Sanaa: A Yemeni official accused 'reactionary forces' in his country of trying to discourage and prevent women from participating in public life.
Yahya Mohammad Abdullah Saleh, President Saleh's nephew, chairman of Al Takadum Forum, said the time has come to turn words into actions for women's political participation.
He called all parties and civil society organisations to do their best for having a new legislation allocating 15 per cent quota for women in decision-making positions.
"There have been attempts from reactionary forces in the society, in the ruling party and in opposition parties to abort the initiative of the president of the republic," Yahya Saleh said Sunday in a symposium organised by his Forum under the slogan (Let's work together to realise the initiative of the president to allocate 15 per cent quota for women).
The civil society activist, who also works officially as the head of country's central security forces, said that the best thing to do now is to work for turning the initiative of President Saleh on giving women 15 per cent quota into a legislation that can be implemented. "It seems that the women will be absent in the elections of governors in May," said Dr Raofa Hassan, member of the forum.
By Nasser Arrabyee, Gulf News
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Women can work as maids in Saudi households
JEDDAH — Arab and Saudi women can work as maids in Saudi households and the Ministry of Labour could not interfere if Saudi women, due to difficult financial conditions, wished to work as cleaners and cooks in people’s homes.
Labour Minister Ghazi Al Gosaibi on Sunday criticised people who reject the idea of Arab and Saudi women working as maids in Saudi households. “We are a society which is full of guardians,” Al Gosaibi told reporters in Riyadh while answering a question about a proposal to have Egyptian housemaids in Saudi homes, as suggested by the Egyptian Minister of Labour.
Al Gosaibi said Saudis sponsor over 1.5 million foreign maids, the majority from Southeast Asia. Even though the issue of needy Saudi women working in Saudi households was brought to the ministry’s attention in the past, conservative elements in society rejected the idea.
“I see that any job, whatever it may be, is an agreement between an employer and the employee. It is a matter of accepting and refusing. If there is a woman whose circumstances force her to work in a kitchen for a few hours and she accepts the payment, then I cannot come and say, ‘How could Saudi women take such jobs?’ Our mothers and grandmothers used to do such jobs. And they still do in the Bedouin culture,” he said.
“The ministry or any other concerned authority has no business if a woman is satisfied with her payment. And I have no right to say that a Saudi woman should not be dubbed a ‘housemaid’,” Al Gosaibi said. He said the Ministry of Labour would not intervene if labour exporting countries chose to raise the wages of their nationals coming to work in the kingdom.
“It is not my business to interfere if a country decides to raise the price of recruitment. I cannot simply threaten to ban them. This is not ethically, legally, or civilly acceptable,” he said, and added that people can simply hire cheaper labour from other countries.
By Habib Shaikh, Khaleej Times
Labour Minister Ghazi Al Gosaibi on Sunday criticised people who reject the idea of Arab and Saudi women working as maids in Saudi households. “We are a society which is full of guardians,” Al Gosaibi told reporters in Riyadh while answering a question about a proposal to have Egyptian housemaids in Saudi homes, as suggested by the Egyptian Minister of Labour.
Al Gosaibi said Saudis sponsor over 1.5 million foreign maids, the majority from Southeast Asia. Even though the issue of needy Saudi women working in Saudi households was brought to the ministry’s attention in the past, conservative elements in society rejected the idea.
“I see that any job, whatever it may be, is an agreement between an employer and the employee. It is a matter of accepting and refusing. If there is a woman whose circumstances force her to work in a kitchen for a few hours and she accepts the payment, then I cannot come and say, ‘How could Saudi women take such jobs?’ Our mothers and grandmothers used to do such jobs. And they still do in the Bedouin culture,” he said.
“The ministry or any other concerned authority has no business if a woman is satisfied with her payment. And I have no right to say that a Saudi woman should not be dubbed a ‘housemaid’,” Al Gosaibi said. He said the Ministry of Labour would not intervene if labour exporting countries chose to raise the wages of their nationals coming to work in the kingdom.
“It is not my business to interfere if a country decides to raise the price of recruitment. I cannot simply threaten to ban them. This is not ethically, legally, or civilly acceptable,” he said, and added that people can simply hire cheaper labour from other countries.
By Habib Shaikh, Khaleej Times
Saudi: Scholar finds ancient women's rights
RIYADH (Reuters) - When clerics, ministers and businessmen gathered at a forum in Riyadh last month to discuss women in the workplace, there were no women in sight.
Typically for Saudi Arabia, the women who took part were seated in a separate room so the men could only hear them.
Such oddities are part and parcel of the complex system of social control maintained by clerics of Saudi Arabia's austere version of Sunni Islamic law, often termed Wahhabism. It's a system called into question by scholar Hatoon al-Fassi.
In her study, "Women In Pre-Islamic Arabia", the outspoken rights advocate argues women in the pre-Islamic period enjoyed considerable rights in the Nabataean state, an urban Arabian kingdom centered in modern Jordan, south Syria and northwest Saudi Arabia during the Roman empire.
Most controversially, Fassi says women in Nabataea -- whose capital was the famous rose-red city of Petra in south Jordan and which was at its height during the lifetime of Jesus Christ -- enjoyed more freedom than in Saudi Arabia today because clerics have misunderstood the origins of Islamic law.
She also suggests some Saudi restrictions on women may have their origins in Greco-Roman traditions.
