Retract Resolution 137 of the Iraqi Governing Council to cancel family law relative to Iraqi women i

This petition is about Iraqi Governing Council Resolution 137. Iraqi Governing Council voted in late December to eliminate Iraqi family laws relative to women’s rights and such issues placed under the jurisdiction of Islamic legal doctrine Al Sharia
Iraqi women have suffered human rights abuses for more than three decades under the rule of Saddam Hussein and the Ba’ath regime. Now they must receive justice. Let us provide our unwavering support to ensuring Iraqi women receive equal rights in the new Iraq. Iraqi women will provide much of the skills and commitment that are required to build a prosperous and peaceful Iraq. They must be given an equal role in building a civil society for their country.

Governing Council Resolution 137 will eliminate all proposed Iraqi laws relative to women’s rights. This resolution disregards secular family laws by placing Iraqi women, who constitute over fifty five percent of the population of Iraq, under the jurisdiction of strict Islamic legal doctrine Al Sharia. Iraqi Women will be subjugated to a discriminative social and political status under the Sharia law women will have no rights on such matters as custody of children, rights to inheritance or participation as a citizen in the social and political life of Iraq. In a word, under Resolution 137 Iraqi women will be denied the human rights women have struggled to gain throughout the civilized world.

The Governing Council must retract Resolution 137 make null and void or the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Ambassador Paul Bremer must disapprove this Council action. Each of us is responsible to ensure that this Resolution is denied. Furthermore, all Iraqis who want justice and a new beginning, along with other free peoples, must take steps to ensure that Iraqi women have equal rights and ensure measures such as Resolution 137 do not become the trade mark of the future Iraq. Equal rights and freedoms for all people in Iraq must be included in the new Constitution. This is fundamental requirement for Iraq to succeed to establish a free and just social order.

On February 2nd 2004 40 members of congress wrote to President George W. Bush expressing their strong opposition to the Resolution 137 and urging the President and the US Administration. Experts of their strong letter stated the following “It would be a tragedy beyond words if Iraqi women lost the rights they had under Saddam Hussein especially when the purpose of our mission in Iraq was to make life better for the Iraqi people” they further urged the President “to act now to reverse this decision or the lives of Iraqi women will be worse because of America’s actions. We cannot allow that to happen”

Let each of us start by writing letters to President Bush, Members of Congress, ambassador Bremer and members of the Provisional Governing Council Authority in Iraq where only one member stood up and voted against this devastating resolution. Denial of rights and freedoms for one group of citizens is a denial of rights and freedoms for all citizens. Denying equality to over a half of Iraq’s citizens will destroy the opportunity to establish a free and Democratic Iraq
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