Post #4-Iraq Situation

Iraq Women’s Rights:

http://articles.cnn.com/2007-06-26/world/pysk.mohammed_1_honor-killings-baghdad-morgue-iraqi-women?_s=PM:WORLD

-In 2003 Yanar Mohammed founded the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, to give a voice to women and protect women who are in need

-Iraqi women have enjoyed more freedoms than women in surrounding countries

-However kidnapping, rape and murder of women is on the rise

-Honor Killings=killing of a woman who brought perceived dishonor to her family is also being common

-Mohammad focuses on fighting for equity in wages and for freedoms that women in other nations take for granted: right to not be sold. To not be raped and not be murdered, to not to have to wear a veil

This specific article focused on Yanar Mohammed, a women who tried her best to work on a project that was supposed to help women gain rights. For the women in Iraq, the situation is dire, there is an increase in murder and rape of Iraqi women. The situation is a neutral gray, I believe, as Mohammed wasn't punished extremely and that she felt that there was hope for the women in Iraq.

Post #3-Info on Saudi Arabia

Why Women’s Right In Saudi Arabia Are Still So Bad:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/why-womens-rights-in-saudi-arabia-are-still-so-bad/245780/

-Women cannot run for office in the elections, they can’t vote

-King Abdullah promised over a decade ago that he would grant women the ability to make full contributions to the nation, yet today women cannot work in most jobs

-1961-first elementary schools for girls were opened

-Adbulllah had spoken in 2005 about the need to bring out full human rights into their country

-However these promises=undermined by the conservative clerics

-Even in liberal cities, in Friday sermons preachers and clerics claim that “human rights” are for homosexuals

-These accusations for a country where homosexuality is considered wrong discredit the kind’s agenda among the conservative population

-It will be difficult for women to gain the right to vote when they still are required by law to cover their faces.

-Women are also forbidden to pursue most occupations, not allowed to drive, travel w/o male chaperones inside or outside the country, inherit at an equal rate to men

Conclusion:
Saudi Arabia is probably the country in the Middle East that has the strongest rules and restrictions on the women who live there. There have been some steps in the right direction: better educatoin and a small conselations for them. However women in Saudi Arabia have been promised better rights, and those promises have been as empty as a dried up lake in the Sahara Desert. The country is very religous and the preachers and pastors claim that rights for women is a passage for homosexuality to become more socially acceptable, which is a big deal in Saudi Arabia. Women still have restrictions on their rights and their situation is still dire.

History Post #2, First Notes

Here is my first set of notes on the status of Women's Rights in the Middle East. These notes aren't focused on a specific country.

http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2006/issue2/jv10no2a2.html

-In May 2005 a survey ranked 16 nations in the Middle East on a scale from 1-5 in various categories: freedom, economic etc.

-Tunisia=highest score of 3.24 while Saudi Arabia had the lowest score of 1.26

-In Iraq women live in virtual terror b/c women activists and those who were “dressed immodestly have been attacked and killed

-Afghanistan: teacher was beheaded b/c he was a educating girl, which is considered by some un-Islamic

-Saudi Arabia=Women=not allowed to vote or drive a car

-In Jordan girls die each year in “honor killings” while their perpetrators, usually their parents, receive light/no sentence

-Some good new though: Morocco: new family law=easier for women to divorce and keep custody of children

-In 2002-2003 over 50% of students in universities in Iran were women

-Some shocking situations: Under Saddam Hussein Women had equal rights, of course people in general didn’t have many rights to begin with

So from these first notes, it is obvious that Women's Rights in the Middle-East are abysmal at best.

History Post #1: First Post!!! YAY!!!

HOORAY!!! It's the first offical blog of my history project! So the main reason I posted this is to establish my topic. I have finally decided upon a topic: Women's Rights in the Middle East. I will most likely focus on the current status of women in Saudi Arabia and one or two other countries that will be decided upon once I read more on the subject. So hopefully this blog will work out as a good project. One down, unknown number of posts to go!!!