The demonstration of 1700 girls of the Dawood Public School in Karachi on April 7 didn't matter to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.
Nor did the protests of women around the world who viewed the cell-phone recorded flogging of a 17-year-old girl by Taliban men in Swat.
Zardari signed a treaty with the Taliban on Monday, allowing them to impose Shari'ah (Islamic law) on this part of Pakistan.
See the Wall Street Journal's report on April 14: http://sroblog.com/2009/04/13/pakistani-peace-deal-gives-new-clout-to-taliban-rebels-wsjcom/
Moderate Muslims interpret Shari'ah in ways that understand its origin in the 7-12th centuries, but the Taliban impose their own conservative interpretation, including:
* women can't leave their homes without a male family member as escort.
* women must be covered head to toe
* men may not shave their beards
* violations can be punished by execution.
Unfortunately, the US presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan makes it harder for Muslims there to work out their differences on interpreting Shari'ah for the 21st century. Right now, anyone who wants a re-evaluation of the 12th C. interpretation is seen by conservatives as supporting American imperialism.
Zardari's goal is peace in his country, giving the Taliban what they want in the north in exchange for less violence. But the WSJ article points out that the Taliban's goal is to "drive out Americans and their lackeys" from both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sacrificing the well-being of women is not going to create peace.
For a great documentary on the interrelations between American intervention and women's status in Afghanistan, see View from a Grain of Sand, an Ecesis Films production directed by Meena Nanji. www.viewgrainofsand.com
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