A question for Dr. Pipes

Submitted by Isaac Webster (United States), Sep 25, 2002 at 13:24

Dear Dr. Pipes,
First of all I enjoy your comments when I see you on television or in print. You really have a excellent insight into the Muslim culture and mind set. As for my question, what is your opinion about how the post Saddam Iraq would look?
What I'm getting at is the following: I think that in a democratic Iraq, we'll (the U.S. and the world at large) will see extreme culture shock. I would expect that a pluralistic government, in Iraq, would obliterate the patriarcy as well as the existing social structure.
Certainly, I am not a sociologist, nor anthropologist. However, I can't help but imagine that a pluralisitic government that gave women equal rights, would chip away at what I understand as a male dominated culture. What do you think? Wouldn't a pluralistic government (whether we grafted the U.S. Constitution onto the Iraqi people whole or one they selected) be a culture shock to the people? )
I haven't heard much from any commentator or op-ed writer that addresses what a pluralistic government would mean. I assume such a government would totally throw Iraqis for a loop. Granted, Iraq is more secular than most Middle Eastern countries, however, I get the impression from reading M. Viorst and others that a democratic government would shock the existing social system, in Iraq. What do you think?
Isaac Webster
Boulder, Colorado

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