As we search for meaning in the holiday season, trying to elevate the atmosphere of Christmas above the commercialism of it, various moral principles come to the fore of our minds at this reflective time of year: giving, forgiveness, love, kindness, and most of all, compassion.

The former nun and interfaith proponent Karen Armstrong’s latest book, “Twelve Steps To A Compassionate Life” argues that compassion as a principle lies at the heart of all religions. Others would argue that this is wishful thinking, as did philosopher Ophelia Benson in her straightforward response to Armstrong’s book: “The principle of obedience to God lies at the heart of many religious traditions, and it is a modern illusion to think that is identical to compassion.”

In any case, it seems clear that compassion is not a regular enough part of the practice of either the faithful or the faithless, whether or not it’s a principle we fancy ourselves as espousing.

By this I don’t mean to say that we don’t take care of own, but that much of the time, we only take care of our own, peering seldom into realities that are too unpleasant and too much trouble to deal with.

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In her book, “The Punishment of Virtue” Sarah Chayes wrote that, “Afghanistan is a place of too many layers to give itself up to the tactics of a rushed conformity. Afghanistan only uncovers itself with intimacy. And intimacy takes time.”

Too few Canadians have attempted to peel back the layers of Afghanistan’s complexities; and have rather, swallowed whole the portrayal we are fed by our mainstream media of a dark, dangerous and backwards country. Or, many have unquestionably accepted the propaganda of the “anti-war” movement, or more often, not noticed what it is that the pacifists fail to mention, not least of which is what will happen when the international community turns its back on Afghanistan and there is more bloodshed, not less. Read more

The Propagandist's own contributing writer Lauryn Oates will be joining Tarek Fatah, Aruna Papp, Morton Weinfeld, Alia Hogben and others October 1-2 in Calgary for the The Marsha Hanen Symposium on Ethical Leadership and Gender Equality, organized by by the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership. The symposium's topic is Gender, Culture and Religion: Tackling Some Difficult Questions. From the Foundation's website:

The Sheldon Chumir Foundation is concerned with how we organize ourselves so as to live ethically well together – peacefully, with dignity for all and in mutual respect. Equality issues are central to our mandate. This Symposium will provide an opportunity for thoughtful engagement with one set of equality issues – those presented by the tension between gender equality and Canada’s cultural and religious diversity.

Registration details here. Read more

Margaret MacMillan, in "The Uses and Abuses of History" warns of how prone we are to manipulating stories of our past, in order to protect our interests in the present. In the case of the Canadian lens on Afghanistan, its the history of our own struggles for rights and freedoms that we ignore.

As we gaze upon the often deadly battle Afghan progressives wage to secure democracy, rights for women, and a more open society, we pretend those same battles never occurred here. It's as if it just were always so, not an incremental thing that occurred only as the culmination of a long, arduous struggle against the status quo. We deem the valuing of democracy, rights and personal freedoms is "ours" alone, inherent to western culture. This view makes it easier to dismiss the present-day ideological battle in Afghanistan, between the Taliban's death-cult and the masses who want the very same privileges we expect in our society: democracy, human rights, wealth, and the capacity to live a life of dignity and free of fear. As Adrian MacNair pointed out recently in his excellent article The Leftist Enablers of Gender Apartheid,

So-called feminists in Canada are perfectly comfortable within their much-celebrated birthright to equality under Canadian law. But they cannot summon the courage even to fight for their international sisters yet enchained in the slavery of a codified patriarchal society. They stand on the shoulders of giants, suffragettes who fought for the international principle of human equality, only to stand at a bus shelter next to a woman whose identity has been eradicated by a black shroud, and think to themselves how tolerant they are of differing cultures.

Indeed. Yet for all of the education of the pseudo-leftist feminists, who will not hesitate to tell you the underrepresentation of women in Parliament and the gender gap in income, they look to nations like Afghanistan and give a shrug that suggests we should allow Islamic fascism a chance at self-determination.

Just read this Declaration of Commitment to Afghan Women, drafted by a coalition within the ever-robust Afghan women's movement (despite being so often dismissed by the insularity of Western "feminists"), translated from Dari, and dated August 4th 2009, and then below that the Declaration of the Seneca Falls Convention signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men. The language, with the passage of time, is a little different; the demands and the spirit are the same.

The Declaration of Five Million Afghan Women Campaign

According to the constitution of Afghanistan and national and international treaties, one of the important social rights of human beings is to determine their political future (the right to elect and to be elected), but unfortunately in Afghan society the women are facing many problems in order to use their rights.  Considering the time constraints in presidential and provincial councils’ elections, among the society there are growing concerns over participation of women in the election process. Therefore, women rights activists and civil society representatives from all over the country gathered on 25th June, 2009 and held comprehensive talks on related issues. In this gathering decision has been taken to launch a campaign of 5 million Afghan eligible women to support women’s political participation in order to ensure the rule of law and gender equality.

Taking into account that the active participation of women in elections is vital for resolving the current problems of the country; therefore, we (women) need a comprehensive support of people as well as national and international organizations. Hence, for increasing the level of women participation and in order to attain their legal rights, this campaign suggests the following:

This campaign asks the people and government of Afghanistan to support their commitments regarding women’s political rights and transparency of election process, especially:

1. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) , governors, district governors and all relevant national and international organizations are asked to adopt measures to ensure the security of women during polling day.

