EDITORIAL
Don't leave Iraqi women worse off

What a travesty it would be if, after fighting a war to democratize Iraq, the United States left Iraqi women in worse shape than they were under the tyrannical Saddam Hussein.

But such an unwelcome scenario isn't that implausible. The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council has voted to cancel the civil laws that protected fundamental women's rights in favor of a medieval version of Islamic "sharia" law.

The council's vote, which narrowly passed under the sway of conservative Shiite members, must be approved by U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer, who is set to meet today with the Iraqi Governing Council and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

We urge Bremer to add the preservation of Iraq's civil family law to a set of conditions for ending the occupation and turning over political power to Iraqis, which is scheduled for June 30.

Unlike their Islamic counterparts, Iraq's civil family laws prohibit marriage under 18, arbitrary divorce and male favoritism in child custody and property inheritance disputes. In this, at least, Iraq was closer to other more moderate nations where sharia law is recognized, but in the context of a broader civil system.

Granted, Iraq was no paradise for women. They were intimidated and tortured by security forces, and had little recourse if their husbands beat them. But overall, their civil codes were among the most progressive in the Middle East.

However, conservative Shiite forces want to change that. As it is, women account for nearly 50 percent of Iraq's 24 million people and make up more than 20 percent of the Iraqi workforce.

They serve as teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs and other roles that are largely off-limits to Muslim women elsewhere in the region, particularly those in Afghanistan.

According to Isobel Coleman, director of the Project on U.S. Foreign Policy and Women at the Council on Foreign Relations, Iraqi women score highest of all Arab women on the United Nations' measure of gender empowerment, largely because of their relatively high rate of political participation.

Of course, the U.S.-appointed Governing Council members can't stay in power indefinitely. Eventually, elected leaders and representatives will take their places and determine the fate of Iraqi women. But while the United States has some leverage, let's help secure the gains made by Iraqi women rather than send them back to medieval times.