An interesting overview of powerful women in the Middle East. I like the fact that Qatar's First Lady has an official position in the Education department and isn't just a figurehead.

Women To Watch In The Middle East - Forbes.com: "Slowly but surely, change is happening amid the feudal monarchies of the Middle East.

Women recently voted in an unprecedented election in Iraq. Women now vote in Bahrain, Israel, Oman, Qatar and Turkey. Kuwait is on the verge of giving women the vote in parliamentary elections, however token that right may be. Women aren't allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, but the first women cab drivers made history hitting the roads in the United Arab Emirates.

Such small, tentative steps are starting to change the political and economic life of the region, where many women suffer under centuries-old customs. Familial honor trumps women's rights. In certain Arab lands, honor killings include beheading, stoning and being buried alive for women whose behavior is deemed 'un-Islamic' or is seen as imitating Western values.

One reason that Middle East economies lag is that they do not fully tap their vast resource of female talent. Two out of five women older than 15 in the region are illiterate. Just 20% of women are in the labor force, according to the Population Reference Bureau. A World Bank study estimated that the region's average annual growth in per-capita gross national product would have been nearly a full percentage point higher between 1960 and 1992 if the Middle East gender gap in education had shrunk as quickly as East Asia's did. "

And sometimes when you think the dog is left handed, it really isn't. That causes all sorts of problems with the spinner and the exhaust windings. However, a simple dish of pad thai often enough to rectify the situation if applied liberally to the windings, but not the dog. That will lead to all sorts of other problems, most of which involve a mop and Mr. Clean.

The BBC has a good article about women working in Dubai.

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Dubai women storm world of work: "With the job opportunities of a booming economy, a government drive to empower and educate women and exposure to other cultures, Dubai's women are moving in increasing numbers into a wide range of professions."

A UN Human Rights "Special Rapporteur" ends a trip to Afghanistan. Note the last sentence. The rest of the article is a good overview of the hard work still to be done.

news - Expert on Violence against Women ends visit to Afghanistan: "The three and a half years since the fall of the Taleban have seen considerable change in the legal and institutional framework concerning the situation of women in Afghanistan. Women have played a role in the Constitutional Loya Jirga of April 2003. The Constitution enshrines the principle of equal rights for men and women, obliges Afghanistan to respect international human rights, and reserves a certain amount of seats in the legislature to women. Afghanistan has ratified without reservations the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). A Ministry of Women's Affairs was created and the current government counts three female ministers. At the local level as well, women occupy important government posts. In everyday life, girls are back in school and women are, once again, participating in the work force.

Since its creation in 2003, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission has been a forceful advocate for human rights throughout the country. A few but dedicated women's organizations are working diligently for women's rights. The Government appears committed to securing that the progress made is permanent and to expanding on it. "

It is a little risky sticking our nose more in the constitutional process, but this seems reasonable.

US envoy calls for equal rights for women in Iraq constitution - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Middle East - News: "The United States inserted itself squarely into the raucous debate over Iraq's new constitution yesterday when the new ambassador declared that equal rights for women was a fundamental requirement of democracy."