The New York Times claims that Nouri Al-Maliki (of the sectarian Da`wa party) was a secular feminis until...US troops left the country

But please don't scoff at this theory: look at Afghanistan and Saudi Arabi under the preseence of US troops: can you deny that both of these countries and their leaders turned increasinly secular and feminist when US troops were on the ground?  And in 1982-84, US troops occupied Lebanon and secular Hizbullah emerged.  "But without an American presence, Mr. Maliki turned increasingly sectarian, "