Women constitute more than half of the society in Iraq. However, they are locked up inside their houses. It is hard to see them in the streets, which is a truth reported by media outlets abroad. This phenomenon has become so usual that it is taken as self-evident since the US war and the emergence of the political Islam parties.
Women veil prevailed. To worsen things, little girls would rarely be seen walking to school unveiled. Gun opens would be pointed at the women who refuse to put the veil on. This is a very well known truth except in Kurdistan, which has not been affected by the war aftermath.
One would enquire, whilst looking at Saddam’s pictures being replaced by the ones of the mullahs and reading their elections Fatwas mixing politics with religion, what rights and status might the would-be parliament guarantee in Iraq?
What status would women get in this scenario in which the parliament seats are divided among the Islamic council, Muqtada Assadir and ethnocentric Kurdish parties that ignore women rights in their constitutions? Would this parliament represent the greater half of the society and what status would women have in a country whose president is married to three women at the same time?
If women are hardly seen out in streets practicing their everyday activities such as schooling, working, shopping, and having fun in public places since the breakout of the war, and they are subject to threats of the same militias that are running for the elections, how, out of the blue, have their votes become a vital political issue and they should participate in the elections?
Women are threatened to death if they raise a demand. Hence, would one be able to say they have enough space of freedom to express their political will?
When Yanar Mohammed, the chairperson of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq- OWFI, demanded a secular constitution, she has received death threats from the same political Islam parties, which are now so excited about the coming elections. Could one talk about freedom while the OWFI has been banned from opening branches in many cities up from the north down to the south of Iraq due to political Islam terrorism? Could one talk about women being able to elect their representatives to the parliament?
Thus, Who would women vote for? Is it the Supreme Islamic Council or Muqtada, who set their courts to confiscate women’s rights, violate their dignity and be treated as second-rate human beings? These courts legalized polygamy, inheritance shares, as women gets half the share of the men, killing for having free sex relations, banning women from traveling unless accompanied by a custodian, and least but not last banning women from assuming any tangible positions in the government bodies.
Well, they are after women’s votes that are now as precious as gold- as they wrote it on the walls- . Then, they would be condemned if they raise any demand. This is a bad bargain. Women have nothing to do with this. The would-be parliament would not represent women’s will since they are out of the game because they are “women” in a society where they destined not to speak out, rule, and be under the custody of men according to Islam, the religion of the state.
What kind of constitution would the parliament enact? The first two articles would be; Iraq is an Arab state, and Islam is the official religion of the state. All laws would be enacted according the Islamic Sharia and religion. They will not come up with a new constitution, so why and to whom would women in Iraq vote?
Women and their libertarian movement stand out and against this false political game, which deprives the masses from their free will. Free vote starts with the end of the occupation. It starts with freeing the political arena from political Islam and its terrorist militias. Free vote is applicable only when equal citizenship is materialized for each and every person in Iraq, when Iraq is no more taken as an Arab and Islamic state, and when a secular government is established to separate religion from the state. These are the prerequisites for the women in Iraq to secure their equal rights and their true humane dignity, not an Islamic parliament or constitution which is designed and based on sexual segregation against women.
Women’s struggle for a society where their rights and freedoms are materialized has been running for decades. They demand a secular constitution, the end of the occupation, the end of Islamic movements influence, and equal rights with men. Women are running a fierce struggle to achieve these rights and demands. This struggle would not go ahead unless united and aligned with vast ranks of the masses aiming at true freedom of choice and equality. The Worker-communist Party of Iraq is the forerunner of this movement.
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