On July 27, the House approved, 426-0, a resolution (H. Res. 383) encouraging Iraq’s National Assembly to adopt a constitution that grants women equal rights under the law. The Senate approved a similar resolution (S. Res. 231) by unanimous consent on July 29.
Sponsored by Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), the resolutions contain a number of findings, including:
Rep. Granger said that “while the election of so many Iraqi women last January gives us great hope, recent reports about the drafting of the constitution gives us great concern. With so many reports and rumors, perhaps it is best to take inventory of what we know, as well as what we fear. We know that Islam allows for rights for women, but we fear the interpretation of religious law might unfairly discriminate against women. We know that a policy of equal rights for women in the constitution would safeguard Iraqi women today and for generations to come, but we fear that extremist elements might prevent the passage of such a constitutional protection. And we note that the surest way to limit the future and progress of Iraq is to limit the rights and protections of women. But we fear that women may not be allowed even basic rights on matters of marriage, divorce, economic opportunity, or political involvement.”
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) agreed, stating, “The attempts of fundamentalists to insert Sharia, a restrictive form of Islamic law, into the constitution, represents an aggressive and intolerable assault on women’s rights. The current transitional administrative law states that Islam is to be considered a source of legislation, but not the only source, and that [gender] discrimination against an Iraqi citizen…is prohibited. But current drafts of the new constitution provide legal rights to women as long as they do not violate Islamic law. Many Iraqi women fear, as we do, that enshrining Sharia would sharply curb women’s rights in matters such as divorce, family inheritance, travel, professional opportunities, and other areas. One draft of the constitution also lifted the requirement that at least 25 percent of the Iraqi parliament be women. We cannot allow these drafts to be the final word on August 15. We cannot bring liberty and freedom to only half of Iraq’s population, the men.”
Describing her visit to Iraq as part of an all-female congressional delegation, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) stated, “We met with women from all sectors and all educational backgrounds, and the message we heard from all of these women was very clear, that they want a say, they want a role, they want to participate, and they want us to help them get there. To achieve this end, the U.S. is helping Iraqi women reintegrate themselves into Iraqi society and to the outside world. The administration embarked on the Iraqi Women’s Democracy Initiative to train Iraqi women in the skills and practices of democratic public life. It also established the U.S. Iraqi Women’s Network, helping to mobilize the private sector in the United States and to link important resources here to critical needs on the ground. The administration continues to provide assistance and sponsors programs that help Iraqi women develop in multiple areas, from literacy programs and vocational training to human rights education and election training.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) explained that under the regime before Saddam Hussein, women “were educated, participated in the workforce, and played a role in government. And since the end of the Saddam Hussein dictatorship, women have served and are serving in the national assembly as cabinet members and in local governments across their country. I have had the opportunity twice to visit Iraq, to visit our soldiers, to meet with officials, and always to meet with women leaders. They are concerned. They are working hard, and with like-minded men are trying to preserve their role. If they lose their position in the constitution, it will be incredibly difficult to reverse that. So it is critically important, and it would be a tragic irony if women now began to lose ground.”
