Iraqi women fear going public as candidates

The problem is more acute for women who have come under attack simply for wearing makeup or refusing to don head scarves and head-to-toe black robes — behavior deemed un-Islamic by extremists.

Women also have come under scrutiny for defying traditional norms that discourage them from mixing with men or occupying a public role.

"The women are afraid because their names will be published ... because of al-Qaida, because of terror groups and extremists," said Nirmeen Othman, a former minister for women's affairs.

A 35-year-old female lawyer from the Shiite holy city of Najaf, who also declined to be identified to avoid being targeted, said she did not want to put her family in danger.

"I am afraid that some fundamentalists or political groups might target me in order to ensure that they control the provincial council," she said. "I might run for the elections in the future if the security situation is better."

Anonymous campaigning
Inaam Hamid, who accepted a spot on the Baghdad provincial council in 2005 with the main Shiite party the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council said she'll run for re-election — but will do so as anonymously as possible.

"I won't put my picture on a poster. I won't use mass media. I'll depend on the people who know me to get my votes," she said during a recent interview in her ground floor office at the provincial government headquarters in Baghdad.

"It's a disaster — the names being out there," Hamid said, fiddling with her wedding ring as the air conditioner muffled the noise coming from Iraqi petitioners and a group of U.S. soldiers in the busy hall of the heavily fortified building.

The 43-year-old former political prisoner and mother of five proudly ticked off her accomplishments, ranging from helping establish vocational workshops for women to ensuring that victims of violence are properly compensated.

Othman, now the environmental minister, said she understands women's fears of running but said it's important to participate in the elections to change Iraq.

"We must have women in provincial councils, in governing councils, in parliament — everywhere if we want to have our voices heard in decision-making positions," Othman said during an interview at her Baghdad home in the U.S.-protected Green Zone.

She said some women themselves do not accept the notion of equality between men and women.

"We must persuade women to vote for women," she said. "We must also try to teach them how to campaign. It's not easy."

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