RE: [SG 2] Infantry weapons combinations

G'day,

> It would take a total sea change in Islamic culture for there to be
> females in any meaningful role other than farm labor and childbearing.

It would take a seachange in some kinds of radical Islamic culture,
moderate Islam enjoys the contribution of women who can hold down many
different jobs and make great contributions to society... as we're
talking a future history that nearly 200 years from now I reckon we
can't exactly write it off ;)

> Islamic views regarding women are worse than European views on women
ca. 600 AD.

Thankfully for middle eastern women, the Islamic views of the time were
far more enlightened with women as leading jurists, professors, authors,
medics, business inspectors, activists and soldiers. The role of women
as active members of the strongest Islamic nations was crippled only
within the last 200 years - conincidentally when the greatest colonial
powers of the western world were doing their level best to keep "women
in their rightful place" ;)

Working as a woman in science I have first hand knowledge of how much
sex-based prejudice still exists in the west, though I remain eternally
grateful for the readjustments our societies have made within the last
50 years. Given it has only taken 50yrs in the west, and that it was
once a vital and accepted part of Islamic culture for women to be equal
members of society in every way, then I think its not a hard push to see
at least some largely muslim nations of the GZGverse with women in all
roles. So from my viewpoint at least female IF units wouldn't be too
unusual. But as with all gzg future history items its up to the
individual to paint them as they will ;)

Cheers

Beth