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Rape law hurting efforts to sell NATO role in Afghanistan: NATO chief

Last Updated: Saturday, April 4, 2009 | 12:17 AM ET Comments18Recommend8CBC News

A controversial law in Afghanistan that includes a provision making it illegal for a Shia Muslim woman to refuse to have sex with her husband is making it more difficult to boost NATO troop levels in Afghanistan, the secretary general of the alliance says.

 

"How can I defend — or how can the British government defend, the Canadian government, the Dutch government — that our boys and girls are dying there in the defence of universal values," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said at the NATO summit at Strasbourg, France.

 

"And you see a law almost coming into effect… that fundamentally violates women's rights and general human rights, then I have a problem."

 

U.S. President Barack Obama wants to beef up the alliance's role in the conflict. But NATO allies have been reluctant to commit significant new ground troops to the war effort.

 

Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad has said the Afghan government is studying the law, which has sparked international outrage, to determine its status, and has pleaded for patience and understanding.

 

Canada and other nations have expressed strong concerns about the legislation, which would also make it illegal for a woman to leave the house without her husband's permission, or have custody of children.

 

"This is extremely alarming and it's troublesome for a lot of the allies," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

 

But Cannon questioned whether any such Afghan law "was adopted in the legitimate way and manner" of Afghanistan's national assembly.

 

Cannon said two of Karzai's ministers pleaded ignorance this week, and the ambassador to Canada has been called in for an explanation

 

 

Ok, so the question I have is......do we have a right to be questioning the democratic legislation of laws that reflect different cultural values than our own?

 

The whole issue was to institute a democratic state back into Afghanistan, we assumed (hahaha) that the result would be a mirrored image of western democracies, but what we failed to recognize is that the people voting and running for office have a different set of core values than our own.

What do you think?

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Rape law hurting efforts to sell NATO role in Afghanistan: NATO chief

Last Updated: Saturday, April 4, 2009 | 12:17 AM ET Comments18Recommend8CBC News

A controversial law in Afghanistan that includes a provision making it illegal for a Shia Muslim woman to refuse to have sex with her husband is making it more difficult to boost NATO troop levels in Afghanistan, the secretary general of the alliance says.

 

"How can I defend — or how can the British government defend, the Canadian government, the Dutch government — that our boys and girls are dying there in the defence of universal values," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said at the NATO summit at Strasbourg, France.

 

"And you see a law almost coming into effect… that fundamentally violates women's rights and general human rights, then I have a problem."

 

U.S. President Barack Obama wants to beef up the alliance's role in the conflict. But NATO allies have been reluctant to commit significant new ground troops to the war effort.

 

Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad has said the Afghan government is studying the law, which has sparked international outrage, to determine its status, and has pleaded for patience and understanding.

 

Canada and other nations have expressed strong concerns about the legislation, which would also make it illegal for a woman to leave the house without her husband's permission, or have custody of children.

 

"This is extremely alarming and it's troublesome for a lot of the allies," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

 

But Cannon questioned whether any such Afghan law "was adopted in the legitimate way and manner" of Afghanistan's national assembly.

 

Cannon said two of Karzai's ministers pleaded ignorance this week, and the ambassador to Canada has been called in for an explanation

 

 

Ok, so the question I have is......do we have a right to be questioning the democratic legislation of laws that reflect different cultural values than our own?

 

The whole issue was to institute a democratic state back into Afghanistan, we assumed (hahaha) that the result would be a mirrored image of western democracies, but what we failed to recognize is that the people voting and running for office have a different set of core values than our own.

What do you think?

 

 

The whole issue was nothing of the kind.

 

We need to get out, the country is ungovernable.

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Ok, so the question I have is......do we have a right to be questioning the democratic legislation of laws that reflect different cultural values than our own?

 

The whole issue was to institute a democratic state back into Afghanistan, we assumed (hahaha) that the result would be a mirrored image of western democracies, but what we failed to recognize is that the people voting and running for office have a different set of core values than our own.

What do you think?

 

Democracy is the least worst option, but just because a lot of people vote for something (or in most Democracies actually don't vote for whatever) doesn't make it "right".

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and to be fair, someone could propose that Law in any "democratic" country, this doesn't mean that it will become law. Granted, it's more likely in this "democratic" country than in, Switzerland say, but proposed law doesn't necessarily mean law.

