By Gao Shan, Fu Yiming | BAGHDAD, Jan. 30
With her son's photo in hand and a sense of sadness and helplessness in eyes, an old woman sat on a ropey wooden stool beside the gate of the election campaign office of Sawsan al-Mawla, a female candidate from the Iraqi National Dialogue Front. Two guards with rifles standing aside looked at her sympathetically but still refused to let her in through the gate. She stretched out her hand and mumbled to everyone passing by for help.
Then Sawsan al-Mawla, a woman in her 40s, came to the gate. Elegant in her manners, Mawla dressed in fashion with black overcoat and colorful scarf. She has light brown short hair with a natural wave and soft contours, similar to Hillary Clinton, the new U.S. Secretary of State and the former First Lady.
She listened to the miserable story of the poor old woman, 52-year-old Bushra Yusif, and comforted her. Yusif's son in the photo was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad. Another son is jobless while her husband is suffering from mental illness. She came to several government agencies for help but got no response. If she couldn't get enough money for the rent of her house, her family would be kicked out of the door. Occasionally, she saw the election poster of Mawla on the street. With some hope, she came to Mawla to have a try.
Mawla gave the old women 65,000 Iraqi Dinars (about 55 U.S. dollars) and called for an official in the Iraqi government to help the old woman to find a job for her son.
"You see, it's just an example of the misery life of Iraqi women," pointing to the old woman sitting and sobbing in the corner, she told Xinhua. "Without ambition, I wouldn't go to elections, I want to be Iraq's Hillary, so that I will serve my country and be an example for Iraqi women who have already suffered a lot in the war."
"I am honored to be a candidate and head of the Front's woman organization in Karkh district in western Baghdad. To help widows, orphans and those poor women in need in this war-torn country is my duty," she said.
Mawla is just one of thousands of Iraqi women now running in Saturday's election. More than a quarter of the about 14,000 candidates registered for provincial elections are women. According to election laws that try to ensure the presence of women in political system, each party that wins seats in provincial council must give a third of their seats to women.
"My election campaign is through radio and TV in addition to other ways such as Internet and posters. But my favorite way is to face people directly in districts. What pleases me is that wherever I go, people are keen to see a stronger role of women."
With the coming of the elections, posters can be seen on the walls across Baghdad city.
Though it is usually harder for a woman than a man to campaign, Mawla is still optimistic. She said, "Although my district is a hot spot, but I moved freely and used to help putting my posters on the walls that made popular among people. They always tried to express their admiration for my bravery so I got so many people who promised to elect me. And those people in my district volunteered to protect me."
Mawla is a mother of two youngsters, Sarah and Hatem, who are high school students in Baghdad. Campaigning in a country dominated by conservative religious blocs since U.S.-led invasion in 2003, she admitted disagreements among her family.
"It is true my family tried to prevent me at the beginning because of the fragile security and they were afraid that my life would be threatened, but I insisted and managed in my ways to persuade them," She said, "I told them that if you are afraid and I am afraid, who will change Iraq? Why would we leave Iraq for others?"
Hanaa Adwer, head of the Amal (Hope) Society for Woman Affairs, a non-governmental organization, said "Women candidates struggling for women's rights are under pressures in Iraq, politically and socially. Politicians are only giving women a supplementary role for their lists."
"Many women candidates had to quit election campaigns because they received threats, but still we have some who are persisting in. I hope we are on the right way in our struggle to change the traditions of our male-dominant society."
The poll is coming, but is it to signal any kind of new beginning for Iraq?
"God bless you and your win in election," the old woman Yusif embraced Mawla with tears welling in her eyes before leaving. More people came and will come to Mawla for help. Can she deal with that?
Can she be Iraq's Hillary?
(Jubury Shaalan and Jamal Hashim also contributed to this report)
With her son's photo in hand and a sense of sadness and helplessness in eyes, an old woman sat on a ropey wooden stool beside the gate of the election campaign office of Sawsan al-Mawla, a female candidate from the Iraqi National Dialogue Front. Two guards with rifles standing aside looked at her sympathetically but still refused to let her in through the gate. She stretched out her hand and mumbled to everyone passing by for help.
Then Sawsan al-Mawla, a woman in her 40s, came to the gate. Elegant in her manners, Mawla dressed in fashion with black overcoat and colorful scarf. She has light brown short hair with a natural wave and soft contours, similar to Hillary Clinton, the new U.S. Secretary of State and the former First Lady.
She listened to the miserable story of the poor old woman, 52-year-old Bushra Yusif, and comforted her. Yusif's son in the photo was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad. Another son is jobless while her husband is suffering from mental illness. She came to several government agencies for help but got no response. If she couldn't get enough money for the rent of her house, her family would be kicked out of the door. Occasionally, she saw the election poster of Mawla on the street. With some hope, she came to Mawla to have a try.
Mawla gave the old women 65,000 Iraqi Dinars (about 55 U.S. dollars) and called for an official in the Iraqi government to help the old woman to find a job for her son.
"You see, it's just an example of the misery life of Iraqi women," pointing to the old woman sitting and sobbing in the corner, she told Xinhua. "Without ambition, I wouldn't go to elections, I want to be Iraq's Hillary, so that I will serve my country and be an example for Iraqi women who have already suffered a lot in the war."
"I am honored to be a candidate and head of the Front's woman organization in Karkh district in western Baghdad. To help widows, orphans and those poor women in need in this war-torn country is my duty," she said.
Mawla is just one of thousands of Iraqi women now running in Saturday's election. More than a quarter of the about 14,000 candidates registered for provincial elections are women. According to election laws that try to ensure the presence of women in political system, each party that wins seats in provincial council must give a third of their seats to women.
"My election campaign is through radio and TV in addition to other ways such as Internet and posters. But my favorite way is to face people directly in districts. What pleases me is that wherever I go, people are keen to see a stronger role of women."
With the coming of the elections, posters can be seen on the walls across Baghdad city.
Though it is usually harder for a woman than a man to campaign, Mawla is still optimistic. She said, "Although my district is a hot spot, but I moved freely and used to help putting my posters on the walls that made popular among people. They always tried to express their admiration for my bravery so I got so many people who promised to elect me. And those people in my district volunteered to protect me."
Mawla is a mother of two youngsters, Sarah and Hatem, who are high school students in Baghdad. Campaigning in a country dominated by conservative religious blocs since U.S.-led invasion in 2003, she admitted disagreements among her family.
"It is true my family tried to prevent me at the beginning because of the fragile security and they were afraid that my life would be threatened, but I insisted and managed in my ways to persuade them," She said, "I told them that if you are afraid and I am afraid, who will change Iraq? Why would we leave Iraq for others?"
Hanaa Adwer, head of the Amal (Hope) Society for Woman Affairs, a non-governmental organization, said "Women candidates struggling for women's rights are under pressures in Iraq, politically and socially. Politicians are only giving women a supplementary role for their lists."
"Many women candidates had to quit election campaigns because they received threats, but still we have some who are persisting in. I hope we are on the right way in our struggle to change the traditions of our male-dominant society."
The poll is coming, but is it to signal any kind of new beginning for Iraq?
"God bless you and your win in election," the old woman Yusif embraced Mawla with tears welling in her eyes before leaving. More people came and will come to Mawla for help. Can she deal with that?
Can she be Iraq's Hillary?
(Jubury Shaalan and Jamal Hashim also contributed to this report)
Source: Xinhua
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