Women's rights must be protected

Speech by Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP delivered to The European Parliament on Mon 24th Oct 2005

Sarah Ludford (ALDE). - Mr President, you reminded us that today is United Nations Day and that upholding human rights is a top priority. Recently, the British Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, current President of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, said there can be no negotiation about the re-creation of the caliphate; no negotiation about the imposition of Sharia law; no negotiation about the suppression of equality between the sexes or about the ending of free speech. He said that these values are fundamental to our civilisation and are simply not up for negotiation. This raises the question of why, in Iraq, the British and Americans have encouraged the adoption of a constitution which enshrines Sharia law and will severely curb the freedom of many women.

We welcome the fact that over 70 women have been elected to the parliament in Afghanistan. However, the editor of a women's rights magazine - a male editor, by the way -has been jailed for anti-Islamic articles. In both countries women face harassment, violent attacks, death threats and murder because they are women. So I hope that this Parliament will hold governments like Britain's to their promises on sex equality, on free speech and on avoiding the imposition of Sharia law in Iraq and Afghanistan.