Parliament and the Canadian media went crazy on Wednesday about a new law, approved by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, that would deprive Afghan Shia women of most human rights.
Afghanistan's English-language online media, however, had nothing to say about it.
The Globe and Mail reported parliamentary outrage on both sides of the house about the "Afghan rape law." CBC News said Prime Minister Harper was "deeply troubled" about the new law.
But The Hook's quick survey of English-language online media in Afghanistan found a profound silence about the issue.
Afghan Online Press had plenty about the impending presidential election, but even its page about Afghan Women's History hadn't been updated since January.
KabulPress.org was equally quiet about the subject.
Pajhwok Afghan News was delighted to report that Afghanistan had beaten Denmark at cricket, by five wickets. Otherwise, nothing.
And Daily Outlook Afghanistan carried a story about Stephen Harper, but with no mention of the law stripping Afghan women of their rights.
The Hook looks forward to reporting President Karzai's abject apology to Canadians about this matter, and the prompt repeal of the "rape law."
Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.
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alive
3 years ago
let us out of there!
OK, so Karzai hopes to soften the opposition and create som sort of peace that way?
In that case what are we doing there? working at cross - purposes?
Van Isle
3 years ago
Isn't it strange that when
Isn't it strange that when our government is told about mass corruption, heroin production and everything else associated with those activities, they hardly raise an eyebrow. But when Karsi does something stupid like making rape of wives legal (as if the husbands weren't doing it before)our politians in Ottawa have a hissy-fit.
Jeffrey J.
3 years ago
Mixing Apples and Oranges
Anytime we see hysteria from Ottawa you know something isn't right. They pretend great umbrage when a valued 'principle' is violated, cherry picked for their own agenda, ignoring all the other violations of principle such as killing civilians and invading other countries. This is called 'arbitrariness', antithetical to the Rule of Law and typical of non-rational thinking.
That women are oppressed in many third world nations is NOT the issue. Of course women are oppressed. And it is deeply wrong. But neither Harper nor Bush nor Gordon Campbell nor Halliburton (the list is very long indeed) give a rat's ass about women's oppression in Iraq or Afghanistan or Canada. They never have and they never will.
For those of us who support social justice movements that are working to alleviate oppression of women and children in these societies, Harper et al are the PROBLEM, not the solution. When they suddenly complain about the issue, run as far from them as possible. They will be of no help where it counts.
For the rest of the non-elites who are working towards social justice, the work must go on. But Ottawa elites need to get out of the way.
Skywalker
3 years ago
Alive is right!
I wonder what system of government in Afghanistan our soldiers are dying for if this is what they think is democracy in action. In guess that is what comes when you try to force democracy on a people not ready for it. It has often been said that democracy must be instated from the bottom up by the people.
Time to either get rid of Karzai or get our boys out.
MichaelT
3 years ago
the support on the so-called
the support on the so-called left for Islamist fascist is killing any chance the dippers in attracting federal votes.
you guys are literally crazy for attempting to whitewash this by saying it is a non-issue a la the right-wing media with mulroney/schreiber, and other issues.
Completely morally bankruptcy on the left. See Terry Glavin
We are in Afghanistan because it was staging ground for 9/11.
Karzai clearly is not our man.
Dan the socialist
3 years ago
Karzai is no better than the
Karzai is no better than the Taliban before him, he almost sounds Taliban. I also see no freedom of the press in Afghanistan and like a good little dictator Karzai and his government control the press..
croghan27
3 years ago
Afghan press silence ...
Perhaps they are too embarressed to say anything?
seth
3 years ago
wacky conspiracy theories
"We are in Afghanistan because it was staging ground for 9/11."
Amazing that Neocons are still spewing that thoroughly disproved wacky conspiracy theory. In this wild fictional account of the events of 911, so loved by Neocon media all the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia but Afghanistan was the place we invaded.
Hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousand of lives later, we can now reflect on the great job we've done.
MichaelT
3 years ago
funny how everyone who
funny how everyone who presents reality to you that you disagree with is a neocon.
if the tyee had any sense of balance it would delete the remark as offensive to me however we all know all that will happen is that I will be deleted or calling you an asshole with no brains or the ability to read.
I am not a member of the CPC nor a neocon - just a guy who reads the news and is not beholden of any ideology other than civil liberties for all - even dicks like you.
Skywalker
3 years ago
MichaelT
We are in Afghanistan because the U.S. wanted their hands on the oil in Iraq and could not wait till Afghanistan was in their controll. They needed us and others to keep their hopes for a pipeline across Afghanistan to the Caspian alive. Our soldiers are dying because they must follow orders from politicians who serve purely corporate interests. Even now the negotiation for the pipeline are going on.
We wonder why the Arab and Muslim nations hate the west. The hypocrisy defies all reason.