Liberty and Justice for ARAB Women

By Jim VandeHei, of the Washington Post:

Laura Bush speaks out for women's rights in Mideast

SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan -- Laura Bush yesterday challenged a region dominated by men and strong tradition to allow women into the political process and workplace, saying equal rights are essential for democratic progress in the Middle East.

The president's wife, making a high-profile speech at the World Economic Forum, said new freedoms granted to the women of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Morocco prove equal rights are compatible with Islam and Arab culture.

"Women who have not yet won these rights are watching," Bush said at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center on the banks of the Dead Sea. "Freedom, especially freedom for women, is more than the absence of oppression. It's the right to speak and vote and worship freely. Human rights require the rights of women. And human rights are empty promises without human liberty."

The speech drew polite, although unenthusiastic, response.

Bush was making her first trip as first lady to the Middle East, which included private meetings with Jordan's King Abdullah, Queen Rania, and Arab youths. Later in the day, she toured Jordan's sacred Mount Nebo, where God is said to have led Moses to see the promised land across the Jordan River.

On a desert hot day, Bush stood atop the mountain to survey the Dead Sea and the dusty valley below. The haze clouded what otherwise is a majestic view of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, and Jericho from the mountain's peak. "It's a beautiful place to come," she said to reporters.

...Bush, on a diplomatic mission to try to improve America's image in the Arab world, told leaders gathered for the World Economic Summit that education and women's rights are two pillars of a vibrant democracy. In a 20-minute speech, she said world leaders must allow students, men and women, to study freely in modernized education institutions.

"As freedom becomes a fact of life for rising generations in the Middle East, young people need to grow up with a full understanding of freedom's rights and responsibilities: The right to discuss any issue in the public sphere, and the responsibility to respect other people and their opinions," Bush said.

VandeHei claims that Mrs. Bush's speech drew a "polite, although unenthusiastic, response."

The fact that the First Lady's message was not warmly embraced makes it even more significant. Her Middle East trip is a vital part of the U.S. efforts to support democracy and end tyranny in the region.

Mrs. Bush is doing a great thing at a crucial time for women in the Middle East. She is boldly speaking out on their behalf as they struggle to realize their full personhood in a culture hostile to women.

Although Mrs. Bush focused on women's rights, her message was freedom.

Liberty and justice for all.

You'd think the National Organization for Women and high-profile female elected officials within the Democratic party in the U.S. would praise what Mrs. Bush is doing. She certainly deserves their admiration and support.

Apparently, a Republican First Lady speaking out for women's rights in the Arab world is something they prefer to ignore. They don't want to draw attention to the fact that a Republican is addressing the plight of oppressed women. That would require more integrity than the Democrats and their special interests can muster.