"One of the objectives of this book is to question the assumption of subordination of women in pre-Islamic Arabia," Fassi writes. "Most of the practices related to women's status are based on some local traditional practices that are not necessarily Islamic. Nor are they essentially Arabian."
She argues women in Nabataea were free to conduct legal contracts in their own name with no male guardian, unlike in Greek and Roman law, and in Saudi Arabia where the guardian is central to the clerics' idea of a moral public sphere.
The Wahhabi interpretation of sharia requires a "muhrim" -- father, husband, brother or son -- to accompany women in public, allow them to travel and attest their legal contracts.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch attacked that system in a report in April as treating women as effectively legal minors.
At last month's televised "National Dialogue", clerics insisted women could work only in segregated female-only workspaces. Their opponents in government say these rules have kept unemployment among women at around 26 percent.
"I found that with Nabataean women the legal status and self representation was stronger and more evident than with Greek women who needed always a 'tutor', or representative, in order to conclude any contract," Fassi said in an interview.
"An adaptation of Greek and Roman laws was inserted in Islamic law," she said, referring to guardianship. "I would insist that it's an ancient adaptation, that (Muslim) scholars are not aware of, and they would really be shocked."
ORIGINS OF SHARIA
The main schools of sharia were codified in the 9th century AD in territories where a ruling Arab elite mixed with non-Arab and non-Muslim populations in the aftermath of the Arab conquests and the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD.
The main body of the law is derived mainly from oral traditions attributed to the Prophet Mohammad, and viewed by Islamic scholars as divine in origin. Scholars in the West have seen, in effect, a mix of Arabian, Jewish and Roman origins.
"The argument about Greco-Roman law having influenced the sharia rules about women could have some basis if one thinks in terms of Middle Eastern adaptations -- 'provincial versions' -- of Greco-Roman law," said Gerald Hawting, a historian of early Islam at the School of Oriental & African Studies in London.
Fassi, he said, "is not likely to win many friends among the traditional ulama (scholars) by arguing that important elements of the sharia originate from human history and not from God".
Fassi's ideas reflect views often expressed by Arab liberals -- that restrictive traditions in the empires conquered by the Arabs found their way into Islam. Egyptian feminist Nawal al-Saadawi, for one, has often been attacked for saying as much.
"The deterioration in women's status is clear. We now live the worst status imaginable as women," said Fawziya al-Oyouni, a women's rights activist who lobbies for women's right to drive. "There is no religious text that stipulates 'guardianship'."
MORE LIBERAL TIMES
Signs are around 2,000 years ago things were not so strict.
Using coins and inscriptions on Nabataean tombs and monuments in Greek and Semitic languages, Fassi surmises that women's independent status was linked to a rise in trade and political exchanges in the ancient world at the time.
"There was a certain economic change in that period that allowed women to become stronger or more visible," she said. "I believe it was because of the economic absence of men ... At the end of the first century BC the caravan trade became intensive, twice a year rather than once in the previous millennium."
The last of the Middle East states to fall to direct Roman rule in 106 AD, the Nabataean confederation's power was based on desert trade routes from Yemen to Greece and Rome.
Nabataean queens had coins struck in their name and showing their face, with light hair-covering veils. Today, Saudi clerics expound at length on television and in other forums on the complex rules over when women can and cannot reveal their faces.
An urbanized Bedouin state, Nabataea has received relatively little attention from scholars, some of whom question whether it was authentically Arab. Petra was even forgotten to history until "discovered" in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt.
Fassi, banned from teaching at King Saud University since 2001, suggested one reason for the neglect was that Nabataea defies stereotypes about Arabs.
"(Nabataea) has weakened the idea that Arabians were merely or essentially nomads, by having an Arabian urbanized state," she says in her book, published by British Archaeological Reports.
By Andrew Hammond, Reuters
Typically for Saudi Arabia, the women who took part were seated in a separate room so the men could only hear them.
Such oddities are part and parcel of the complex system of social control maintained by clerics of Saudi Arabia's austere version of Sunni Islamic law, often termed Wahhabism. It's a system called into question by scholar Hatoon al-Fassi.
In her study, "Women In Pre-Islamic Arabia", the outspoken rights advocate argues women in the pre-Islamic period enjoyed considerable rights in the Nabataean state, an urban Arabian kingdom centered in modern Jordan, south Syria and northwest Saudi Arabia during the Roman empire.
Most controversially, Fassi says women in Nabataea -- whose capital was the famous rose-red city of Petra in south Jordan and which was at its height during the lifetime of Jesus Christ -- enjoyed more freedom than in Saudi Arabia today because clerics have misunderstood the origins of Islamic law.
She also suggests some Saudi restrictions on women may have their origins in Greco-Roman traditions.
"One of the objectives of this book is to question the assumption of subordination of women in pre-Islamic Arabia," Fassi writes. "Most of the practices related to women's status are based on some local traditional practices that are not necessarily Islamic. Nor are they essentially Arabian."
She argues women in Nabataea were free to conduct legal contracts in their own name with no male guardian, unlike in Greek and Roman law, and in Saudi Arabia where the guardian is central to the clerics' idea of a moral public sphere.
The Wahhabi interpretation of sharia requires a "muhrim" -- father, husband, brother or son -- to accompany women in public, allow them to travel and attest their legal contracts.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch attacked that system in a report in April as treating women as effectively legal minors.
