If we were told we're going to war in Afghanistan to liberate women from Sharia Law...

[Postman]

would you have gone along with it?

[Hannah Bell]

1. no.

[rd_kent]

2. Nope. Its not our job to save the world.

Its not our job to save the world. As noble of a cause it would be, we should liberate our own country from religious fundamentalism first.

[Ardent15]

4. +1 nt

[katandmoon]

3. No. Because where does it end?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Uh, we were told that's what it was about. They're still using that excuse.

Nevermind that the women of Afghanistan want us out.

[Individualist]

6. No

[ingac70]

7. No...

because we are the reason they got stuck with Sharia law to begin with.

[leftstreet]

8. No

[imdjh]

9. yes

[Postman]

14. why?

Wouldn't it be better to do as Greg Mortenson has done as described in his book "Three Cups Of Tea"?

It would be much easier to "convert" people by helping them than by killing them.

[rd_kent]

18. You plagarized Hartman with that comment.

[Postman]

32. So what?

Have you read the book?

[rd_kent]

33. You should give credit where credit is due, that's all.

Your entire post was verbatim Thom Hartman. I agree with you, and Thom.

[G_j]

10. no

for one thing, I wouldn't believe it.

[peace frog]

11. No

but I have no doubt a similar dog scenario will be wagged to bring about the desired result.

[seabeyond]

12. no. well before 9/11 we knew the problem there. made us sick. didnt condone. would like to do

something for the women in that country. and we knew better. it is theirs to change. we cannot change it for them.

[mike_c]

13. no-- despite the wonderfulness of that objective...

...it is not justification for war under international law and U.S. treaty. I'm sorry, it's just not. I don't care if the Taliban eats kittens alive and leaves baby girls to die on mountainsides-- those might be terrible things, but they are not justification for war.

[WildEyedLiberal]

25. This is the only good answer in this thread

Because you cite international and US law instead of some mealy-mouthed cultural relativist bullshit.

I'd DEARLY love to obliterate the practice of oppressive anti-woman shit like Sharia law and Taliban misogyny, but it's not my war to wage.

[mike_c]

30. exactly....

eom

[bernynhel]

15. That wouldn't be any business or ours, either!

[kenny blankenship]

16. If you went around the southern USA telling fundamentalist churches

that they couldn't believe what they believe and pointed guns at them and bombed their houses, schools, churches etc., do you think you'd be successful at converting them to your way of thinking? Or do you think you'd make mortal enemies of those people and their descendants for generations?

[Kalyke]

27. Pssst.... there are fundie churchs all over the country.

They are not limited to the South.

[TexasObserver]

17. No. If we're going to war for Women's Rights, let's start with the churches.

Religion is the basis of discrimination against women worldwide.

I say we declare War on the Vatican, and give them 24 hours to surrender or face Shock and Awe.




I can't believe they're dragging out the same tired meme that Bush used for 8 years: he's doing it for the women, don't you know?!

[wuushew]

19. no

n/t

[MisterP]

20. that was one of the talking points: we were "rescuing" people from their own culture

or something "forced" upon them (like an invasion is non-forcible)

the culture warriors (Lynne Cheney, Chris Hitchens) see this as some secular crusade

[Warpy]

21. The Whabbist version is brutal

but there would likely have been little support for it down the road and the government would be under even more pressure to modernize than that in Iran.

There are ways to apply pressure that don't include war. Those methods should always be used first and war used only when one's own country has been invaded.

[laconicsax]

22. We're doing the opposite.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6798358.ece

President Karzai has approved a law that critics say condones marital rape, opening a rift in the international community as it debates how best to respond without disrupting Thursday’s presidential election.

The schism emerged when donor countries met to discuss the law after learning it had come into effect late in July despite condemnation of an earlier draft by Western leaders including President Obama and Gordon Brown. Canada and several European countries favour making a strong public protest over the Shia Personal Status Law which, among other things, permits Shia men to refuse to give food to their wives if they do not have sex with them.

But the United States and Britain are now opposed to any strong public protest because they fear that speaking out could disrupt Thursday’s election, according to two sources familiar with the donors’ meeting.

Need I remind everyone that we also endorsed Karzai's fraudulent election? We're fighting to ensure that the government that instituted this law can continue.

[OHdem10]

23. no

[sandyj999]

24. Absolutely not.

Why are we as a country so arrogant to believe we need to force our culture on others. Sometimes our culture ain't so hot.

[AllentownJake]

26. No

[shimmergal]

28. To everybody who says no--

we didn't make the same "it's not our culture to change" argument about Apartheid in South Africa.

True, we didn't go to war with S.A. either, but most progressives were OK with heavy economic and moral pressure against their PTB.

I don't think either that we should--or could--change things in Afghanistan by war, but why is denying women's rights not an evil we should try to combat by other, more effective means?

[Whisp]

29. no, because that would be a bullshit excuse.

can't even liberate american women from their lot of low wages and not feeling safe because of rapists.

yes would love to see women in Iraq get a better deal, but using this as an excuse for Afghanistan is just a straight out bullshit super huge lie.

[Cleita]

31. We shouldn't go to war for any reason other than our self-defense.

We can help the women of Afghanistan better by supporting programs and charities that other Afghani women in exile run that helps them by building schools and clinics.