Tigers of a Different Stripe? Women in 21st Century Ireland

by pat c Sun Mar 12, 2006 17:39

The meeting voted to support the Appeal of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq. The Appeal is printed below. You can read more about the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraqs Appeal and a much more detailed Statement at the link at the bottom of the page.

"Call from the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq- abroad representative

To make International Women’s Day on 8 March a day of saying No to Islamic Sharia law in Iraq

To all women’s, progressive, secularist and labour movement organizations

Iraqi women are facing a historic threat. The US/UK occupation has strengthened political Islamist groups, who now constitute a majority in the US-installed parliament and have a dominant position in the new constitution based on ethnic division and the principles of Islamic Sharia law. Iraq’s personal status law will now be abolished and all marital and family matters will be conducted on the basis of Sharia and other forms of religious-tribal law. This means the enslavement of Iraqi women under a system of laws developed hundreds of years ago in the dark ages. Iraqi women will not accept their subjugation. We will stand firm against both the occupation and political Islam in Iraq.

To do this we need your solidarity - please support us in our struggle.

Please sign the following statement and send it back to us:

"The war and the occupation of Iraq by the US and UK have opened the way for reactionary forces in Iraqi society to impose a constitution based on Islamic Sharia and other forms of religious-tribal law. We the undersigned organizations and individuals condemn the introduction of religious law. We demand freedom and equality for Iraqi women and support their Struggle for a democratic, secular and egalitarian constitution."

For further information please contact Houzan Mahmoud:
houzan73@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +44 79 56 88 3001
www.equalityiniraq.com "

by Gay Geori Mon Mar 13, 2006 00:24 gaygeori at graffiti dot net

This organization is run by one of the usual suspects:

Domain ID:D108757913-LROR
Domain Name:PEOPLE-BEFORE-PROFIT.ORG
Created On:21-Nov-2005 20:11:26 UTC
Last Updated On:21-Jan-2006 04:13:59 UTC
Expiration Date:21-Nov-2006 20:11:26 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:TierraNet Inc. dba DomainDiscover (R86-LROR)
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:TNTN-0000278265
Registrant Name:Richard Boyd Barrett
Registrant Organization:Irish Anti-War Movement
Registrant Street1:PO Box 9260

I don't believe Ailbhe Smyth or any of the other tenured radicals in UCD or TCD have a clue about what women in 21st Ireland are all about... going to the Vagina Monologues and joing the c-word chorus would give you great insight.

by Rita Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:24

The cynics may not like the fact that a "tenured" lecturer chaired this meeting, but it did expose the reality of women's lives in Ireland with brilliant inputs about the class divide between women here and the way in which putting profit before people impacts most on women. I don't really care if "the usual suspects" are behind it - as far as I can tell from reading about women's struggles from the 1970s up to today, if it wasn't for "the usual suspects" organising all kinds of campaigns we'd still be living in a country where contraception and divorce were illegal and where attitudes to abortion were still in the 1950s.

It was especially great to see what were several generations of pro-choice activists on the platform. So, there was a young woman Niamh from the BODY group, an older woman Mary from Alliance for Choice and an older one again Goretti who was involved in the first Women's Right to Choose group which, she said, had had its first public meeting in Liberty Hall exactly 25 years from that day, 10th March. There were some excellent ideas for activity including a proposal which was agreed for a 'lobby' of the partnership talks to insist that state funded childcare [not tax credits as the unions seem to want] be part of the deal. There was also agreement that the 'lobby' would not be a polite affair but accompanied by some imaginative activities that would draw attention to the issue.

by pat c Mon Mar 13, 2006 13:15

The fact that the meeting passed a motion which was diametrically opposed to the SWPs pro Mullah and pro Hijab stance shows that the meeting attendance at least was not composed of hacks. The motion was proposed by one of the independent speakers and seeing as the chair (Ailbhe) was also non Swp they were not in a position to rule it out of order. I'll bet RBB raged after hearing the news!

by Kathy Mon Mar 13, 2006 19:11

I don't think People Before Profit is a front for the SWP, although people are always telling me it is. The reason I don't think it's a front is because SWP members go to a great deal of trouble NOT to impose their views when there is a disagreement. Having said that, it is most unfair on them to say that their concern about Islamaphobia is some kind of giving in to the Mullahs. In fact, they always make the argument made in the leaflet which was distributed on Friday night about WOmen in Iraq that one of the effects of the war and of islamaphobia is to strengthen the hold of the Mullahs and that those who want to see a secular Iraq/Iran/Middle East have to oppose Islamaphobia precisely in order to weaken the hold of the fundamentalists.