Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Opinion

Mary Kate Cary

If Only Muslim Leaders Held Obama's Beliefs on Women's Rights

June 04, 2009 02:03 PM ET | Mary Kate Cary | Permanent Link | Print

Reader Comments

peace.

OBAMANOS!

cook my food

get in the kitchen women

Muslim Women

Taliban example should not cloud all the progress that has been achieved by Muslim women in the spheres of education and employment and in their rise to high-ranking positions in their respective national governments or corporations. Even before American and European women, there have been women presidents or prime minister in the Islamic world before Margret Thatcher became a prime minister of the UK. Muslim women enjoy aspects of freedom that western women have yet to attain. Yet,there are cultural and religious aspects that should not be ignored in pushing for a western model of freedom (or liberation) for the Muslim women. We should leave such changes evolve gradually, rather than having them imposed on Muslim societies, for the sake of the stability of these socities and for the sake of a healthy upbringing of the future generations. A woman shold have the choice to leave the house for a job and being mindful of the consequences of this choice on her children and her household. So, stop lecture the Muslim world on these issues and turn to your own backyard and tend to your domestic women issues. For instance, the legalization of abortion, which will be a hot issue after the killing of the doctor in Kansa, who performed abortions.While Obama made a campaign promise to issue a law on planned parenthood, he is now wiggling out of this promise or at least postponing it. He should pay attention to the American women issues and leave other societies deal with their own issues in their own way. America can not solve every human issue on the planet. We can not stretch that far and meddle in evry human issue as our resources will not help us sustain such an outreach for a long time.

To Meryl of CA

My post was about hypocrisy. For whatever reason, you saw my post as a personal attack. Whatever your gender, it has no impact... everyone should be respected equally. Jews not excluded! You can't be sure of my gender, but you make it an issue. I had always been tolerant of the pro-choice crowd, but not once had I ever been given in-kind slack for my pro-life stand -- not even from some family members. I said "had been", because I'm no longer tolerant of those who practice feticide. You can argue all day for your rights, but until you acknowledge the rights of the unborn, you're in the same league with the death-culture crowd. I know what I'm talking about; I have a living child to prove it. Sure, pregnancy was an expensive mistake, but it's one I owned up to. I can't even imagine any alternative, as there is nothing in this world that has importance beyond one's own child. That there are people who actually kill the most defensiveness among us -- babies... well, it is a thought too horrific to contemplate. The best way for me to express my sentiment is to borrow from Chekhov's description of officials:

"People who have an official, professional relation to other men's sufferings--for instance, judges, police officers, doctors --in course of time, through habit, grow so callous that they cannot, even if they wish it, take any but a formal attitude to their clients; in this respect they are not different from the peasant who slaughters sheep and calves in the back-yard, and does not notice the blood. With this formal, soulless attitude to human personality the judge needs but one thing--time--in order to deprive an innocent man of all rights of property, and to condemn him to penal servitude. Only the time spent on performing certain formalities for which the judge is paid his salary, and then--it is all over."

Who among us would abort a child if not performed by a cold, callous, soulless, formal abortionist masquerading as a medical doctor?

Many of us have abandoned the death culture. Your baseless defensiveness suggests misplaced emotion, perhaps even helplessness. Like all of us, you're probably just as sick of what politicians, crooks, and Marxist culture have done to our country -- especially kids. You don't really believe the population is responsible? It's easy to misplace blame, but until we resort to making our own conclusions -- not provided by Washington, the MSM, Madison Avenue or Hollywood, we can never have a society that is in the best interest for all.

One last item. If I had the resources, I'd adopt every child who needs a family. And if I had the skills and initiative, I'd raise money and set up orphanages all over the world.

Finally, my post was not about vilifying women. If you would not read between the lines, you would clearly see that what I have said applies to the welfare of everyone, no matter the gender, race or creed. Adding bias to what you read is as hypocritical as the speech in Cairo.

Dear Jackal

Point one: have you adopted any unwanted children lately? Why not start advocating for the starving and neglected kids stuck in the revolving door of the child welfare system? Because, it's so much easier to vilify the women seeking abortions and the doctors providing them. Heck, you can do that without getting off your couch.

Point two: what exactly has been imposed upon anyone? Have you lost any rights? Have you lost any money or property? Has anything been forced upon you at all? give me one concrete example (not just the subjective "wear of Western fabric", whatever that means).

Point three: what? I have no words for this.

