Women's Rights in Iraq

international | rights, freedoms and repression | feature Monday September 01, 2003 09:11 by Ali la Pointe - an t-intifada fáda

Interview with Nadia Mahmood

The "liberation" of Iraq has ironically unleashed a reign of terror on Iraqi women. The lack of security has given fundamentalist Islamic groups free reign to terrorise local women into compliance with strict Islamic Shariah code. Refusal has meant the daily murder of Iraqi women. Read an interview with Nadia Mahmood, an Iraqi Women's Rights acivist... Indymedia Links: Update on Iraq | Caoimhe in Baghdad Other Resources: What's Happening to Iraqi Women | Iraqi Women's Rights Coalition | Iraqi Women's League - Open Letter | Official US Policy on Iraqi Women | Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq | Women's International Coalition for Economic Justice

WPI Briefing: We have been hearing about the abysmal situation of women in
Iraq. Can you give our readers a synopsis of the situation of women in Iraq?

Nadia Mahmood: Since 9 April, the situation of women in Iraq has worsened on
a daily basis. Women cannot safely walk in the streets. They cannot go to
their jobs. During the last months, families have had to accompany their female
students to and from secondary schools and universities until they finished
their exams a few days ago. The killing of women has become a daily phenomenon. In
a country where there is no justice system or policing, women raped by Iraqis
or American soldiers are paying the price by being killed in the name of
honour. Rape has become a norm. Women cannot even report rapes because they fear
the consequences of possibly being killed by male members of their family for
bringing 'shame to the family.'

Women have been forced to wear veils. Islamic groups have raised the veil as
the 'flag' for Iraqi society; in some cities, they have even forced women to
wear socks and gloves! Islamists have gone to universities like Basra
University or hospitals in Nasiriyah threatening women to wear veils or stay home! In
Nasiriyah, even sick little girls are not allowed to receive medicine if they
are not veiled. In acts of revenge, Islamic groups have started to rape Ba'ath
Party members' wives and sisters, which has again led to 'honour killings' by
male family members.

Women who are working with the occupying administration have been targeted by
some Islamic and nationalist groups; some of these women have been killed as
well.
Islamic groups which have been supported by either the USA or the Islamic
Republic of Iran are threatening prostitutes to stop working or else. Islamic
courts have begun work in Najaf; men who have killed their female relatives under
the pretext of these women being prostitutes have received the full support
of these courts.

Women have been killed for working in certain professions such as acting. Al
-Mosawat newspaper has published a list of names of women who have been
killed. Women have also been banned from working in certain professions such as
being judges as we saw this month; the Mullahs refused any nominations for female
solicitors to work as judges.

Recently we also started to hear that women in the so-called governing
council are not receiving equal status and treatment from their male colleagues as
their colleagues belong to the most reactionary Islamic groups, nationalist
parties or are heads of tribes. Women members have complained that members of the
council are not treating them equally and will not even shake their hands as
they do with men they meet. They do not even make eye contact with women as if
they are not there. One of the women had to wear hijab after she was
appointed as a member of the council. What can any woman do for women in Iraq in such
a council?

WPI Briefing: Of course a lot is being done to defend women's rights in Iraq
too. Can you inform our readers of what is being done and what you yourself
are doing?

Nadia Mahmood: Since we have established the Organisation for Women's Freedom
in Iraq on 22 July 2003, we have been involved in different activities
including a widespread campaign to end the imposition of veils on women. Empowering
and encouraging women not to have to be forcibly veiled was the first ever
effort in supporting women in Iraq publicly. Many women stood against Fatwas and
barbaric orders of Islamic groups and removed their veils with our full
support. We have also set up a shelter where women who seek a safe place could find
refuge. It has been said that it is a 'safe haven' for women in Baghdad. We
have engaged in a widespread campaign to raise awareness about the daily
violations of women's rights in Iraq in the media and have been interviewed by a
large number of Arabic, international and local media. We have also set up a
website to inform people about women's situation in Iraq.

