During the month-long fight to depose Saddam Hussein,
Dr. Shatha Besarani longed to be back in Iraq
Helping battle-scarred women survive the destruction of yet another war
Their third since 1980.
But Besarani, 39, a gynecologist
Whose parents were forced into exile by Saddam's regime,
Could not return for fear of landing in prison.
So the mother of three did what she could from afar.
She helped organize public demonstrations in Britain
Demanding that coalition forces spare women and children.
She set up dozens of meetings at London's Iraqi Community Association,
Offering exiled women
A place to share their fears and find comfort.
And even before Saddam's dictatorship was toppled,
Besarani was calling aid groups around the world
Urging that women be included
In the leadership of the new Iraq.
"She's a very good lady. Very helpful,"
Said Awatif Alibadi, 51, of London,
An Iraqi immigrant who took part in Besarani's meetings.
"Because of her, we would talk about the war
And help each other feel less scared."
Besarani said she sees her involvement with Iraqi women
As an extension of her mother's unfinished work.
Her mother, Sabina Al Khatib,
A leader of Iraq's Communist Party,
Spent most of her life fighting
To give Iraqi women a voice in that country's government.
When Saddam came to power in 1979,
Al Katib was forced to flee the country,
Taking her family with her.
She was never able to return and died five years ago in London.
"She wanted to make women aware of their rights
And demanded that they be treated better in [Iraqi] society,
" Said Besarani, who studied medicine
In Russia before settling in London 13 years ago.
"I do hear her inside of me.
I too want to see Iraqi women
Laughing and living in a good world,
Where they are respected and valued."
Though she said she is not part of the Communist Party
And doesn't want to run for political office,
Besarani plans to move to Iraq as soon as possible.
She said her goal is to organize
A conference in Baghdad to discuss women's issues
And mobilize women in the country.
Her task won't be easy. Though Iraq
Has a long tradition of women's education and employment,
Those gains have been eroded
By decades of tyranny, poverty and war.
And Besarani said she fears many Iraqi men would prefer women
Stay out of professional and civic life.
For example, at an anti-Saddam Shiite demonstration
Recently in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya,
A reporter asked a man why there were no women in the protest.
"Under Islamic law, they cannot be here,
" Kazem Alssafi told London's Daily Telegraph.
"They should remain in the home."
If Besarani has her way,
Such attitudes will change,
And women will savor the fruits of democracy in the new Iraq.
"But the first thing, the immediate need,
Is to show them
That they are secure," she said.
"Give them something to drink, to eat.
Give them shelter. After three wars,
They deserve to hurt no more."