Point four: again, I'm gonna need a clarification on the rights you've been stripped of. I agree that repeatedly in our country and more frequently as of late a small minority is being protected over the objections of the vast majority. That's how it's supposed to be!!! There are some rights the majority cannot strip the minority of or withhold from just because they feel like it. There are rights the Constitution guarantees us each individually. Period. Get over it. It actually has no effect on your life. There's only the psychic effect of disagreeing. Unfortunately, that's not a compensable wrong.

Point five: The biggest threat to religious freedom in this country isn't Marxism or Hollywood (although I do appreciate your thinly veiled antisemitism). It's the forced imposition of Christian values. Of course I'm sure you don't think so. I'm sure you think the codification of religious doctrine is fantastic. But, think about it. What if the religion being imposed was not Christianity. What if it was Judaism and states could outlaw the selling of pork products. You would be outraged, I'm sure of it.

Point six: Did you really just decry the importance of women's suffrage? It takes some guts to make that argument with a straight face. It's no surprise to me that you make such a statement under a pseudonym. But, you're right; the movement was about power. Because the vote is not just a right but a power to effect the change you want to see in government. I have no clue what dictatorship you're talking about but my sense is that it comes in the form of an ex-wife.

R.L. good for you...

You almost had me. I'm very impressed by your ability to a turn a post about our President's ardent advocacy for women's rights in the Muslim community into another opportunity to advance an agenda typically adverse to those same women. Abortion rights have been a huge part of women's equality in the United States. I may have asked you this before although I'm sure I got no answer. Since you're in favor of outlawing abortion, are you also then in favor of criminalizing paternal abandonment? Because, in the absence of that women are left with bearing all of the burden for a mistake in judgment they are only 50% responsible for. Where's the equality in that?

Mary Kate Cary's last line above

is the tough nut. Now, if we could just get a Muslim leader to say the same thing about women in their society.

Well, Muslim men don't do a lot of that---because they are afraid to. Afraid of losing face with other men at the Mosque, afraid of their fathers or brothers or neighbors, afraid of religious police, afraid to lose their customers or jobs, afraid of radicals, afraid of being shot, afraid of the scorn of the mullahs, perhaps even afraid of Allah.

Just imagine how you'd be received in Texas down at the Lion's Club, or VFW, or Chamber of Commerce, or barber shop, if you went into those places and started bad-mouthing high school football as being the over-rated, over-hyped, over-funded thing that it actually is. Now take that discomfort times about three (or ten). That's why these guys aren't likely to be changing their tune anytime soon.

Hard To Believe...

that I actually agree with Obama - at least the excerpts that were quoted above. Bravo Mr. President!

Now, just extend the same compassion for those women still in the womb - Then maybe we'll get somewhere as a society, and set a real example.

One word describes the president's speech

One word describes the president's speech in Cairo: hypocrisy.

Violent extremism, his first point, exists in American in far greater intensity than anything extremist Islam has thrown her way or ever will or can. Who defends doctors who suck the life from unborn babies, then takes the high road and condemns Islamic extremists who kill innocent children? Violence is with us because people like him can't see themselves for what they really are -- death-culture proponents.

As for his next point -- the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world -- again, this applies as much to matters within America. Who defends militant leftism responsible for imposing GLBT lifestyle, among other absurdities, all of which contributes to the wear of Western fabric, then condescends towards Jews, Palestinians and Arabs because they aren't virtuous enough?

As for the third point, nuclear weapons, the real issue is about who gets to monopolize ultimate power in the world. As for America herself, no threat on earth is greater than the radioactive leftists who've been incrementally destroying her middle class. Who throws in with Marxists at home, then says we need to all get along and the Middle East should roll over and play dead to international atrocities?

The fourth point, democracy, applies as much to those who've incrementally undermined America since the middle nineteenth century. Who defends PC -- bully rule, wherein one percent of the people take away the rights of the other ninety-nine percent -- then chastises Islamic nations for not going down the democratic path?

The fifth point, religious freedom, has been under direct attack for more than a generation in America. Who aligns with Hollywood Marxists who are destroying family, children and fathers, then labels Islam followers as bigots?

The sixth and final issue, women's rights, has never been about rights as much as it has been about power. Suffrage was enacted to bring about gender equality. Instead, it's resulted in a dictator culture that has incrementally destroyed country, family, children and even women themselves. Who would throw in with dictator rule that has resulted in less power for woman than they had before suffrage, then lecture Islamic nations on what is or isn't feminine virtue?

Hypocrisy.

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Mary Kate Cary is a former White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. She currently writes speeches for political and business leaders.

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