I read something in the news yesterday that had me completely flabbergasted. Since then, I have only grown more incredulous at the lack of coverage on this tidbit of news on other news websites. Apparently, Iran just secured a spot on the Women's Rights Council. Yes, you read that correctly. Iran. The Women's Rights Council. Does anyone else think like I do that those two phrases could never actually belong in the same sentence in this galactic dimension unless there was another phrase included to the tune of "not a snowball's chance in hell"? And the fact that no other news outlets (you know, the "real" news outlets that actually get an invitation to the White House) are reporting on this or expressing outrage or disbelief is disconcerting, to say the least.
Naming Iran to the Women's Rights Council is about as sensible and appropriate as would be naming Hitler's Germany to the Sovereign Nations Committee or Mao Tse Dong to the Council On World Hunger. (I don't know that these councils or committees exist, because while I once lived in an area from which I could see the UN building, I really have little idea what the UN actually does). I can't imagine a worse country to live in as a woman - you can't report being raped because you need at least three witnesses to corroborate your story, and if you don't have them, you can be punished. If you are seen on the street wearing makeup, showing too much hair, or walking with a man who is not your relative, you can be jailed. Your testimony in court is worth half of a man's, as is your right to an inheritance. You cannot obtain a passport without the permission of your husband or a male relative, and forget being able to seek out a marriage partner of your choice if your father has different plans for you. Add to all this yards and yards of black cloth under a blazing desert sun. And yet the world's UN representatives think Iran has something valuable to bring to the table on women's rights?
It could be argued that Iran is being given a seat on the Women's Rights Council so those in power can keep a closer watch on them, but my feeling is that bad behavior shouldn't be rewarded. I can only wonder where the path of women's rights will go from here. While my experience living abroad in Italy made me more aware of other cultures and viewpoints and more inclined to take a world view rather than a "the U.S. is always right" stance, and despite having a respected friend who works for the UN in the women's rights arena, methinks it might be time to give more credence to those who say the UN is something the U.S. would do well to be without.
3 comments:
How utterly strange. However, I must say that as a Latter-day Saint who follows what the world would deem a restrictive code of modesty, I take off my hat to women who CHOOSE to wear the hijab out of modesty and self-respect. That's a big stand in a world what's, well, pretty skanky. I just wish all Muslim women had the choice, and weren't compelled so very often.
And that's the big difference, isn't it? We believe in the right to CHOOSE over the "righness" of modesty/obedience/virtue. And those poor women don't even have a choice. I think a scarf covering one's hair is fine if that is what you believe to be modest, but the full-on robe covering every inch of your body and even veils to cover your face are just plain mysogynistic. And what value does obedience even have when it is forced?
Rightness.
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