Originally Posted by Eric5273

I understand you were there after the war started. I'm pretty sure you were not there prior to 2003, so how would you know about back then?

Everything that has been reported in the last couple of years is that the new govenrment is much more strictly Islamic than the old government. Their new constitution says itself that it is based on Islamic law. The Baathist constitution was secular and was not based on any religion at all. Women had full rights under Saddam's government. Iraq and Turkey were actually the only countries in the entire region that had completely secular governments. One of Saddam's top advisers, Tarik Aziz (his foreign minister, similar to our Secretary of State) was a Christian.

Now since the war, from what I've read, woman are not often seen on the street, and when they are they are usually wearing veils now to cover their faces, for fear of being attacked if they don't. While I'm sure it depends on which part of Iraq you are in, this never used to exist anywhere in Iraq 5 years ago.

While you might have spent a year there, I doubt you are nearly as well read on this stuff as I am. Being there is one thing, but I'm pretty sure the reporters and the Human Rights groups that investigate this stuff know a little more.

In terms of womans rights, the new Iraq is quite similar to Iran. And why wouldn't it be? The government is made up of a bunch of puppets to the Iranian regime.