I am curious about something....

[Occhidiangela]

"The key variable in the hypocrisy meter being pegged is that the role of women in some Islamic societies appears to escape the notice of Western Feminists."

I'm not really sure what Western Feminists ™ you're listening to, then. As far as I've heard, the treatment of women in the third world generally (and in the more fundamentalist Islamic countries specifically) is one of the most important feminist issues today.

I suppose it's stupid to ask a question "where have you not heard differently." But I don't think that it would be representative to say that this has not been noticed by Western Feminists. Indeed, as far as I remember, it was one of their issues back when the Powers That Be were supporting Islamic governments, rather than toppling them.

Jester
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I think the UN has not emphasized that issue as much as it did pre 9-11. Why? Fear of a bomb on the East River. Kofi Anan showed a wide yellow streak in Iraq when, after one bomb, he pulled out the UN presence. He damned the UN's credibility as a collective security organization by doing so. I admit that he may have gotten a lot of under the table pressure from UN member nations to do just that, but in the matter of "image" the UN took a blow. Not from the bomb, but from the tail between the legs response to the bomb.

I may also not be reading the right stuff to see the extent of the pro women's campaigns. For example, 8 or 9 years ago, the genetic mutilation of young women in some African and Muslim lands was a huge cause celebre. It seems to have slowly dropped off the radar.

Occhi