At last month's televised "National Dialogue", clerics insisted women could work only in segregated female-only workspaces. Their opponents in government say these rules have kept unemployment among women at around 26 percent.
"I found that with Nabataean women the legal status and self representation was stronger and more evident than with Greek women who needed always a 'tutor', or representative, in order to conclude any contract," Fassi said in an interview.
"An adaptation of Greek and Roman laws was inserted in Islamic law," she said, referring to guardianship. "I would insist that it's an ancient adaptation, that (Muslim) scholars are not aware of, and they would really be shocked."
ORIGINS OF SHARIA
The main schools of sharia were codified in the 9th century AD in territories where a ruling Arab elite mixed with non-Arab and non-Muslim populations in the aftermath of the Arab conquests and the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD.
The main body of the law is derived mainly from oral traditions attributed to the Prophet Mohammad, and viewed by Islamic scholars as divine in origin. Scholars in the West have seen, in effect, a mix of Arabian, Jewish and Roman origins.
"The argument about Greco-Roman law having influenced the sharia rules about women could have some basis if one thinks in terms of Middle Eastern adaptations -- 'provincial versions' -- of Greco-Roman law," said Gerald Hawting, a historian of early Islam at the School of Oriental & African Studies in London.
Fassi, he said, "is not likely to win many friends among the traditional ulama (scholars) by arguing that important elements of the sharia originate from human history and not from God".
Fassi's ideas reflect views often expressed by Arab liberals -- that restrictive traditions in the empires conquered by the Arabs found their way into Islam. Egyptian feminist Nawal al-Saadawi, for one, has often been attacked for saying as much.
"The deterioration in women's status is clear. We now live the worst status imaginable as women," said Fawziya al-Oyouni, a women's rights activist who lobbies for women's right to drive. "There is no religious text that stipulates 'guardianship'."
MORE LIBERAL TIMES
Signs are around 2,000 years ago things were not so strict.
Using coins and inscriptions on Nabataean tombs and monuments in Greek and Semitic languages, Fassi surmises that women's independent status was linked to a rise in trade and political exchanges in the ancient world at the time.
"There was a certain economic change in that period that allowed women to become stronger or more visible," she said. "I believe it was because of the economic absence of men ... At the end of the first century BC the caravan trade became intensive, twice a year rather than once in the previous millennium."
The last of the Middle East states to fall to direct Roman rule in 106 AD, the Nabataean confederation's power was based on desert trade routes from Yemen to Greece and Rome.
Nabataean queens had coins struck in their name and showing their face, with light hair-covering veils. Today, Saudi clerics expound at length on television and in other forums on the complex rules over when women can and cannot reveal their faces.
An urbanized Bedouin state, Nabataea has received relatively little attention from scholars, some of whom question whether it was authentically Arab. Petra was even forgotten to history until "discovered" in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt.
Fassi, banned from teaching at King Saud University since 2001, suggested one reason for the neglect was that Nabataea defies stereotypes about Arabs.
"(Nabataea) has weakened the idea that Arabians were merely or essentially nomads, by having an Arabian urbanized state," she says in her book, published by British Archaeological Reports.
By Andrew Hammond, Reuters
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Lebanon: Biography of Journalist Diana Mukkaled
Diana Mukkaled is a prominent and well respected TV journalist in the Arab world, thanks to her phenomenal show "Bil Ayn Al Mojarada" (By The Naked Eye), a series of documentaries around controversial areas and topics which airs on Lebanon's leading local and sattelite channel "Future Television".
Diana also is a veteran war corrependent, covering both The War in Iraq and in Afghanistan, as well as the Isreali "Grapes of Wrath" massacre in southern Lebanon. Daring to do superb investigative work in Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen and Iraq (prior to the collapse of the Saddam's regime) and dedicating entire episodes of "Bil Ayn Al Mojarada" to issues such as "Honour Crimes" in Jordan, Diana has gained world wide recognition and was named one of the most influential women in a special feature that ran in Time Magazine in 2004.
Diana writes a weekly coloumn for Asharq Al Awsat Media's Supplement, where she discusses current affairs in Arab and world media.
Diana also is a veteran war corrependent, covering both The War in Iraq and in Afghanistan, as well as the Isreali "Grapes of Wrath" massacre in southern Lebanon. Daring to do superb investigative work in Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen and Iraq (prior to the collapse of the Saddam's regime) and dedicating entire episodes of "Bil Ayn Al Mojarada" to issues such as "Honour Crimes" in Jordan, Diana has gained world wide recognition and was named one of the most influential women in a special feature that ran in Time Magazine in 2004.
Diana writes a weekly coloumn for Asharq Al Awsat Media's Supplement, where she discusses current affairs in Arab and world media.
Saudi Arabia: Female teachers dying on the roads in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Roads in Saudi Arabia are among the world's most dangerous but one type of victim stands out: female teachers who are dying at alarming rates because of long commutes through the desert to reach remote schools.
The Saudi government appoints teachers to work in villages where local staff cannot fill all vacancies. But unlike their male counterparts, female teachers in this conservative Muslim country have difficulty living alone in the villages, forcing them to commute each day.
