Here's the raw material. Judge for yourself:
Hillary did say "Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed. As I have said and as I believe, the advancement of the full participation of women and girls in every aspect of their societies is the great unfinished business of the 21st century and not just for women but for everyone � and not just in far away countries but right here in the United States."
Now, it does sound off to say "religious beliefs... have to be changed." You'd think the speech-writers would have tweaked that into something less easily extracted and denounced. And yet... perhaps it's a trap. Come on, you Hillary haters. Flay her for saying "religious beliefs... have to be changed." Commit. Then she can come back and destroy you. She can tell you about the war against Islamic extremists who have religious beliefs that have to be changed. They're cutting people's heads off for not converting. They are raping and enslaving women. They are throwing gay people off tall buildings. Gotcha!
Of course, there are religious beliefs that need to be changed! That's not even controversial. The question is how to change them � when to use military force, when to use the force of legal sanctions, and when to use speech to persuade people to believe ideas because they are better.
The equality of women � feminism is the radical notion that women are people � is a strong, persuasive idea that is at odds with what many believe as a matter of religion. Hillary Clinton is on solid ground when she says religious beliefs have to be changed, and I assume she means that they can be changed through persuasive speech and appeals to reason and moral sensibility.
If you think she's vulnerable to attack, go ahead and attack. I'll spectate from this overlook.
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