It would be nice if that were the case, Deda, but I'm afraid that the world climate with regard to human rights is not a very good one these days, even in countries that we like to think of as being more enlightened than others.

And by the way, greg... I didn't drag Israel into this. Israel dragged itself into this.

As a woman, I find it incredibly offensive when people use the issue of women's rights as a way of targeting only one group of people (such as Muslims, in the case of Alex's first post to this thread) for condemnation. If abuse of women is a bad thing, it's bad wherever it happens. Not just when it's being conducted by certain groups of people.

If people want to avoid looking like hypocrites on this issue, they need to be consistant in their condemnation of the abuse of women wherever it occurs, and by whomever it is being done. And they need to make sure they don't attack people who report it's existance in places they have a particular attachment to.

As I said before, this is a gender issue. Not a religious issue. Since the beginning of time, the brutalization and exploitation of women has been a problem among all races, religions, ethnic groups, and nationalities. If you don't want to be a part of the problem, you need to make an effort to be a part of the solution. And the first step toward being a part of the solution is to stop denying the fact that it's happening, even when it's being done by members of whatever racial, religious, or ethnic group (or nationality) you happen to belong to.