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Rape law hurting efforts to sell NATO role in Afghanistan: NATO chief

Last Updated: Saturday, April 4, 2009 | 12:17 AM ET Comments18Recommend8CBC News

A controversial law in Afghanistan that includes a provision making it illegal for a Shia Muslim woman to refuse to have sex with her husband is making it more difficult to boost NATO troop levels in Afghanistan, the secretary general of the alliance says.

 

"How can I defend — or how can the British government defend, the Canadian government, the Dutch government — that our boys and girls are dying there in the defence of universal values," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said at the NATO summit at Strasbourg, France.

 

"And you see a law almost coming into effect… that fundamentally violates women's rights and general human rights, then I have a problem."

 

U.S. President Barack Obama wants to beef up the alliance's role in the conflict. But NATO allies have been reluctant to commit significant new ground troops to the war effort.

 

Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad has said the Afghan government is studying the law, which has sparked international outrage, to determine its status, and has pleaded for patience and understanding.

 

Canada and other nations have expressed strong concerns about the legislation, which would also make it illegal for a woman to leave the house without her husband's permission, or have custody of children.

 

"This is extremely alarming and it's troublesome for a lot of the allies," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

 

But Cannon questioned whether any such Afghan law "was adopted in the legitimate way and manner" of Afghanistan's national assembly.

 

Cannon said two of Karzai's ministers pleaded ignorance this week, and the ambassador to Canada has been called in for an explanation

 

 

Ok, so the question I have is......do we have a right to be questioning the democratic legislation of laws that reflect different cultural values than our own?

 

The whole issue was to institute a democratic state back into Afghanistan, we assumed (hahaha) that the result would be a mirrored image of western democracies, but what we failed to recognize is that the people voting and running for office have a different set of core values than our own.

What do you think?

 

 

The whole issue was nothing of the kind.

 

We need to get out, the country is ungovernable.

 

Was the issue not to get the Taliban out and reinstate something which more resembled the old (pre-soviet invasion) Afghan leadership....only with democracy?

 

Agreed we should get out, it's obvious we (the west) are NOT on the same page as the afghanies

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Build a big fuck off wall around the middle east.

 

You lot never seen escape from LA?

 

Problem solved.

 

 

they will once the oil is all gone

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Build a big fuck off wall around the middle east.

 

You lot never seen escape from LA?

 

Problem solved.

 

 

they will once the oil is all gone

well, the oil and the weapons of mass destruction, right... right?

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Export the UK benefit system to Afghanistan - problem sorted.

 

Import the same value of drugs back? :mellow:

Value or quality?

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Build a big fuck off wall around the middle east.

 

You lot never seen escape from LA?

 

Problem solved.

 

 

they will once the oil is all gone

well, the oil and the weapons of mass destruction, right... right?

 

 

you watch too much CNN :mellow:

 

if it was only WMD's we'd have never gone in the first place (well Iraq anyway), as for Afghanistan it was a knee jerk reaction to Osama and the boys.....sort of like Clinton blowing up the pharmaceutical factory in Kenya or Tansania or where-ever.

 

my point is that exporting democracy (or at the very least the freedom to choose your legislative body) is one thing but to export western ideals is quite another. (again I DO NOT support the proposed law, i DO support the right to make up their own minds about it)

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Build a big fuck off wall around the middle east.

 

You lot never seen escape from LA?

 

Problem solved.

 

 

they will once the oil is all gone

well, the oil and the weapons of mass destruction, right... right?

 

 

you watch too much CNN :mellow:

 

if it was only WMD's we'd have never gone in the first place (well Iraq anyway), as for Afghanistan it was a knee jerk reaction to Osama and the boys.....sort of like Clinton blowing up the pharmaceutical factory in Kenya or Tansania or where-ever.

 

my point is that exporting democracy (or at the very least the freedom to choose your legislative body) is one thing but to export western ideals is quite another. (again I DO NOT support the proposed law, i DO support the right to make up their own minds about it)

 

Please, try and get real, before I have to take you in hand.

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Build a big fuck off wall around the middle east.

 

You lot never seen escape from LA?

 

Problem solved.

 

 

they will once the oil is all gone

well, the oil and the weapons of mass destruction, right... right?

 

 

you watch too much CNN :mellow:

 

if it was only WMD's we'd have never gone in the first place (well Iraq anyway), as for Afghanistan it was a knee jerk reaction to Osama and the boys.....sort of like Clinton blowing up the pharmaceutical factory in Kenya or Tansania or where-ever.

 

my point is that exporting democracy (or at the very least the freedom to choose your legislative body) is one thing but to export western ideals is quite another. (again I DO NOT support the proposed law, i DO support the right to make up their own minds about it)

;)

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