John the Baptist identifies himself as "the voice of one crying out in the desert . . ." in the Sunday gospel. But the voices crying out in the desert-like climes of Iraq these days are much more likely to belong to women. Political stability in Iraq, which involved the U.S. aligning with strict Islamic tribal leaders, is leading to increased oppression and violence against women in Iraq.

In their quest for stability in Iraq, U.S. officials have empowered tribal and religious leaders, Sunni and Shiite, who reject the secularism that Saddam Hussein once largely maintained. These leaders have imposed strict interpretations of Islam and enforced tribal codes female activists say limit women's freedom and encourage violence against them.

"Women are being strangled by religion and tribalism," said Muna Saud, a 52-year-old activist in Basra, while Pakshan Zangana, a Kurdish lawmaker, said that "women are trapped in a moral and cultural tug of war. There are forces trying to pull women into the 21st century. Then, there are other forces pulling women backwards, to keep them as second-class citizens."

Iraq's constitution states that men and women are equal under the law. But it also states that no laws can be passed that are inconsistent with Islam, allowing for ultraconservative interpretations, women's activists say.

"Honor crimes"-tribal killings and burnings of women accused of engaging in premarital sex or adultery-are rarely punished, and when they are perpetrators are handed light punishments. Women who protest are often threatened with punishment, violence, or death.

Source: An article by Sudarsan Raghavan for the Washington Post