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I hope that in the countries where people have risen against dictatorships, they will reflect on and learn from what happened to us in Iran.
MS. EBADI IS A COURAGEOUS WOMAN…BUT SHE STOPS SHORT OF DECLARING THAT SHARIA IS HER JAIL….AND THE DICTATORS ARE THE WARDENS…..DESPITE HER ASSERTIONS SHARIA LAWS ARE EXCLUSIVE EVERYWHERE THEY ARE PRACTICED…WOMEN SHOULD BE FREE TO DOFF THEIR SCARVES, DYE THEIR HAIR PURPLE IF THEY WISH AND REJECT STRICT STATE PRACTICE OF KORANIC LAWS THAT DOOM THEM…..RSK
I do not agree with the phrase “Arab Spring.” The overthrow of dictatorships is not sufficient in itself. Only when repressive governments are replaced by democracies can we consider the popular uprisings in the Middle East to be a meaningful “spring.”
Since women make up half of the region’s population, any democratic developments must improve the social and legal status of women in the Arab world. It appears the Tunisian society has strong civil institutions, and there is much hope that democracy can take hold there. But in Egypt, many political actors are talking about returning to Islamic law, which could result in a regression of rights for women and girls similar to what we experienced in Iran in 1979.