Nof al-Oneizi was so worried she would die that she wrote to education officials urging them to find her a school nearer to her home in the northern town of Jouf, rather than the one she was assigned to 108 miles away -- a three-hour drive because of the bad roads. Since women are forbidden to drive, she carpooled in a van with a driver along with several other female teachers.
Her fears came true before a solution to her problem could be found: The 28-year-old English language teacher died in a horrific crash last November. Five other female teachers, their driver and four people in the car they hit also were killed.
"We were devastated," said Suad Amri, al-Oneizi's aunt. "I still have her school papers, all splattered with blood. Her mom can't look at them. She can't absorb what has happened to her daughter."
Nearly 6,000 people died in traffic accidents in 2007 in this country of 27.6 million, according to the Saudi Traffic Department. That is a rate of about 21 deaths per 100,000 people -- one of the highest in the world. By comparison, around 14 per 100,000 people died in road accidents in the United States in 2006.
A study released in October by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, a Riyadh-based government research institute, found that female teachers commuting to their jobs have about a 50 percent greater chance of getting into car accidents than average Saudis. Its findings were based on figures from the late 1990s.
"The issue has become a national concern," said the study, which warned that the problem is growing with the rising number of teachers graduating and being assigned to remote schools.
There are no current statistics on how many female teachers die every year. But 21 female teachers were reported killed and 38 others injured in 11 accidents reported by Saudi newspapers since the school year began in September.
Accidents involving teachers often occur in areas where there is no cell phone reception or nearby medical help, leaving them vulnerable to dying from their injuries. It took 2 1/2 hours for the first victim from a deadly crash to reach a hospital last week, according to Al-Riyadh newspaper.
"It breaks my heart to hear of those deaths," said Suad al-Khalaf, a home economics teacher whose commute from the Saudi capital of Riyadh to her school 30 miles away in Dilim is 75 minutes each way.
"Every day, I'm on edge until I reach the school," she said. "I love teaching. But how can we be comfortable doing our job when we have to worry about getting to school in one piece?"
Many roads leading to the remote schools are windy, unpaved and full of potholes. Even on back roads, speeding is common and is even worse on straightaways through the empty desert. Many vehicles -- particularly buses and vans -- are old and poorly maintained.
Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, so the teachers must hire drivers -- sometimes sharing rides in minivans, leaving home as early as 3 a.m.
"It's as if Saudi (female) teachers are doomed to bid farewell to their families every day and embark on a journey they may not return from," Hasan al-Harthi wrote in Al-Hayat newspaper.
The Saudi Education Ministry appoints thousands of teachers to fill vacancies every year at government-run schools in remote areas. Ministry officials say they stipulate teachers should live near their schools.
But female teachers find it difficult to move because they need permission from a male guardian to live alone and have to find a landlord willing to rent them an apartment. Many take positions anyway and suffer through long commutes because job opportunities are scarce for women in Saudi Arabia, mainly limited to teaching and health care.
Education Ministry spokesman Abdul-Aziz Jarallah said in December that a ministry effort to build housing for female teachers appointed to remote schools had failed. None of the teachers wanted to live in the buildings, so the ministry shut them down, he said in remarks published in Al-Riyadh newspaper.
In 2005, four women made headlines when they decided to put an end to their hazardous commute: They married their driver and settled in a village near their school. Islam allows a man to take up to four wives at the same time.
-- Donna Abu Nasr, Associated Press
The Saudi government appoints teachers to work in villages where local staff cannot fill all vacancies. But unlike their male counterparts, female teachers in this conservative Muslim country have difficulty living alone in the villages, forcing them to commute each day.
Nof al-Oneizi was so worried she would die that she wrote to education officials urging them to find her a school nearer to her home in the northern town of Jouf, rather than the one she was assigned to 108 miles away -- a three-hour drive because of the bad roads. Since women are forbidden to drive, she carpooled in a van with a driver along with several other female teachers.
Her fears came true before a solution to her problem could be found: The 28-year-old English language teacher died in a horrific crash last November. Five other female teachers, their driver and four people in the car they hit also were killed.
"We were devastated," said Suad Amri, al-Oneizi's aunt. "I still have her school papers, all splattered with blood. Her mom can't look at them. She can't absorb what has happened to her daughter."
Nearly 6,000 people died in traffic accidents in 2007 in this country of 27.6 million, according to the Saudi Traffic Department. That is a rate of about 21 deaths per 100,000 people -- one of the highest in the world. By comparison, around 14 per 100,000 people died in road accidents in the United States in 2006.
A study released in October by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, a Riyadh-based government research institute, found that female teachers commuting to their jobs have about a 50 percent greater chance of getting into car accidents than average Saudis. Its findings were based on figures from the late 1990s.
"The issue has become a national concern," said the study, which warned that the problem is growing with the rising number of teachers graduating and being assigned to remote schools.
There are no current statistics on how many female teachers die every year. But 21 female teachers were reported killed and 38 others injured in 11 accidents reported by Saudi newspapers since the school year began in September.
Accidents involving teachers often occur in areas where there is no cell phone reception or nearby medical help, leaving them vulnerable to dying from their injuries. It took 2 1/2 hours for the first victim from a deadly crash to reach a hospital last week, according to Al-Riyadh newspaper.
"It breaks my heart to hear of those deaths," said Suad al-Khalaf, a home economics teacher whose commute from the Saudi capital of Riyadh to her school 30 miles away in Dilim is 75 minutes each way.
