Female Soldiers In Iraq

Female soldiers in Iraq make up about 30% of all soldiers in Iraq. There are outstanding women in our United States military, proudly serving their country in Iraq, but this article is about Iraqi women.

In Iraq, women are basically property, the property of the men of Iraq. Extreme religious Islamics in the city of Basra are targeting Iraqi women. They find them, beat them and their families, and kill them. The lucky ones survive long enough to escape the city. Each month, 15 or more women are found dead in Basra, murdered. Iraqi men are murdering their own women. Why?Because these women are not Islamic enough. That's right. These women are not considered strong Muslims because they wear something that appears too American for the religious extremists. Maybe a scarf or another piece of clothing that Americans would wear. For that, they deserve death?

In the Iraqi Muslim world, women are supposed to dress in a robe and headscarf called hijab.

Women in Iraq can die if they don't have the hijab on. American female soldiers in Iraq can also be killed for not wearing this if they are captured. This is why so many feel it is much more dangerous for female soldiers there than for male soldiers. But a bullet is a bullet and a bomb is a bomb. They kill without caring about the sex of their targets.

FYI for men, men are also attacked for wearing clothing that looks American and for having their hair cut in an American style.

Shiite Muslims live in and control Basra. British troops pulled out of Basra in September of 2007 so that Iraqi troops could take over protecting their city. Yet these troops continue to let their own women in Iraq die for no good reason. Will Iraqis ever be able to take care of their own without outside help? Will they ever stop killing their own?

There are non-Islamic women and men in Iraq. They do not wear the hijab or traditional Iraqi clothes. The smart ones are moving from Basra to other cities to get away from the extremists. Others stay, fearing for their lives, yet refusing to leave Basra. This is one more reason why our brave soldiers in Iraq give so much. Most soldiers over there will tell you they have a job to do and they are proud to do it.

Incidentally, women in Iraq cannot be soldiers. They cannot do much of anything without permission from the men who "own" them. They cannot travel or go to a doctor without a male escort. They are second class citizens, prisoners in their own land. They are forced into suicide bombings to kill their own and American troops.

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