Friday, April 22, 2005

A Tale of Two Women

I Could Scream: Examining the plight of women under Islam
Palestine: Israeli Defense forces routed a Hamas terrorist from his home in Nablus. He claimed not to have any weapon, though it was later learned that he'd had his sister hide the gun in her underwear. The Ynetnews report does not say that she was wearing this item of clothing at the time, though one can infer that this is the case since the authorities are now concerned about the need to reconsider their policy of "going easy" on women. (hat tip: cuanas)

Iraq: The Baghdad Police Academy has begun training women for the civilian police force. According to the report in Stars and Stripes, the 27 female cadets tend to perform better academically than their male cohorts -- a fact which would surprise no experienced teacher. However, they also outperform men on the shooting range, "where instructors don't have to break bad shooting habits."

The dean of the Baghdad facility is doubtful about these women,
     "I am not against women," Mohammed said through a translator. "But females recruits will face difficulties from society. Where can we assign them? We are trying to make them equal to men, equal to men in the police department, but I don't know if this is going to work."
But one of the recruits, Ammera Rathy, says she's not worried:
    "I want to help keep my country and the people on the streets safe," said the 35-year-old police cadet candidate who never before has held a job.
"It will be difficult, yes, but I am ready."
Well. If Palestinian women can hide guns in their underwear, surely the Muslim world is ready for a few policewomen?

We'll see.

2 comments:

jinnderella said...

Interestingly, except for the chechan "black widows" and the Tamil Tigers, the only femaile homicide bombers have been Palestinian. I think, this happens because the palestinians are more westernized, just because of proximatey to Israel. D, what do you think?

Dymphna said...

With Muslim women offering themselves as homocide bombers you have a real anomaly. Martyred men, on entering paradise, will have their 72 virgins -- who, by the way, revert to virginity by some magic after each intercourse -- but what are women offered? In the Koran Mohammed warns them that most of them are going to hell anyway, since they are the main obstacle to men entering Paradise.

Quite simply, for women suicide is an opportunity to shuffle off this mortal coil where they are so hemmed in and so persecuted by the Muslim ethos that death must seem an escape. Paradise be damned.

The suicide rate for young women in Iran is spiraling upwards.