Iraq has a new women's glossy magazine that is getting everyone's attention. It offers career advice, facts for a healthy sex life, and fashion advice.
Black is in again this year.
The magazine "al Sedaqa" translates to "The Virtuous Woman" and
its vision of aspirational womanhood could hardly be more at odds with the secular one promoted by Iraq's Western liberators: instead of talking about equality or the right to work, it sees the ideal woman as a dutiful wife and mother, whose only dress is the hejab, the black cloak that leaves only the eyes uncovered.
The juxtaposition of this magazine with the new Iraqi Police force, where women are deeply involved couldn't be more stark
Twenty-four-year-old Hajear and her sister Sarah, 26, are police officers in Iraq. They say they want to serve as role models for other Iraqi women who are used to working modestly in the home.
Who will be more influential in the future, a magazine that offers sex advice from an Imam or women working to keep the peace?
Perhaps, like in this country, the dichotmy won't be resolved, the realities will simply co-exist.
