Wave of Attacks on Police
Iraq the Model: Guerrillas shot or blew up Iraqi policemen and soldiers all over the country on Sunday. At least 17 were killed or wounded if we include police officers’ body guards, in cities and towns from Baquba to Tuz Khurmato.
Iraq the Model: The implementation of the new Iraqi constitution will likely lead to an even more thorough impact of Islamic law. James Palmer of the Religion News Service interviews Iraqi women who fear or welcome this development.
Iraq the Model: A new Zogby telephone poll shows that Bush’s approval rating has dipped back down to 39 percent. Only 34 percent think he is doing a good job on Iraq.
Iraq the Model: The US military released two Reuters correspondents whom it held for months without charge. It is still holding other journalists. The military said it had to ascertain whether the men were really journalists. Couldn’t they have, like, just asked Reuters? The intimidation of journalists is one of many propaganda tools the Pentagon has deployed to keep the full story of how bad things are in Iraq from getting out.
Iraq the Model: I am afraid that a lot of fruitless “search and seizure” such as is described by Nick Wadham of AP, is going on in Iraq, and that it is alienating more people than it is worth. The worst thing of all is that in the absence of a Status of Forces agreement, and in light of the Iraqi constitution, for US troops to invade Iraqi homes and make arrests without without warrants from judges is illegal.
Iraq the Model: William Fisher argues that Bush turned Iraq over to the State Department because even he finally realized that Rumsfeld’s administration of the country was corrupt and error-prone.
Iraq The Model: The traditional Shiite practice of “temporary marriage” or mut’ah, is increasing in popularity in Iraq, according to UPI. Marriage in Islam is in part a contract, and Shiite law allows the contract to specify how long the marriage will last. It can be a short period, such as two weeks. Critics of the practice decry it as a form of legalized prostitution, since the groom is responsible for taking care of his temporary bride economically for the period of time they are married. But US couples do one-night stands and move in together for short and longer periods, and living together is often considered a form of common law marriage. So it mystifies me why Americans get so self-righteous about a formalized, religiously sanctioned equivalent of American style shacking up.
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