RAPE: It's Now Legal in Afghanistan

 You know when control is lost when the man you chose to lead a country allows, for politcal gains, the legal rape of women.

This is what has happened very recently when President Karzai of Afghanistan signed the law into effect to bolster his own re-election. Karzai, is the man the US handpicked to be president of that country after US troops freed the country from the ruthless Taliban. He has deep ties to America through family members residing here. But Karzai is fighting to stay in power, which of course, of keen interest to the US for obvious reasons.

Karzai is trying to win over the Shiite's, which comprise of 20% of the total population in allowing this law, which was never debated within the Afghanistan government. The law applies only to shiites, not Sunni. The stipulates:

1. The wife is bound to preen (look her best) for her husband as and when the husband demands.
2. As long as the husband is not traveling, he has the right to have sex with his wife every fourth night.
3. Unless the wife is ill or has another serious illness that is aggravated by having sex, the wife must agree with any sexual desires of her husband.
4. The husband should not avoid having sex with his wife longer than once every four months.

UNIFEM states the law legalizes rape within a marriage. It violates a woman's right to say no. The US State Department and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are outraged yet quite powerless to make Karzai bend to the US desires. The man the US chose to lead Afghanistan out of the dark ages and weird religious practices has done an "about face" to secure the Shiite vote, at least he hopes so.

This issue does not carry enough "weight" for further US action, because if it were done, other facets of Afghanistan may unravel or backfire. The Taliban are still in Afghanistan. You can find them anywhere were US forces are not.

While the US military may be controlling the key areas of the country, they have no control over its government or its President.