Get real. I have no idea whether or not Iraq has gone "phenomenally backwards" since Saddam was ousted, my post was based on accepting your premise that they had. Now, if a society goes phenomenally backwards in any given area as soon as a tyrant is deposed, that shows you what kind of attitudes were bubbling under the surface all along, does it not?
However, whether or not your premise is true is another matter entirely.
That would be true if there were no unregulated powerful religious militias.
I know what you mean, Nour. However, if IA's description of events is true, (and he is Iraqi, he should know), then I would expect it to right itself within a generation. That's probably not much consolation to Iraqis now, but that's how real progress happens, its always two steps forward and one step back.
Not necessarily. If the militias remain as powerful as they are I doubt we're gonna see any major social progress.
Another thing I would like to say is that on a private familial level not much changed. Yes women now feel pressure to wear hijab in some areas in Baghdad but they still take it off once they're inside the house/campus.
In Kurdistan, which is practically a separate safe part of Iraq and where there has been no religious militias, you would find that the majority of women do not wear any hijab.
Overall, things are getting better but the progress is extremely volatile.
To lighten things up a bit, here is some pics a friend of mine sent me from the pre-graduation celebration at the University of Technology, Iraq. This kind of celebration was not possible in late '06 or early '07. In fact when I was at Baghdad Medical School we had to cancel our 06 celebration because the militias raided another uni and confiscated all the DJs equipment and costumes:
BTW, they're pretending to drink alcohol here.