CARNAL NATION

The Associated Press reports that Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, has ordered a review of a law, passed last month, which critics charge legalizes the rape of women by their husbands. The law was meant to regulate familial relations among Afghanistan's minority Shiite community (between 10 and 20% of the population). Under one article legislating the frequency of sexual relations between Shiite husbands and wives, husbands have the right to sex every fourth night unless the wife is ill.

In Strasbourg, France, at the NATO Summit, President Obama called the law "abhorrent" and added, "We think that it is very important for us to be sensitive to local culture but we also think that there are certain basic principles that all nations should uphold, and respect for women and respect for their freedom and integrity is an important principle." There is great fear in Afghanistan that the advancement of women may be jeopardized by such laws. Under the Taliban, women could not appear in public unless dressed in a body-covering burqa and accompanied by a male escort from her family. Now millions of girls and women attend school. Many women own businesses, and 89 of the 351 members of Afghanistan's Parliament are women.

Western countries were incensed about the law earlier in the week. International condemnation was swift and immediate. Once reports of the law hit the media, Karzai claims he was planning to review the law anyway. Karzai said, "I ordered the justice minister to review the law, and if there is anything that would contravene the country’s constitution or Shariah law or the freedom our constitution gives to Afghan women, without any doubt there will be changes in it, and again it will be sent to the parliament of Afghanistan, measures will be taken."

Yeah, we thought that's what you had better say.