taliban and could be expected to return to that condition if we follow your plan for the region (which results in the Taliban regaining power).

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. Poor laws? Barbaric and anti-women and this is the government we are supporting.

How can you justify this by saying it's better than under the Taliban? It's like saying that Jack The Ripper was better than Joseph Mengela because Jack The Ripper didn't kill and mutilate as many people.

[NJmaverick]

17. They were not good laws and they certainly were not pro woman's rights

still it's better than the complete lack of rights under the Taliban. I really think, based on your analogy, that you are lacking in a good perspective.

For example, how many woman help positions of power under the Taliban?

Were woman even allowed to be taught to read or write under the Taliban?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. Why are you using past tense on the laws? Not Were but Are!

[NJmaverick]

19. They can still be improved

So they were passed (past tense) but you are right things could be better. I think the cabinet post appointments are a step in the right direction.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

20. Yes, the laws were passed (past tense) but Are In Affect (PRESENT tense). Can be improved?

They should be ABOLISHED! Why don't you express outrage at their stone age mentality? Instead, you gently chide their behavior.

Placing a token woman in the cabinet might look good, but frankly, isn't worth anything to me until there is true equality.