IDA - Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung

systems. Position of women is different in our country than position of women in
Africa or Iraq, especially in Iraq today. When I was in Egypt, as a member of our
delegation, I saw that the Nonalignment Pact was responsible for the abolishment
of the veils. Women were dressing normally, elegantly in Iraq also. All the schools
were opened for the women, but they had more difficulties in struggling for equality.
Nasser’s Decree was not enough. Decree’s and laws were not enough in the struggle
for equality, nor have they created equality. You have to fight for it. When Nasser
died, they stepped back for two centuries. Women wear black clothes and veils again,
unfortunately.
India was interesting. Indira Gandhi was president there. She was rarely smart
and rarely respected. But look what religions are doing today. Look at the Iraq. Sunni
and Shiite are the same people and Americans managed to divide them. You can just
imagine what the women are going through. But woman must not be passive, for if
she is passive, we will fall back fifty, sixty, a hundred years back.
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