US Congresswomen Champion Women's Issues in Iraq

CNS News ^ | October 27, 2003 | Lawrence Morahan

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

US Congresswomen Champion Women's Issues in Iraq
By Lawrence Morahan
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
October 27, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - Iraqi women are fed up with being treated as second-class citizens and are ready to play a more vital role in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, a congresswoman who took part in a recent fact-finding tour of the country told CNSNews.com.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) said an all-women bipartisan congressional group conducted a tour of Iraq this week to examine, among other issues, the plight of women in Iraq.

"Some people will call it women's issues," McCarthy said in a teleconference call from Kuwait. "I will call them family issues. It's really quality of life issues. All the [Iraqi] women want to have education for themselves, certainly for their children," she said.

"They definitely need better health care," added McCarthy, a qualified nurse.

Other members of Congress who took part in the tour, which was led by Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), included Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.); Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.); Rep. Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.); Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.); Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.); and Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.).

"The Iraqi people, and especially the women, have been basically shut down mainly because of the religion aspect of it," McCarthy said. "Those are things they're very angry about. They want to be part of this new Iraq."

Even the poorest homes in Iraq have satellite TV, and people are aware of what's going on in the outside world, McCarthy said.

During their tour, the lawmakers intervened on behalf of 34 Iraqi women who were being trained out of a force of 50,000 new Iraqi police officers.

None of the Iraqi women had ever held a job before. During the training, an Iraqi administrator had decided there wasn't enough money to pay for the women's training, the lawmakers learned. When the Iraqi women were told they would be let go, the U.S. lawmakers intervened with the American administrator and had them reinstated.

"That battle is going to be long and hard," McCarthy said of Iraqi women serving with men. "This country is not ready for that because of the many different religions."

The congressional group also was concerned about reports of low morale among members of the U.S. armed services and stories about soldiers not having the right equipment.

McCarthy said she had opportunities to talk to young soldiers without their commanders present and ask them how things were going.

"There was not one person who felt things were not going well, but they also knew that they were going to be here for a long, long time," McCarthy said.

The reservists, however, had a different story. "The reservists feel that certainly, they want to do their work, but apparently, they have taken the brunt of being employed over here and not knowing when they're going home," McCarthy said.

"They don't mind staying here...they just want to know 'when are we going home? If you're going to say January, then you've got to send us home in January. If you say next week, then do that,'" McCarthy said.

For the most part, however, the armed services follow through, McCarthy said. "When they tell you you're going home, you do go home, but the reservists have been bumped a number of times to let the regular Army go forward," she said.

"Those are things that we're going to have to try and work out in Congress because we are losing a lot of people who are not going to re-enlist in the reservists. As far as the Army goes - or the Marines and everyone else, their enlistment rates are up - so there's going to be a real conflict with that," McCarthy said.

E-mail a news tip to Lawrence Morahan.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

McCarthy said she had opportunities to talk to young soldiers without their commanders present and ask them how things were going.

"There was not one person who felt things were not going well, but they also knew that they were going to be here for a long, long time," McCarthy said.

~~~
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) with another bipartisan group won over by reality in Iraq.
~~~

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[Guillermo]

Will the Dems who went be punished by the Dem leadership?

After all, the Pelosi position is Iraq would be far better off if Saddam was in power.

[prairiebreeze]

Interesting 6:2 ratio Republicans over Democrats who made up the contingent.

Prairie

[SwatTeam]

The democrats don't want to know the truth.

[waterstraat]

I dont understand, the United States is in charge in Iraq.

Is there something "wrong"???? with giving Iraqi women equal rights/job opportunities/education/etc over there?

Are FR's saying that the Iraqi women should continued to be treated and required to live as they were under Saddam? Is that what you call "conservative/freedom"?

[ClearCase_guy]

"There was not one person who felt things were not going well..."

Maybe I'm sensitive, but I think this woman is telling the truth, but using tortured syntax to invite the possibility of mis-interpretation.

She could have said, "They all feel it's going well." But she twisted it around to contain the phrase "not going well" which is probably what will stay in some people's minds.

[RonDog]

ping

[Prodigal Son]

Are FR's saying that the Iraqi women should continued to be treated and required to live as they were under Saddam?

Where did you get that from the article? Most of the Congresswomen were republicans. One, in fact, was Katherine Harris.

[Semper Paratus]

McCarthy got elected on an anti-gun violence platform and 2 years ago read a speech on the House floor dressed in a Burkah.

[Polybius]

"The reservists feel that certainly, they want to do their work, but apparently, they have taken the brunt of being employed over here and not knowing when they're going home," McCarthy said.

It seems that such reservists would not have done well in World War II when the answer to "How long will we be here?" was "For the duration".

[Balding_Eagle]

Are FR's saying that the Iraqi women should continued to be treated and required to live as they were under Saddam?

If you point out where the article, or any posted reply said, or even suggested, that Iraqi women should continue to be repressed, I'll respond.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[waterstraat]

Then lets do it, what is the hold up? The only way to get out of this mess, is to get the women in college, in the offices, voting, in political office in representative numbers, and get rid of those burkas. Immediately putting women in half of the power positions in Iraq is the only hope for changing things over there. How many months is it supposed to take/get done?

[blackie]

Another democrat sees the light!

[windchime]

Bump!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

This isn't DU. Most Freepers are for liberating the longsuffering Iraqi people - men, children, and, of course, women.

Saddam loyalists.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Lol. Good thing the Iraqi women didn't see the burka performance. They really don't like the Western feminists' obssession with the "exterior." Oh, and they now have Iraqi women - with guns - guarding prisoners in Iraq.

[PhilDragoo]

Oh but Katherine Harris is Cruella Deville--when the left is wrong, it is never just a little bit wrong.

[Balding_Eagle]

You sound like you have a loose screw.