Tunisian women rally ahead of Islamist leader's return

[defendandprotect]

Tunisian women rally ahead of Islamist leader's return

Women's groups took to the streets of Tunis to defend the extensive rights for which they have fought for more than half a century, on the eve of the return of Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi from exile.

Actresses, university lecturers and human rights campaigners said they wanted to make sure their rights stay intact despite the recent upheavals.

Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahdha (Awakening) movement, is due in Tunis on Sunday, having fled the country in the early 1990s after Ben Ali cracked down on Islamists, which is still officially banned.

"We want to send an important message to the Islamists, especially those from the Ennahdha movement -- that we are not ready to pull back on or abandon our rights," said Sabah Mahmoudi, a university lecturer.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110129/wl_afp/tunisiapoliticsunrest

[upi402]

1. unintended consequences

can hurt.

i'll hold a thought for these brave women and hope their husbands, brothers, and sons stand with them too.

[riderinthestorm]

2. Shades of Iran. That revolution also had very few women protesters on the streets

during the revolution, like Tunisia and now Egypt. I'm getting concerned about women's fate under the new governments that are coming.

Iran's women certainly didn't fare well. Images of their own (futile) rallies for their rights in 1979 are still available, and give me a bad sense of deja vu.

Hope I'm wrong and Tunisia and Egypt's women fare better.