Hillary Clinton Slams Muslim World for Its Treatment of Women

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chastised the Muslim world on yesterday for its despicable treatment of women, saying ''You can't claim to have a democracy if half the population is silenced.''

Clinton made her remarks during the first U.S.-Islamic World Forum held in the United States. Below are some excerpts.

''Today, the long Arab winter has begun to thaw. For the first time in decades, there is a real opportunity for lasting change, a real opportunity for people to have their voices heard and their priorities addressed.

''Now, this raises significant questions for us all...

''Much has been accomplished already. Uprisings across the region have exposed myths that for too long were used to justify a stagnant status quo. You know the myth that governments can hold on to power without responding to their people's aspirations or respecting their rights; the myth that the only way to produce change in the region is through violence and conflict; and, most pernicious of all, the myth that Arabs do not share universal human aspirations for freedom, dignity, and opportunity. ...

''There was a time when those of us who championed civil society or worked with marginalized minorities or on behalf of women, or were focused on young people and technology, were told that our concerns were noble but not urgent. That is another false narrative that has been washed away. Because these issues – among others – are at the heart of smart power – and they have to be at the center of any discussion attempting to answer the region's most pressing questions. ...

''Will the door to full citizenship and participation finally open to women and minorities? The first Arab Human Development Report in 2002 found that Arab women's political and economic participation was the lowest in the world. Successive reports have shown little progress. The 2005 report called women's empowerment – and I quote again – a 'prerequisite for an Arab renaissance, inseparably and causally linked to the fate of the Arab world.' ...

''In both Egypt and Tunisia, we have also seen troubling signs regarding the rights and opportunities of women. So far women have been excluded from key transitional decision-making processes. When women marched alongside men through Tahrir Square in the early days of the revolution, they were part of making the change that Egypt was seeking. When they recently walked again through the square to celebrate International Women's Day in their new democracy, they were met by harassment and abuse. You cannot have a claim to a democracy if half the population is left out.

''And we know from long experience that building a successful democracy is a never-ending task. More than 200 years after our own revolution, we are still working on it. Because real change takes time, hard work, and patience – but it is well worth the effort. As one Egyptian women's rights activist said recently, 'We will have to fight for our rights… It will be tough, and require lobbying, but that's what democracy is all about.'

''In a democracy, you have to persuade your fellow citizens, men and women alike, to go along the path that you wish to take. And we know that democracy cannot be transplanted wholesale from one country to another. People have the right and responsibility to devise their own government. But there are universal rights that apply to everyone and universal values that undergird vibrant democracies everywhere.''

How About Helping People Who Actually Like Us?

Why are we in Libya? To topple Muammar Gaddafi?

Oh, please. If we really wanted to do that, we had ample excuses over the past quarter century: assassinations of dissidents, his attempts to procure weapons of mass destruction, terrorist bombings in Western Europe, 270 deaths with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, attacking U.S. navy warships in the Gulf of Sidra... The list goes on and on and on.

And no, it's not over calls for ''democracy'' either. Come on. Seriously. What the heck does the Arab MALE world know about 'democracy' or freedom when they subjugate the actual majority of the population there to their every will and whim?

Sadly, this is about two things and two things only; (1) Europeans who fear a mass influx of refugees; and (2) an embattled U.S. president desperately anxious to show he has the cojones to use military force and attack a rogue regime.

My grandfather served in the U.S. navy in the Pacific in World War II at a time when the U.S. and Japan were mortal enemies. Time long ago healed the wounds of seeing some of his buddies killed in kamikaze attacks on our fleet. So what did he have to say about the Libyan mission?

He said we have no business involving ourselves in a Libyan civil war. That the same people supposedly asking for help now have no doubt participated in angry street demonstrations against the West, burned our flag, hurled insults against our value system. That the streets of Libyan cities erupted in cheers when the Twin Towers collapsed on 9-11.

''What do they know about freedom or democracy? Have they ever fought for it, bled for it for themselves or for others?''

As for arming the Libyan rebels, he said ''What the (bleep) for? so they can later use those weapons against us like the Afghans did?''

On the other hand, he said, Japan is our friend. He initially couldn't believe how kind and grateful the Japanese people were for a mere candy bar, a loaf of bread, a simple 'hello', during the early days of the occupation. He said never once did he see any hatred displayed towards him, this right after the war had ended! He said the way the Japanese people acted towards our occupation troops helped go a long way to smooth over the simmering anger over Pearl Harbor.

He said we shouldn't have one boot on the ground in Libya nor one helicopter or aircraft on missions there until every man, woman and child in Japan who is a victim of the earthquake and tsunamis is fed, clothed and housed. When that job is done, then and only then should we have a debate over whether we should help ''people who don't even like us.''