Benazir Bhutto

The first woman to lead a Muslim government in modern times, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated today at a rally in Pakistan.

Regardless of what one thinks of her policies, politics, or even the possibility that the corruption charges repeatedly raised against her were true, Bhutto focused attention on the social, health and human rights of women in a state that routinely treats women as second class citizens.

Critics charge she was all promise and no action, while supporters argue that she was hamstrung by opposing, conservative political parties at every turn. It might be impossible to ever untangle fact from fiction from political manipulation, but what is undeniable is that she was a very visible, female face in Islamic politics, in a region of the world not known for allowing women that type of power.
-Kelly