Word: anbar
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...fact that Iraqis in Anbar get to participate in their first democratic election isn't the only major change. In a society that remains heavily dependent on tribal lineages and traditional gender roles for its structure, the introduction of women like Khalif and al-Feraji into this month's campaign is a new development, and one that both the men and women seem to view as more of a legal necessity than an opportunity. "We are required to have eight women if we're going to win," al-Hais says, responding to his wife's irritation. Na'if suggests that...
Like other provinces, Anbar's election will be regulated by a law passed last fall that requires 25% of council members to be women. Without the law, many Iraqis acknowledge, there would be a far slimmer showing of female candidates. A similar quota was in place for the last round of nationwide elections, which took place in 2005. But in Anbar, where most of the province's majority Sunni population boycotted that vote, political participation for men and women alike is relatively new. "Democracy will be real in Anbar in 2009," says Jubbair Rashid Na'if, another high-ranking tribal...
...five has absolutely no interest in the position she's running for. "I don't want to be a candidate. He forced it on me," she says, scowling at her husband, Sheikh Hamid al-Hais, who heads one of the largest tribal-based political parties in Iraq's desert Anbar province. "I don't even know what number I am on the list. Ask him." She flicks her hand in his direction...
Khalif is one of 131 female candidates - some are more willing than others - to include their name on the more than 500-person ballot for Anbar's provincial election, slated for Jan. 31. Al-Hais' party is one of several that are composed of leaders from the homegrown Awakening movement; they are expected to be among the most popular contenders for council seats. (See pictures of a summit of Anbar's leading sheiks...
...Anbar, which makes up nearly one-third of Iraq's territory, was at the heart of the country's bloody insurgency against U.S. troops, which raged for more than three years. In 2006 local sheiks and former insurgents began to band together to form the Awakening movement. With funding from the U.S. military, the movement fought a fierce battle in 2007 against al-Qaeda-led insurgents, inspiring similar programs in other areas of Iraq. The Awakening is largely credited with quelling the insurgency and bringing stability to Anbar and Baghdad. Now many of Anbar's 35 parties carry names that...