On Strong Women

Let me mention two: Michelle Bachelet, who was sworn in today as Chile's first woman president, and Dr. Wafa Sultan, a Syrian psychologist who has dared (and I might add eloquently) to stand up against Islamic fundamentalism.

Bachelet, whose campaign I began to follow when I visited Chile, is pretty remarkable. She's a single, agnostic, mother of three, former political prisoner and exile, pediatrician, socialist, who has now become president of her country -- running on a platform that includes things like sexual equity in appointment to government posts. This mind you in a largely male dominated, Catholic country. Here father was imprisoned and died under Pinochet.

Sultan, a Syrian born psychologist, unequivocally condemned violent Islamic fundamentalism on Al Jazeera and, echoing what David Brooks said some weeks back on the News Hour, spoke not of the clash of civilizations but rather of the clash between barbarism and civilization. Of course, now she's been tagged a heretic and an infidel and is getting death threats. There's a link on the NYT of the video interview, which I encourage all of you to watch. It's articulate and on point. And it's especially interesting to see how the other side's debater, an Egyptian Professor of "religious studies" dismisses her b/c she's a heretic and therefore not worth debating. Easy way out, Brother. You can read my views on the matter in my post "Death to Denmark?" in the Feb archives if you're interested.

Sometimes, it is good to read the news to remind us of the things we are capable of.

BT

(Bachelet photo taken from La Nacion; Sultan photo from the NYT.)