The Daily Background

Obviously “great progress” is being made in the arena of women’s rights by the President’s friends in Saudi Arabia:

Saudi women still can’t drive cars, but they can sell them. Potential buyers can go to an all-women showroom where, for the first time, other women will help them choose a car and answer questions about horsepower, carburetors and other automotive features.

Neither the saleswomen nor the female buyers can take the car out for a test drive because women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia — even though they have been allowed to own cars for decades and hire male drivers. Almost half the autos belong to women.

Yes, truly great progress. Err, well, the same type of “great progress” that is being made in Iraq, that is.

A lot of people would look at this situation and conclude that Islam is a religion that oppresses women. The Associated Press writes:

The kingdom’s strict interpretation of Islam has long limited what women can do outside the home, seeking to keep them from coming into contact with men who aren’t relatives.

This really has less to do with religion, and more to do with culture. For example, there are plenty of largely Islamic societies (like Saudi Arabia) where women are not oppressed like this. Heck, even Iraq isn’t like that, and they’re 97% Muslim.

No, “our allies” (well, the President’s allies) in Saudi Arabia is just a horror-show when it comes to human rights. Public beheadings are still routine methods of execution. Women can’t travel without the accompaniment of male relatives. Remind me how this is different from those evil stone-age Taliban women-haters again? Oh yeah, the Saudis aren’t involved in terrorism. Like anyone believes that. (Cough cough, Osama bin Laden- Saudi, 15 out of the 19 hijackers- Saudi, Saudi King Abdullah has pardoned terrorists).

Filed under: Human Rights, Z-TDB Blog