"Every day, I'm on edge until I reach the school," she said. "I love teaching. But how can we be comfortable doing our job when we have to worry about getting to school in one piece?"
Many roads leading to the remote schools are windy, unpaved and full of potholes. Even on back roads, speeding is common and is even worse on straightaways through the empty desert. Many vehicles -- particularly buses and vans -- are old and poorly maintained.
Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, so the teachers must hire drivers -- sometimes sharing rides in minivans, leaving home as early as 3 a.m.
"It's as if Saudi (female) teachers are doomed to bid farewell to their families every day and embark on a journey they may not return from," Hasan al-Harthi wrote in Al-Hayat newspaper.
The Saudi Education Ministry appoints thousands of teachers to fill vacancies every year at government-run schools in remote areas. Ministry officials say they stipulate teachers should live near their schools.
But female teachers find it difficult to move because they need permission from a male guardian to live alone and have to find a landlord willing to rent them an apartment. Many take positions anyway and suffer through long commutes because job opportunities are scarce for women in Saudi Arabia, mainly limited to teaching and health care.
Education Ministry spokesman Abdul-Aziz Jarallah said in December that a ministry effort to build housing for female teachers appointed to remote schools had failed. None of the teachers wanted to live in the buildings, so the ministry shut them down, he said in remarks published in Al-Riyadh newspaper.
In 2005, four women made headlines when they decided to put an end to their hazardous commute: They married their driver and settled in a village near their school. Islam allows a man to take up to four wives at the same time.
-- Donna Abu Nasr, Associated Press
Libya: Women's Lib Takes Off
The sky is the limit for Kulthum Bouseyfi
"I remember one time when I announced, 'This is Captain Kulthum Bouseyfi', some elderly men panicked," she says, recalling some funny moments working for state-run Afriqiyah Airways.
"They started shouting, 'How is that possible? It's a woman!
"Then the cabin crew took some of them to the cockpit and reassured them that the system could be learned by anyone."
The aviation industry in Libya is arguably one of the country's most male-dominated sectors.
But Ms Bouseyfi's story is a sign that things are changing in what was once a man's world.
"I thought that no-one would accept women working in such a field," she says.
"But I see people's respect when they find out I am a pilot."
Ms Bouseyfi's dream is to establish her own commercial aviation company.
The times they are a changing
The emancipation of women in Libya has come a long way in the last few decades.
They now make up more than 22% of the workforce, compared to just 6% in the 1970s.
Libyan law provides free and equal participation for women in all social, political and economic activities.
Famous women have included ministers and judges, as well as doctors and lawyers.
As the country shifts towards privatisation, female entrepreneurship is bearing fruit from IT companies to accounting firms.
Ibtissam Ben-Amer owns a franchise of the French chocolatier, Jeff de Bruges, in Tripoli, but her experience has been bitter-sweet.
"It was not easy," she says. "I started in business 15 years ago when there was an embargo on Libya, so that was a really difficult time."
Ibtissam Ben-Amer wants to open more chocolate shops
"Right now things are getting better and the Libyan market is opening up very fast."
She is looking to branch out with her chocolate shop in other parts of Libya.
But in North Africa generally, fathers, husbands and brothers still have a huge say in women's choices, so women's lib is an uphill struggle.
Haifa El Geblawi, who works for a foreign oil and gas company in Libya, says she has the support of her family to pursue her career but other women are not so lucky.
"Some men prefer their wives to work in schools - that way they get to come home earlier," Ms El Geblawi says.
"The husband still depends on her to take care of the children, the housework and cooking. So even if she works, she still has to do all of that as well."
Rough terrain
In private, young Libyan women, who are considered "too liberal", will complain of being sidelined or even excluded from business trips abroad because their male bosses want to pre-empt any gossip.
A young Libyan business woman shared her experience on condition of anonymity.
She works in a government investment firm while most of her peers work in the private sector.
It is in the civil service, she says, that she comes up against many barriers.
"Our society is very conservative and patriarchal," she says.
"It is unusual for a woman to live on her own and work in the public sector. I struggle all the time to overturn the stereotype of women working only as secretaries.
"As a result, my ability to do my job is often hindered and made difficult. I deal with bureaucratic and chauvinistic obstacles every day."
The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has been seen as an emancipator of Libyan women.
He has challenged social taboos and even appointed female bodyguards.
Libya's military academy for women also had foreigners training in it during the 1990s, including recruits from Sudan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
But despite the progress, Libyan women in the security field are in the minority as society's perceptions of more traditional roles for women prevail.
And the abiding image in Libya is still of women who rarely mix with men in public and still cover themselves up with a veil.
By Rana Jawad BBC News, Tripoli
"I remember one time when I announced, 'This is Captain Kulthum Bouseyfi', some elderly men panicked," she says, recalling some funny moments working for state-run Afriqiyah Airways.
"They started shouting, 'How is that possible? It's a woman!
"Then the cabin crew took some of them to the cockpit and reassured them that the system could be learned by anyone."
The aviation industry in Libya is arguably one of the country's most male-dominated sectors.
But Ms Bouseyfi's story is a sign that things are changing in what was once a man's world.
"I thought that no-one would accept women working in such a field," she says.
"But I see people's respect when they find out I am a pilot."
