Keep the women of Iraq in your hearts and minds

As you go about your daily routine, please pause and give a thought or a prayer to the women in Iraq.

I just read a horrifying article on CNN.com (Violations of 'Islamic teachings' take deadly toll on Iraqi women) that describes the terrible retribution that Iraqi women are suffering because they are not following the Islamic dress code.

What is it that drives people to exert their desire for control over others in such an inhuman manner?

This is the first sentence of the article from CNN:

"The images in the Basra police file are nauseating: Page after page of women killed in brutal fashion -- some strangled to death, their faces disfigured; others beheaded. All bear signs of torture. "

And another execerpt from this article:

"Fear, fear is always there," says 30-year-old Safana, an artist and university professor. "We don't know who to be afraid of. Maybe it's a friend or a student you teach. There is no break, no security. I don't know who to be afraid of."

I, living in America, which provides the utmost in freedom for women, cannot even imagine the fear and terror these women must face all day, every day. My heart goes out to all of them.