Wayne Besen - Author, Activist, Columnist, Public Speaker

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

(Will Iraqi Elections Tighten The Noose On Women's Rights?)

I'm having trouble getting excited about the Iraqi election results.

Was it worth invading and having thousands of U.S. soldiers killed to get people elected with the first name of Ayatollah? It seems we spilled blood and spent moolah to elect a bunch of Mullahs that hate America.

Voting results announced by Iraqi electoral officials indicated that religious groups, particularly the main Shiite coalition, had taken a commanding lead. The secular coalition led by Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister, had won only meager support in crucial provinces where it had expected to do well, including Baghdad.

So, there you have it. We've nearly destroyed our military and bankrupted our country to create a Mini-Iran. I'm not sure this helps American interests, nor do I see this as a win for Iraqi women, homosexuals, secularists and religious minorities.

The irony here is that America was attacked by radical Islamists on September 11. Instead of retaliating against Saudi Arabia and Iran who foment such intolerance and hate, we attack the secular state of Iraq. Our next battle may be against Syria - another secular regime. Somehow this doesn't make sense.

This is not to say that Assad's Syria and Hussein's Iraq's were not evil places. It is to say, however, that it seems we keep attacking the wrong countries - the ones that have no connection to 9-11 or Islamic extremism. For all our blood, sweat and toil, we are leaving a Mideast that is more fundamentalist and a breeding ground for terrorists. This is hardly the victory outlined in Bush's speech on Sunday night.

6 Comments:

I agrtee with you, Wayne. The elections have backfired. We have elected rapid America hating Imams. Way to go Bush.

Samuel J.
Miami
posted by Anonymous, at 12/21/2005 1:28 PM

The truth is, these camel jockeys are so fucked up that they fail at everything they do.

They have no accomplishments and produce nothing. If they did not have oil they would be savages. How can such barbarians live in a civilized world?

I admire Bush for trying to civilize these people. But, as a Republican, I think its unrealistic.

Tim in New Mexico
posted by Anonymous, at 12/21/2005 9:02 PM

Tim, i'm certainly no fan of islam, but during the dark and middle ages they had a florishing civilization of great accomplishments in medicine, mathematics and science; while christian europe at that time was much like the middle east is today. They dropped the ball way back when and if bush and the neocon right get their way, this country and the west will again be a bunch of super-religious ignorant working poor, dominated by the few filthy rich, much like the arab lands are today.
Gary (NJ)
posted by Anonymous, at 12/22/2005 9:08 AM

ps...someone needs to civilize bush!!!
posted by Anonymous, at 12/22/2005 9:08 AM

ever since the shah's been kicked out looks like everything has gone hectic. so much death over there. over there doesnt make sense.
posted by Anonymous, at 10/31/2006 10:39 PM

http://www.waynebesen.com/2005/12/iraqi-elections-moolah-for-mullahs.html
posted by Anonymous, at 12/15/2009 1:15 AM