Is This What We're Fighting For?

If you've been following the news over the past day, then no doubt you have heard about this, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/31/hamid-karzai-afghanistan-law. All the efforts that have been made to improve women's rights in Afghanistan could be undone so that Hamid Karzai can win more votes in the upcoming election. Karzai plans to introduce laws that would "legalize rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission." In this day and age, such a law, is absolutely unacceptable. However, as the Guardian notes, "Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was "worse than during the Taliban". "Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam." In fact, the laws are meant to appeal to a small minority group within the country that happens to have a lot of political power. I do not think we should concern ourselves with the thought that speaking out against these laws might offend a minority group. If your beliefs include the idea that a woman can be raped, then something is very very wrong. Of course,

"The international community has so far shied away from publicly questioning such a politically sensitive issue.It is going to be tricky to change because it gets us into territory of being accused of not respecting Afghan culture, which is always difficult," a western diplomat in Kabul admitted"

This issue, that criticizing these laws may be disrespectful to Afghan culture, does bring up another point. It proves that, while our leaders in the West seem to be focused on bringing Western style democracy into Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan (at least those with power) are not concerned, and do not want the West to do what it is trying to do. I believe this leaves two options, 1) Karzai resigns at the request of NATO and a government that truly represents the majority of the Afghan people is brought in, 2)We in the West come to the realization that trying to introduce our lifestyle and cultural attitudes into another country is foolish. There is no point in sending soldiers to die in a country where the leaders are pushing to enact the very laws that have been fought against for the past 8 years.

Update: There were protests recently in which many women were actually in support of the new law. Religion sure can twist your mind and prevent you from thinking logically.