The New York Times is taking it to the streets of Baghdad. In their Baghdad Bureau blog, they are asking readers to submit questions for Iraqi women. A Times reporter will select readers’ questions, take to the streets of Baghdad with an interpreter, pose the questions to Iraqi women on the streets of Baghdad, and videotape their responses. Many of the questions posted to the Times website inquire about how their lives have changed, should the U.S. get out of Iraq, the different religious-political factions, and was life better before the U.S. occupation.

This raises an interesting question about the U.S. perception of the life of Iraqi women pre and post Saddam. In her book, “Between Two Worlds:  Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam”Zainab Salbi reveals what her life was like growing up and living under Saddam’s regime and inside his inner circle. Salbi gives a riveting view of life in Iraq before the U.S. invasion and shortly thereafter. She addresses the West’s view of Saddam’s “liberation” of women with respect to property rights and divorce. She refutes the notion that he was in any way pro-woman. He was a rapist and terrorized millions of people. These “freedoms” he granted were largely for show and at his whim. Given Salbi’s point of view, I find it interesting that the opponents of the war cited his pro-woman leadership as a reason not to go to war. Consequently, Salbi is also the founder of Women for Women International, a non-profit organization that advocates for women in war torn countries where rape has been used as a tactic of war.

I applaud the Times and their effort to give voice to Iraqi women. However, I can’t help but wonder if videotaping their political opinions in view of anyone on the street might not put them in harm’s way. I guess I’m not so sure how much of a balanced response they will get to readers’ questions. Under Saddam, saying or implying the wrong opinion was a death sentence to a person and their families. That horrific legacy coupled with the current violence and instability may not lend itself to accurate coverage of womens’ political views, at least not with a video camera.

Perhaps there is another way to reach out to Iraqi women and assess their needs?
I will be curious to see the results of this effort and will be following it on my blog.

read more | digg story