2. The Ministries of Culture & Information, Hajj and Religious Affairs and other religious and cultural organizations are asked to encourage eligible women to participate in elections by using religious courses through mass media, mosques and Shia mosque.

3. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA,) and national and international organizations working for women rights, are asked to support the campaign.

4. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) and national and international organizations working for election are asked to pave the way for women to participate in election and to use all sources and possibilities such as media, schools, mosques and free transportation, in order to motivate and guarantee their presence in the election.

The campaign asks all presidential and provincial councils’ candidates to acknowledge and include issues like women’s political, social, cultural, civil and economical rights, ensure the opportunities of reaching justice for women, amend the laws which affect women life “specifically the Family Law” and implement the Law of elimination of violence against women in accordance with the Constitution and national and international commitments.

The Afghan Women's Network as the implementer and supporter of this campaign believes that promoting democracy without women’s independent and active participation is unattainable. Therefore, all Afghan women are asked to realize the value of their votes and by considering their social responsibility, they shall participate in election.

And now a glimpse into the gender apartheid once a legacy of the western political and social structure.

The Declaration of Sentiments, Declaration of the Seneca Falls Convention, 1848

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable

rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer. while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled. The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.

He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice.

He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men--both natives and foreigners.

Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.

He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.

He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns.

He has made her, morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband.

In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master--the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement.

He has so framed the laws of divorce, as to what shall be the proper causes, and in case of separation, to whom the guardianship of the children shall be given, as to be wholly regardles of the happiness of women--the law, in all cases, going upon a flase supposition of the supremacy of man, and giving all power into his hands.

After depriving her of all rights as a married woman, if single, and the owner of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.

He has monopolized nearly all the profitable employments, and from those she is permitted to follow, she receives but a scanty remuneration. He closes against her all the avenues to wealth and distinction which he considers most homorable to himself. As a teacher of theoloy, medicine, or law, she is not known.

He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education, all colleges being closed against her.

He allows her in church, as well as state, but a suborinate position, claiming apostolic authority for her exclusion from the ministry, and, with some exceptions, from any public participation in the affairs of the church.

He has created a false public sentiment by giving to the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated, but deemed of little account in man.

He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and to her God.

He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.

Now, in view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half the people of this country, their social and religious degradation--in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States.

There is a stark contrast between the views of western observers who feel themselves gagged and bound by the need to respect cultural tradition and the views of victims, who want justice and accountability.

Take just two statements from The Guardian as an example:

"We know it happens here although we have no official statistics, but we have seen very successful partnerships and we don't want to alienate communities through heavy-handed tactics." - a detective responsible for investigating cases of female genital mutilation (or FGM) in London

"Culture should not be about torture." - a Somalian victim of FGM now unable to have children, when at age 12, doctors discovered "several years of period blood that had been blocked from leaving her body"

By being 'soft-handed' when facing something as inhuman and terrible as forcefully cutting off part of a little girl's vagina, British authorities have their ear turned more towards the adults in cultural communities complicit in committing this atrocious practice, rather than the children who are subjected to it against their will.

It's a story repeated time and time again, like when westerners are so keen to insist on negotiation and power-sharing agreements with the Taliban in Afghanistan, while Afghan women- those with the most to lose from any such deals- look on with horror and anxiety. The Afghan women's movement has occasionally been fractured and uncoordinated, but they are united on this: that their rights must not be sold away, and the specter of Taliban deal-making presents a strong likelihood of this happening.

During the London Conference in January, then later the Kabul Conference this month, statement after statement released by networks and coalitions of women's organizations in Afghanistan warned of the dangers to their newly gained rights in deal-making with the Taliban, demanded that the Afghan Constitution and Afghanistan's international legal obligations in human rights not be jeopardized, and reminded the international community of all the promises that had been made to them.

There was little coverage of any of their efforts in the western media, while over the last year many prominent western commentators filled editorial pages pushing for Taliban negotiations, regardless of the human rights costs to women or anyone else. One often detects an underlying tone of sympathy to the Taliban, and eyes rolling over all the fuss about women.

Katharine Viner is annoyed by feminism used as "imperialism" in Afghanistan and York University’s Krista Hunt wrote, critical of what she felt was unjustified media attention to women's rights back in the early days of the post-Taliban Afghan government, “the primary reason for this coverage of women in Afghanistan is that it provides further evidence that vilifies the Taliban and justifies the Bush administration’s goal of ‘hunting down the terrorists and those that harbour them’.” Well yes, exposing recent history's most brutal systematized form of gender segregation, a system that included stoning women to death in sports stadiums, might result in the perpetrators being viewed as villains. Because they are villains.

Why do we worry so much about alienating people who hold down screaming little girls and butcher their vaginas? Why are we so keen to be friends with the Taliban? Why do we allow the voices of the misogynists bearing the instruments of torture to drown out the voices of their victims?

It's time to pop the bubble of cultural relativism and check our premises so that we understand more fully what we are actually endorsing and who we are further victimizing in our soft-handed passivity.

Lauryn Oates is a contributing writer for The Propagandist.