Women, democracy and dictatorship

The electoral success of Islamic parties in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, has raised worries about policy and legislation on family and gender issues, this despite re-assuring noises from leading figures. Earlier electoral successes of Islamists in Iraq had brought about a disorderly mix of family policies and rule of disparate religious authorities, accompanied by much [...]

It is land and not just history that binds us

Few Iraqis recognize the organic connection between the mountains of Kurdistan and southern Iraq.  Many say that Iraq is an artificial state created by the british.  I submit to you that geology supersedes humanity.  Before the last Ice Age ended some 11 to 13 thousand years ago, the sea water level was some 450 feet [...]

Do women make you uncomfortable?

All right, I am new to this blog and new to Britain in general. However, I am not new to writing about Iraq. I wrote my master thesis on the recent amendment to the Iraqi Personal Status Law and before that I was writing about the issue of female genital mutilation in Iraq. The women’s [...]