In March 8 International Women’s Day
No to Women’s Veil, no to Islamic Laws against
Women, Yes
to the Total Equality between Women and Men
In March 8 thousands of
organizations and activists gather to work for the commemoration of the
International Women's Day through demonstrations, rallies, and celebrations.
They exchange greetings, speeches, and congratulations in this occasion to
stress their will to continue the struggle for equality between women and
men and for their total and unconditional emancipation.
In March 8, the Women's liberation
in Iraq WLI joins all women and men around the world who demand freedom and
equality for women and confirms that women’s rights are universal. Our
organization also stresses the gravity of women’s status around the world.
Women are exposed to different
forms of social oppression because of traditions imposed on them by
religious and tribal forces. Those traditions and discriminatory practices
exist originally. However they have tremendously increased due to the
collapse of society and the war between the terrorists. The situation
prevalent is due to the war between the two poles of terrorism; the US
occupation forces from one hand, and the Islamic-nationalist militias from
the other. The latter concentrates its activity on indiscriminate killing of
citizens, explosion of cars, and kidnapping; an Islamic policy aims at
deteriorating the situation to further chaos in order to create more fear
and terror in the hearts of people and to achieve their political agenda.
This situation has led to an
abnormal situation in Iraq and destroyed the simplest conditions necessary
in any civil society. This abnormality and lack of state in Iraq has caused
the absence of safety and security and the wide spread of violence and
crimes and terrorism. However, women’s suffering is double.
The women are widely exposed to the
violation of their human rights. Women are facing harsh conditions of rape
by the US soldiers and also “honor killings” by their male family members
according to tribal and Islamic traditions. Women are forced to wear veil at
the risk of being kidnapped or killed by Islamic gangs. Women have been the
first victims of the US war on Iraq which have turned Iraq into a
battleground between these forces. Women were forced to withdraw from the
social sphere into the corners of their kitchens turning centuries of their
progress into another economical and social subservience.
The women's liberation in Iraq
salutes all egalitarian, and equality loving people for the support of women
struggle in Iraq against the forces of political Islam and nationalism who
are eager to impose Shari’a Islamic misogynist laws on Iraqi women.
In this occasion we confirm our
commitment to bring back women to defend their rights against the forces
that want to oppress her. Our organization seeks to make the women’s voices
heard. We stress the need of Iraqi women and our organization to all sorts
of support through taking up our demands to oppose the reactionary Islamic
forces in the region and in Iraq. These reactionary forces all but aim at
imposing Shari’a Islamic laws on women and tribal practices and destroy all
the achievements of the women liberation movement in Iraq in the last
decades. The support of international organizations to our struggle against
US occupation as well as the Islamic and nationalist reactionaries is
invaluable for us to reach peace and normality and thus open wide horizons
for the women to struggle for their equality and freedoms. Women’s freedom
is a yardstick to the freedom of society and humanity at large.
Long Live
March 8!
Together for
Total Equality between Women and Men!
Khayal Ibrahim, Coordinator
Women’s Liberation in Iraq – WLI
March 5, 2007