What an Irony: Ms. Nasreen (Berwari) Al-Yawer Mission By: Dr Shafiq Shemzin Nov 9, 2004

When Mrs. Berwari started her office in Erbil, we were all so enthusiastic and proud that a Kurdish lady with such a charm and a graduate from the prestigious Harvard university is leading a ministry in the very traditional tribal style administration of KDP. And the support of her continued in Baghdad, where many Kurds were putting her ahead of the women, to lead the issues of women rights in Iraq. She was an example for many Iraqi Kurdish and Arab females in her achievements and her courage to survive in a masculine world.

She is a tough negotiator and she speaks Arabic fluently, which many Kurdish officials are lacking.

Mrs. AL-Yawar started to go in with the flow of routine that has been imposed in Iraqi ministries. Let alone the corruption and nepotism his has been bluntly exposed in Iraqi Parliament. She resisted taking back her decision in issuing tenders for companies which are related to her old friends of KDP.

The real issue here is that many Kurds were stunned and even outraged when she announced her marriage to Sheikh Ghazi AL-Yawer, the sheikh of the large Shamer Arab tribe. Ms. Berwari, who is a forerunner in women issues, gave a big slap to women issues in Iraq. She degraded Kurdish women by her marriage with a traditional sheikh who is already married to two other females.

One of the issues which many females are fighting for is polygamy. How is it possible that such an educated lady like Ms Berwari accept to be the third wife, or has she been seduced by Ghazai Al-Yawer that she will be the first lady of Iraq?

That only shows the respect that Ghazi AL-Yawer has for Kurds. He does not want to take his Arab wives to official ceremonies, and has chosen for a Kurdish lady that can accompany him for official visits. This marriage has degraded Kurdish ladies, showing one of her most educated and leading figures being opportunistic, by accepting a fat Arab sheikh for position and fame on the cost of her values and the values of other females in Iraq.

Ms. Berwari has given up on her values, and lost credibility by marrying a tribal leader as a third wife. Where does she get the courage and shameless attitude to talk about women rights in Iraq anymore? It is better for Ms. Berwari to keep low profile concerning women issues. How can she convince females and males about women rights when she is admitting to Arab polygamy practice