Ms Bouseyfi's dream is to establish her own commercial aviation company.
The times they are a changing
The emancipation of women in Libya has come a long way in the last few decades.
They now make up more than 22% of the workforce, compared to just 6% in the 1970s.
Libyan law provides free and equal participation for women in all social, political and economic activities.
Famous women have included ministers and judges, as well as doctors and lawyers.
As the country shifts towards privatisation, female entrepreneurship is bearing fruit from IT companies to accounting firms.
Ibtissam Ben-Amer owns a franchise of the French chocolatier, Jeff de Bruges, in Tripoli, but her experience has been bitter-sweet.
"It was not easy," she says. "I started in business 15 years ago when there was an embargo on Libya, so that was a really difficult time."
Ibtissam Ben-Amer wants to open more chocolate shops
"Right now things are getting better and the Libyan market is opening up very fast."
She is looking to branch out with her chocolate shop in other parts of Libya.
But in North Africa generally, fathers, husbands and brothers still have a huge say in women's choices, so women's lib is an uphill struggle.
Haifa El Geblawi, who works for a foreign oil and gas company in Libya, says she has the support of her family to pursue her career but other women are not so lucky.
"Some men prefer their wives to work in schools - that way they get to come home earlier," Ms El Geblawi says.
"The husband still depends on her to take care of the children, the housework and cooking. So even if she works, she still has to do all of that as well."
Rough terrain
In private, young Libyan women, who are considered "too liberal", will complain of being sidelined or even excluded from business trips abroad because their male bosses want to pre-empt any gossip.
A young Libyan business woman shared her experience on condition of anonymity.
She works in a government investment firm while most of her peers work in the private sector.
It is in the civil service, she says, that she comes up against many barriers.
"Our society is very conservative and patriarchal," she says.
"It is unusual for a woman to live on her own and work in the public sector. I struggle all the time to overturn the stereotype of women working only as secretaries.
"As a result, my ability to do my job is often hindered and made difficult. I deal with bureaucratic and chauvinistic obstacles every day."
The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has been seen as an emancipator of Libyan women.
He has challenged social taboos and even appointed female bodyguards.
Libya's military academy for women also had foreigners training in it during the 1990s, including recruits from Sudan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
But despite the progress, Libyan women in the security field are in the minority as society's perceptions of more traditional roles for women prevail.
And the abiding image in Libya is still of women who rarely mix with men in public and still cover themselves up with a veil.
By Rana Jawad BBC News, Tripoli
UAE: Volunteering must in civil society: experts
ABU DHABI - The first international symposium on developing a 'culture of volunteering' in universities and schools across the country was held in the capital on April 29.
Organised by the Emirates Foundation's volunteer programme Takatof, the symposium, titled 'Learning from the International Volunteer Experience', featured international delegates including senior educational officials and social activists, who stressed that volunteering is a critical aspect of an active civil society.
Delivering the keynote address on university involvement, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, told delegates: "Volunteering adds a different dimension to learning: it helps students apply what they've learned in their classrooms and become contributing members to their societies."
Minister of Education Dr Hanif Hassan announced that a new student volunteer and community service programme has been initiated in the country, in collaboration with Emirates Foundation's Takatof and the Ministry of Culture.
"This now forms the basis for volunteer service activities in all our schools. The philosophy of the programme is to encourage students to make a personal investment in the wellbeing of others, to accept their civic responsibilities and to develop environmental awareness," said the minister.
The specialists who attended the symposium included philanthropist Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant-Governor of Maryland, the USA, and a board member of the 'Points of Light' Foundation, Liz Burns from the UK, former world president of the International Association for Volunteer Effort, Patricia Nabti, president of Lebanon's Association for Volunteer Services, and Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way of America.
Brian Gallagher stressed that young people should be given opportunities to assume leadership positions and influence the decision-making process of voluntary organisations, as their passion and commitment are necessary for the success of society.
"Civil society will thrive if the three pillars of society, represented in business, government and voluntary organisations, play equal roles as no segment of the society is complete without the engagement of the others," said Gallagher.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Professor at Georgetown University in the US, said teachers need training in order to raise the awareness of their students regarding issues in the community and get them actively engaged in voluntary activities.
Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, managing director of the Emirates Foundation, commented: "In partnership with both education Ministries, we shall use the results of this symposium to review the "state of the art" in educational volunteering worldwide so that we can determine which models and best practices are most suitable for the nation."
By Asma Hamid, Khaleej Times
Organised by the Emirates Foundation's volunteer programme Takatof, the symposium, titled 'Learning from the International Volunteer Experience', featured international delegates including senior educational officials and social activists, who stressed that volunteering is a critical aspect of an active civil society.
Delivering the keynote address on university involvement, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, told delegates: "Volunteering adds a different dimension to learning: it helps students apply what they've learned in their classrooms and become contributing members to their societies."
Minister of Education Dr Hanif Hassan announced that a new student volunteer and community service programme has been initiated in the country, in collaboration with Emirates Foundation's Takatof and the Ministry of Culture.
"This now forms the basis for volunteer service activities in all our schools. The philosophy of the programme is to encourage students to make a personal investment in the wellbeing of others, to accept their civic responsibilities and to develop environmental awareness," said the minister.
