Opinion: Women in Islamic Countries Seem to be Rising Up

June 29, 2005

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0629/p09s01-cojh.htm

On June 29, 2005 The Christian Science Monitor ran an opinion piece by John Hughes, editor and chief operating officer of the Deseret Morning News, on women in Islamic countries. Hughes writes, "It may at present be only a whisper. But it could get louder and louder. It is the voice of Islamic women in the Middle East protesting their longtime political and economic second-class status. It is a voice of indignation from women who have long been suppressed in traditionally male- dominated societies... In a vocal manner that hasn't been evident before, women in the Islamic lands are speaking out. Their case is being given traction by President Bush's emphasis on fostering democracy in lands that lack it - even though they be longtime allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. There cannot be democracy while women of the region are disadvantaged. There cannot be economic progress while half of the region's productive potential is stifled."