Posted on 03/07/2005 2:10:21 PM PST by NCjim
Around 500 Kuwaiti activists, mostly women, have demonstrated outside parliament to demand female suffrage amidst tensions in the Gulf Arab state over a government drive to grant women political rights.
"Women's rights now," chanted the crowd, which included women dressed in abayas, or traditional long black cloaks. Some of the demonstrators at Monday's protest wore veils over their faces.
"Our democracy will only be complete with women," said a placard written in Arabic. "We are not less, you are not more. We need a balance, open the door," said one written in English.
The crowd later attended a parliamentary session which approved a state request for a committee to speed up reviewing a bill allowing women to vote and run for parliament.
"In all Muslim countries from Indonesia to Morocco, voting and running for office are among women's rights but we in Kuwait alone say 'No' ... Is it possible that 1 billion Muslims are wrong and we in Kuwait are right," lawmaker Mohammed al-Saqr said to applause from female activists in the public gallery.
But the 50-man assembly, in which Islamists have a powerful bloc, did not set a date to discuss the draft law.
During the session, 10 liberal and independent lawmakers withdrew a motion to refer the election law to the Constitutional Court, Kuwait's highest court which rules on the constitutionality of laws and amendments, saying they did not want to slow down the state initiative.
Kuwait's constitution stipulates gender equality, but parliament has blocked previous government attempts to give women suffrage.
U.S.-allied Kuwait proposed legislation last May allowing women to vote and run in parliamentary polls after a previous attempt in 1999 was shot down by Islamist and tribal lawmakers.
Kuwaiti newspapers said Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah had threatened to dissolve parliament if it failed to approve the latest bill.
"I am very optimistic this time around that we will get our rights because ministers and deputies are working for this," said 55-year-old Mariam al-Jassar, a retired civil servant.
"Islam does not deny women's rights," the mother of seven said.
Some Islamic lawmakers have said they would back women voting but not running. Other Islamists and tribal legislators oppose the bill.
"For the past 40 years, Kuwait's society has been used to the idea that elections take place in such a manner (without women)," said parliamentarian Khaled Adwah.
Washington has been pressing its allies in the Middle East to bring in political reforms, saying lack of freedom and democracy have fostered violent Islamic militancy.
Kuwaiti women have traditionally been more liberal and educated than those in other Gulf states, who have already won political rights in Bahrain and Qatar.
Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt (two party elections), Saudi Arabia (proposing women's suffrage), Kuwait (ditto), Lebanon (demanding indepepndence), Iran (coming soon)... Syria and Libya taking much more moderate stances... not a bad 4 years work!
Bush knew!
Yes, Bush did know!! lmao..
Excellent. And, I see the potential here for "Kuwati protest babe" threads.
Very, very cool. Thanks for the ping. Liberty is on the march in the most unexpected corners of the globe.
I guess there's hope for the State of Washington.
Don't Let the
Enemy Vote!
No Women
No Problem!
Whores out of
Voting Booths!
A Woman's vote
Cancel's out
the vote of a
Righteous Man!
Hang Women,
Not Chads!
That is ASTOUNDING!
No full head scarves, bilingual signs, congregating in public.
You go sisters!
ROFLMAO!!! I truly love your sense of humor, M2C. You are a very witty guy. I mean that sincerely.
Thanks. Sometimes I even crack up myself. :-)
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