The specialists who attended the symposium included philanthropist Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant-Governor of Maryland, the USA, and a board member of the 'Points of Light' Foundation, Liz Burns from the UK, former world president of the International Association for Volunteer Effort, Patricia Nabti, president of Lebanon's Association for Volunteer Services, and Brian Gallagher, president and CEO of United Way of America.
Brian Gallagher stressed that young people should be given opportunities to assume leadership positions and influence the decision-making process of voluntary organisations, as their passion and commitment are necessary for the success of society.
"Civil society will thrive if the three pillars of society, represented in business, government and voluntary organisations, play equal roles as no segment of the society is complete without the engagement of the others," said Gallagher.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Professor at Georgetown University in the US, said teachers need training in order to raise the awareness of their students regarding issues in the community and get them actively engaged in voluntary activities.
Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, managing director of the Emirates Foundation, commented: "In partnership with both education Ministries, we shall use the results of this symposium to review the "state of the art" in educational volunteering worldwide so that we can determine which models and best practices are most suitable for the nation."
By Asma Hamid, Khaleej Times
Monday, April 28, 2008
Egypt: Egypt's Facebook Girl
In a tone that belied his excitement, a visiting journalist friend from Egypt related at great length the events of the April 6 strike in which confrontations and clashes broke out in the city.
He was particularly charged because he had images on his personal laptop that had been banned from publication in national Egyptian newspapers. The journalist's stories were incredibly interesting – especially since he had witnessed events that the media and the press did not relay to us.
However, the most compelling topic of conversation revolved around what has come to be known as 'the Facebook girl', aka the Egyptian Esraa Abdel Fatah (27 years old). Abdel Fatah who works in a private company as a Human Resources coordinator has suddenly become one of the most prominent detained figures arrested on charges of inciting a strike and causing disruption and rioting.
She was later released; however she was not the only one to be detained, several writers and bloggers have previously been arrested. The Egyptian journalist described Esraa as an ordinary Egyptian girl with no previous record of political activism or media or human rights activities.
In fact, he revealed that Esraa's colleagues in Al Ghad Party (The Tomorrow party), which she had joined less than a year ago, call her "Tomorrow's biscuit" in reference to her pleasant nature and sweet disposition.
Abdel Fatah was not on the government's list of known oppositional figures; she refused to join the "strike" group on Facebook, for example, which attacks various state symbols. To this day, the Egyptians still cannot fathom how this girl through a group invitation on Facebook managed to draw approximately 70,000 members who joined the group on the world's most famous interactive website.
Esraa's Facebook group succeeded in doing what Egyptian political groups failed to achieve, and it would be hard to believe that she could have been aware of the magnitude of the response she got for setting up the group. The fact remains that this huge response amongst Egyptian internet browsers indicates the extent of the need for platforms of expression other than what traditional media offers, which is also incapable of absorbing that need.
A broad segment of the public has resorted to this means of communication [internet] after the intensification of awareness in political issues and personal and public freedoms – all of which are subjected to varying degrees of limitations and opacity. There is no doubt that the future of the media is taking a historic turn towards the internet, based on the consideration that it is the means by which media outlets have the ability to become solid, ongoing and in a continuous state of progression.
It has become common knowledge that one year of internet [developments] is the equivalent of four years in other media mediums.This indicates that the internet is in a constant state of flux and continues to develop very quickly. No month passes without a qualitative development in the modus operanti of the World Wide Web – alongside with the tangential progression that happens as a result.
For example, the transition from blogs into Facebook was a smooth one, which also indicates a need for more liberated means of expression that are far removed from the institutionalized rules and regulations of traditional media.
This, however, is countered by the disruption and confusion that reigns over some Arab governments by virtue of the marginalization of the traditional means of surveillance that such states are witnessing, and which are incapable of keeping up with developments in communication.
-- Al Sharq al Awsat
He was particularly charged because he had images on his personal laptop that had been banned from publication in national Egyptian newspapers. The journalist's stories were incredibly interesting – especially since he had witnessed events that the media and the press did not relay to us.
However, the most compelling topic of conversation revolved around what has come to be known as 'the Facebook girl', aka the Egyptian Esraa Abdel Fatah (27 years old). Abdel Fatah who works in a private company as a Human Resources coordinator has suddenly become one of the most prominent detained figures arrested on charges of inciting a strike and causing disruption and rioting.
She was later released; however she was not the only one to be detained, several writers and bloggers have previously been arrested. The Egyptian journalist described Esraa as an ordinary Egyptian girl with no previous record of political activism or media or human rights activities.
In fact, he revealed that Esraa's colleagues in Al Ghad Party (The Tomorrow party), which she had joined less than a year ago, call her "Tomorrow's biscuit" in reference to her pleasant nature and sweet disposition.
Abdel Fatah was not on the government's list of known oppositional figures; she refused to join the "strike" group on Facebook, for example, which attacks various state symbols. To this day, the Egyptians still cannot fathom how this girl through a group invitation on Facebook managed to draw approximately 70,000 members who joined the group on the world's most famous interactive website.
Esraa's Facebook group succeeded in doing what Egyptian political groups failed to achieve, and it would be hard to believe that she could have been aware of the magnitude of the response she got for setting up the group. The fact remains that this huge response amongst Egyptian internet browsers indicates the extent of the need for platforms of expression other than what traditional media offers, which is also incapable of absorbing that need.
