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| Iraq |
| Fundies forcing Iraqi policewomen to disarm |
| 2007-12-11 |
| The Iraqi government has ordered all policewomen to hand in their guns for redistribution to men or face having their pay withheld, thwarting a U.S. initiative to bring women into the nation's police force. The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, issued the order late last month, according to ministry documents, U.S. officials and several of the women. It affects all officers who have earned the title "policewoman" by graduating from the police academy. It does not apply to men in the same type of jobs. Critics say the move is the latest sign of the religious and cultural conservatism that has taken hold in Iraq since Saddam Hussein's ouster ushered in a government dominated by Shiite Muslims. Now, that tendency is hampering efforts to bring stability to Iraq by driving women from the force, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Phillips, who has led the effort to recruit female officers. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #2 So who frisks the babes in burkas? Who witnesses collection of samples for drug tests? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-12-11 13:20 |
| #1 Seems unfair. Let's see how this fatwa business works. Maybe we could use argument from analogy: a qiyas or whatever... A police officer is supposed to be able to identify crimes and criminals. This means he needs to be able to testify in court. A woman's testimony weighs half what a man's does. Therefore you need two policewomen to testify about a crime. Therefore you need two policewomen to observe it. Therefore all policewomen need to work in pairs to do the work of a single policeman. One policeman can use a gun. Thus a pair of policewomen should be able to share a gun provided they are using it at the same time. And Allen knows best! (And don't forget your burkhas!) |
| Posted by: James 2007-12-11 11:32 |