Iraqi Women's Window of Opportunity for Political Gains Is Closing

[Barrett808]

Iraqi Women's Window of Opportunity for Political Gains Is Closing
By NEELA BANERJEE

HILLA, Iraq — Emboldened by the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi women are pushing for political freedoms many of them have never enjoyed. But as they do, a rising tide of religious zeal threatens even the small victories they have won.

Ibtisam Ali and her sister, Raghad, have spearheaded a petition drive demanding a large percentage of seats for women in a new national assembly. But when Raghad, 25, tried to run for local office, the men at the candidate registration office informed her that women could not be candidates.

"I was frightened of the people in my neighborhood," Raghad said. "They looked at me so strangely, like I thought I was equal to men. I'm afraid of everything, from gossip to violence. It just kills the ambitions inside."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/26/international/middleeast/26WOME.html