Thursday, November 5th, 2009
By Mona Eltahawy
Nov. 5, 2009
Metro
Within a week in October, Kuwaiti women won two small victories that were baby steps for womankind, but a nightmare come true for Muslim fundamentalists, who for decades blocked political rights for women.
First, Kuwait’s constitutional court ruled married women could obtain passports and travel without their husbands’ permission. The court said the previous requirement was in violation of guarantees of freedom and gender equality in the constitution.
The second victory came when the constitutional court dismissed a case raised by an Islamist voter who claimed that two of four women elected to parliament in May — Rola Dashti and Aseel al-Awadhi — cannot be members of the legislature because they don’t wear headscarves.
The other two female parliamentarians wear headscarves.
Headscarves have nothing to do with being a competent parliamentarian but everything to do with Muslim fundamentalist fear of women’s rights.
For years, those fundamentalists stood in the way of women’s political rights, making sure Kuwait’s parliament remained a boy’s only club.
Islamists forget they don’t hold the copyright to Islam or its interpretations and they forgot that for many of us Muslims, the essence of Islam is equality and justice, not a hatred of women or laws to curtail their rights.
All four women parliamentarians in Kuwait are Muslim. Two wear headscarves. Two don’t. That is the way it should be — an exercise of free will based on individual conscience and not the misogyny of fundamentalists.
Comments (9)
ahmed said:
I’m sorry but what I understood from what you wrote is that they objected against those two women not wearing a headscarf -which is an idiotic objection- but how did you reach the conclusion that this was an effort to make the parliament an boys only club?
Because it seems to me that they are just trying to force their ideas on others, exactly like you do. Oh, except probably they didn’t call names.
Islamists, ah this word, the Zeitgeist of our time. people like you who search the dumpster of the media to find the most provoking piece of news for western reader to present them. I mean you didn’t cover the news like “two women who don’t wear hijab won a popular vote in a strict muslim country like Kuwait, and when their right to represent people in the parliament was challenged, they won their case”
Nah, that would be boring for your red necks readers, to know that Muslims have justice and freedom of their own, or that they even live normal life. You want something attractive, something that your readers would nod while reading it and think ” aha, I thought so, we should just make one big glass carter of the middle east”
November 5th, 2009, 8:42 am
Mona Eltahawy said:
Ahmed
Your understanding of what I write is so limited that I usually just laugh at your comments and leave you to embarass yourself further with every new comment.
In the above article, the headscarves and the boys club are separate things. If you knew anything about Kuwaiti women’s struggle for political rights, you would know that up until 2005, Islamists – and that is not a word I have invented but a polical scientists’ term – blocked all moves to give women the right to stand for election and to vote. In other words, until 2005, Islamist members of parliament ensured parliament remained a boys’ club. Is that clearn enough for you?
And just in case you need more information – because you obviously do – here’s my column about those women’s electoral victories in May. In the article, I do exactly what you claim I never do – make clear that Kuwaiti women found justice after years of fighting the obscurantism of the Islamists. I suggest you look up that word before you launch another baseless attack on me:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/opinion/03iht-edeltahawy.html?_r=1&ref=global
Secondly, again if your understanding wasn’t so limited, you would read in my article above that as a Muslim I know that equality and justice are essential values of Islam.
Perhaps you have a hard time understanding English.
November 5th, 2009, 9:27 am
Craig said:
Ahmed,
I mean you didn’t cover the news like “two women who don’t wear hijab won a popular vote in a strict muslim country like Kuwait, and when their right to represent people in the parliament was challenged, they won their case”
Well, that’s funny because I’m one of those redneck Western readers and that’s pretty much exactly how I interpreted Mona’s post! By the way, are you aware you’re a racist? I mean, sometimes people don’t really notice they are being bigots so maybe it’s possible? So I just want to point out you’re a bigot. Maybe it’s not too late to correct yourself, eh? You never know!
Mona, great post! I’m really happy for Kuwaitis. I don’t know any Kuwaitis or anything about Kuwaiti society but it does seem like they are moving in a good direction!
November 6th, 2009, 12:38 am
Imad said:
i’m going with mona and craig on this one, ahmed. i think that you’re being unreasonable, and this isn’t at all about the imposition of the views of Ms. Dashti and Ms. Al-awadhi on the rest of the Kuwaiti parliament. This was about their individual right to choose to wear the headscarf or not. It shouldn’t be anyone else’s business if they choose to do so, neither mine, nor yours.
what would have actually constituted as imposing their views on others is if these two MPs forced the men to wear the arab headresses, whether they wanted to or not (just as an example).
the practice of Islam, as i have understood it, is about the responsibilities an individual has to his/herself and to others but NOT about the responsibilities that others (man, woman, groups, etc.) has to everyone else.
November 9th, 2009, 2:00 am
Shula-B said:
Congrats to all the Kuwaiti women for gaining their rights as per Islam.
November 13th, 2009, 1:46 am
DT Gamble said:
Late but well informed, I’m speaking of myself of course. I will not nit pick but will just offer my congratulations to Kuwait and the women, and men, there for these steps towards a less skewed society which I understand is not homogenous to the middle east. Contrary to the beliefs of some, A LOT of Americans are well informed about and have friends and family from the Middle east thus we do not read what we want to from an article we just match it up with what we already know. I hope Kuwait will continue to take these steps in the right direction and become a positive example for other countries, middle eastern and else where. Kudos Mona
November 19th, 2009, 9:34 pm
r4i kort said:
very heartily Congratulations to all Kuwaiti women. Days are gone when women just used to take care of their men at home and cook food for them. Now the days are Women and men all are at the same position. Women has reached a step forward than men i would say.
November 23rd, 2009, 2:17 am
Sara el Kuwaityah said:
Hello Mona,
I love your post. Women in Kuwait are finally making headways and getting some of their rights. I feel it will be a long way until equality between men and women can be achieved in Kuwait but definitely this is a step in the right direction. I left Kuwait over 16 yrs ago because of these issues. I am not in touch with anyone form there and would like to know (not sure if you know or not but it’s worth a try) if unmarried girls above the age of 21 can renew their passports without their guardian’s signature or approval? The last time I checked (yr 2004)the answer was NO even if the girl was 50 yrs old, she will require a guardian to co-sign in order for her to obtain a passport renewal. Of course the story is different if the girl is divorced and has kids. In this case she is free to do whatever she wants. I have contacted the Kuwaiti embassy here to get some answers but no one was able to get me any feedback. I would appreciate it if you or others can assist in finding out the answer to my question. My email address is expressnew@hotmail.com Thanks in advance for any assistance.
February 19th, 2010, 3:24 am
deena said:
Thanks Mona. Keep up the good work and don’t let the reactionary forces of darkness put you off. You are speaking on behalf of all Arab women. Myself included.
An Iraqi woman
April 12th, 2010, 4:38 am
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