Romney and 'Gender Equality' in the fight against terrorism

With the US election looming it’s not surprising to see Republican Romney following in the footsteps of many before him by citing gender equality in opposition to Islamic culture. Echoing Laura Bush’s idea that ‘The fight against terrorism is the fight for the rights and dignity of women’ Romney has reiterated the notion of the treatment of women as a justification for the US presence in the Middle East. As Kaili Joy Gray headlines her article (dailykos.com):

'Mitt Romney like 'gender equality,' but just to fight Muslims'

 

When asked about his strategy to fight Muslim extremists, Romney has come out with 4 answers, one of which is gender equality. However he failed to explain just how gender equality is going to help fight terrorism and once again it is just cited as an accepted reason for US presence in the Arab world. Gray’s musings on just how gender equality will help hilariously sums up the irrelevance of Romney’s third ‘strategy’:

'You see? Romney will use "gender equality" as a strategy to fight Muslim extremism because nothing stops Muslim extremists dead in their tracks like "free abortion on demand!" and "equal pay for equal work!" Not that a (giggle) President Romney would give women free abortion on demand or equal pay for equal work, because he doesn't actually support those things. But man, he is so going to win the war on terror by using gender equality. He's going to gender equality those terrorists right out of existence.'

 (Full article here) http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/23/1148787/-Mitt-Romney-likes-gender-equality-but-just-to-fight-Muslims

 Thanks to Bette Midler and her backlash on twitter  The stupidity of Romney's words have not been overlooked:  

‘Go after the bad guys? Help the Muslim world ...gender equality??? That's a strategy?’

 Well said Bette.

Perhaps before helping all the oppressed Muslim women Romney should focus on inequalities in his own country rather than suggesting that us ladies should all be home at 5 to make dinner. After all, America is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures...with less women in government than Iraq.

• (For a great insight into gender equality and the media in the US see this trailer for the film miss-representation of women- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5pM1fW6hNs&feature=related)
• For more on the election and women's rights see article- http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/31/why-us-women-need-obama