We publish a fortnightly women's newspaper, Al -Mosawat which has been
distributed widely in Iraqi cities, where we raise various issues on women's rights
and daily violations of women's rights, such as rape, the killing of women and
so on. Via our paper, we give our views to the Iraqi community on how that
must be stopped immediately! We have issued many press releases distributed
widely against any Fatwas or violations from Islamic leaders targeting women
rights or women's lives. We say that women in Iraq are aware enough to stand up to
defend their rights. Our organisation has been greatly involved in the Iraqi
women's rights movement. That is why Paul Bremer and his administration in Iraq
cannot bear to hear our voices in their 'Women's conference' where their
agenda and aims are not known. We have opened many branches in Kirkuk and will be
open a branch in Soleimaniyeh as well as in the south of Iraq soon. We have
also built a widespread network with other women's organisations abroad. We are
starting a new international campaign to end 'Rape, Abduction and Killing of
women in Iraq'.

I have to say that we take an active part in other movements in Iraq, such as
the ongoing sit-in at the offices of Paul Bremer's administration which was
organised by the Union of Unemployed in Iraq. Our women activists took a
remarkable and active part in this sit-in. Encouraging women to leave their homes
and take an active role in their economic and political lives is an important
aspect of our work. We aim to make Iraqi women's voices clearly and loudly heard
by other organisations which have been established recently by Iraqi workers,
workers' councils and trade union organisations and to take part in local
councils.

WPI Briefing: What can our readers do to support your work and women in Iraq?

Nadia Mahmood: As I said, we have started an international campaign to end
'Rape, Abduction and Killing of women in Iraq'. We hold the USA occupying
authorities responsible for the insecurity and lack of policing which has cost many
women their lives. We are looking for international support for this campaign
to exert pressure on Paul Bremer's administration to protect women's lives
from any attacks and violations or violence against women. I would like to ask
WPI Briefing readers to bombard Paul Bremer with their letters of protest. His
e- mail address is Jerry.Bremer@marsh.com.

As you can see now, the USA administration has brought Islamic group into
power again; the scenario of the Taliban is being repeated. They gave Islamic
groups seats in their so-called governing council. That is very dangerous for
women in Iraq; the ideology of these groups is based on sexual apartheid and
nothing else, and they are discriminatory against women. They should be exposed
and stood up against. I would say the same about other members of the governing
council, which consists of the most reactionary forces in Iraqi society. They
represent the right-wing of society: nationalist parties and heads of tribes
which in no way speak on or defend women's rights. The women members in that
council are just for decoration. Exposing and standing up to this cooperation
between the USA and these groups is a crucial expectation we have from human
rights defenders, freedoms lovers, socialists, the progressive movement and
humanity.

Supporting our work in Iraq is an important and urgent need. We have no
financial support from anywhere; we have to cover our expenses in such a devastated
country after the war. And as you know, women have been left in poverty
without any funds for their work and projects. The USA can pay millions of dollars
for those who provide information about Uday, Qusay or Saddam Hussein; they
can pay millions for weapons in Iraq, but not for women's projects. We need
financial support. I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to WPI Briefing
readers to support women in Iraq; we will highly appreciate their support.
Any donations can be sent to the Middle East Centre for Women's Rights in
London, Barclay Bank account number: 981567, sort code: 20-80-57.

We want to make our voices heard in different communities across the world.
We were quite pleased to see that reports about the situation of women in Iraq
have been translated and published in various media. We have started to build
a widespread network with other women's and human rights' organisations to end
this situation and to replace it with a better life for women. People who are
interested in knowing more about the situation of women in Iraq and our work
can visit our website: ../www.equalityiniraq.com. Or they can write to me in
London at nadia64uk@yahoo.com or to Yanar Mohammad in Baghdad at
yanar2002@hotmail.com.

The above was an interview by WPI Briefing first published in WPI Briefing
116, dated 12 August 2003.