Madam, - The atrocity visited upon the people of Baghdad last Friday must be met with utter contempt by all civilised people. What makes this act even more disgusting is that it was committed through the use of two women with intellectual disability.
This is not only a crime against the people of Baghdad, but is also an explicit statement against women and against people with intellectual disability. Sadly, both of these groups of people have for many years been subjected to the whims of patriarchal social groups.
While strongly condemning this attack, I must take issue with your headline and report last Saturday which described these women as "suicide bombers".
Considering that these people had intellectual disability and had bombs strapped to their bodies which were detonated by unseen criminals who watched from a distance, it seems clear that the intent of this act lay with the terrorists and most likely not with the women. To label these victims of terrorism as "suicide bombers" is to further abuse them in death. - Yours, etc,
Dr FINTAN SHEERIN,
Lecturer in Intellectual
Disability Nursing,
School of Nursing
and Midwifery,
Trinity College,
Dublin 2.