What Good Is An Education If You Can't Drive, Vote or See?

I scrolled through President Obama's Cairo speech text wondering aloud if, when and how much he'd talk about the tremendous oppression many women face in the Muslim world.

It took a while, but he finally got to women's rights -- sixth of six on his list of tensions. I can live with that. But I have to agree with Bonnie that the substance of what he said was thin.

Instead of "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights," Hillary Clinton's stirring declaration in China 14 years ago, we got "our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons." Nice, but vague. No mention that the daughters' impediments in various countries include not being able to vote or drive, or leave the house without worrying that they'll get flogged if religious police don't like their looks or clothing.

Obama did say that "a woman who is denied an education is denied equality" -- but it's so much more basic than that. A woman who is considered a man's property is denied equality. A woman who needs a male relative as escort to go anywhere is a prisoner.

And what's all this about head scarves? "I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal," Obama said. Talk about a straw man. Isn't the real wardrobe issue for many Muslim women that they must cover, smother and nearly blind themselves in burqas, whether that's their choice or not?

This is, I admit, a Western and not very diplomatic view. But surely the president and his speechwriters could have found a tactful way to point out some of the specific, basic obstacles standing between women and normal, respectful, productive daily lives.