A broad segment of the public has resorted to this means of communication [internet] after the intensification of awareness in political issues and personal and public freedoms – all of which are subjected to varying degrees of limitations and opacity. There is no doubt that the future of the media is taking a historic turn towards the internet, based on the consideration that it is the means by which media outlets have the ability to become solid, ongoing and in a continuous state of progression.
It has become common knowledge that one year of internet [developments] is the equivalent of four years in other media mediums.This indicates that the internet is in a constant state of flux and continues to develop very quickly. No month passes without a qualitative development in the modus operanti of the World Wide Web – alongside with the tangential progression that happens as a result.
For example, the transition from blogs into Facebook was a smooth one, which also indicates a need for more liberated means of expression that are far removed from the institutionalized rules and regulations of traditional media.
This, however, is countered by the disruption and confusion that reigns over some Arab governments by virtue of the marginalization of the traditional means of surveillance that such states are witnessing, and which are incapable of keeping up with developments in communication.
-- Al Sharq al Awsat
Saudi Arabia: Scholars agree on rules for women employment
Religious scholars, intellectuals and the Supreme Economic Council have agreed on the religious regulations on the employment of women after detailed studies and discussions, according to Labour Minister Ghazi Al Gosaibi.
At a debate on ‘Labour sectors and employment: a dialogue between society and labour institutions’, held in Buraidah last week, Al Gosaibi called for sustained support from society to help his ministry successfully implement new employment policies.
Al Gosaibi said he wants to hear public’s views on how to solve employment issues. “People should advise and guide us as much as they criticise us,” and he said that there were no Islamic religious strictures preventing women from working.
He added that while guaranteeing women the right to work, Shariah stipulates that she should work in an appropriate environment, not mixing with men and without exposing to harassment.
On measures to replace foreign workers with Saudis, Al Gosaibi explained that like any other government department, the labour ministry could not stand against the interests of society. When people stressed the need to cut down on foreign labour, the government issued orders to check it.
Al Gosaibi said that in two years the ministry had succeeded in cutting down labour import by 700,000. This was accomplished despite protests from a section of society that claimed that restrictions on importing labour would jeopardise the developmental process.
He added that the ministry faced a dilemma — demands of the rapid economic development on one side and socio-economic obligation to employ the huge number of unemployed youths on the other.
Al Gosaibi said that to some extent he had to concede to pressures from some quarters that objected to the policy of restricting labour import. “The ministry yielded to the people’s pressure and issued 1,700,000 visas last year,” adding that unemployment was a tough challenge to grapple with. “The ministry did not, obviously, have a magic wand to do away with the problem. The ministry alone cannot change the work culture in society, neither could it change the customs and traditions that underlie the issue,” he said.
He added that the country’s youths preferred to work in the public sector because of the job security, high salary and more vacations available. “The private sector is not as generous as the public sector in such matters.” Al Gosaibi said his ministry faced the huge task of finding employment for 100,000 youths annually.
-- Khaleej Times
At a debate on ‘Labour sectors and employment: a dialogue between society and labour institutions’, held in Buraidah last week, Al Gosaibi called for sustained support from society to help his ministry successfully implement new employment policies.
Al Gosaibi said he wants to hear public’s views on how to solve employment issues. “People should advise and guide us as much as they criticise us,” and he said that there were no Islamic religious strictures preventing women from working.
He added that while guaranteeing women the right to work, Shariah stipulates that she should work in an appropriate environment, not mixing with men and without exposing to harassment.
On measures to replace foreign workers with Saudis, Al Gosaibi explained that like any other government department, the labour ministry could not stand against the interests of society. When people stressed the need to cut down on foreign labour, the government issued orders to check it.
Al Gosaibi said that in two years the ministry had succeeded in cutting down labour import by 700,000. This was accomplished despite protests from a section of society that claimed that restrictions on importing labour would jeopardise the developmental process.
He added that the ministry faced a dilemma — demands of the rapid economic development on one side and socio-economic obligation to employ the huge number of unemployed youths on the other.
Al Gosaibi said that to some extent he had to concede to pressures from some quarters that objected to the policy of restricting labour import. “The ministry yielded to the people’s pressure and issued 1,700,000 visas last year,” adding that unemployment was a tough challenge to grapple with. “The ministry did not, obviously, have a magic wand to do away with the problem. The ministry alone cannot change the work culture in society, neither could it change the customs and traditions that underlie the issue,” he said.
He added that the country’s youths preferred to work in the public sector because of the job security, high salary and more vacations available. “The private sector is not as generous as the public sector in such matters.” Al Gosaibi said his ministry faced the huge task of finding employment for 100,000 youths annually.
-- Khaleej Times
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Morocco: Training female clerics to promote moderate Islam
Morocco has recently started recruiting and training mourchidat, female Muslim clerics whose role is to help usher in a more moderate Islam, according to a report published in the Telegraph on Saturday.The Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania – a madrassa training the mourchidat (female guide) – is training a second batch of 50 female students, after a first batch of 50 graduated in April 2006.
Men and women learn side by side, but only men will be able to lead prayers. The mourchidat help women with religious questions, with their education and give support in schools and prisons. The long-term hope is that by working face-to-face with the community, they will help foster a more moderate Islam. Funded by the government, the initiative is part of a wave of liberal reforms begun by King Muhammad VI in 2004.
“This is a rare experiment in the Muslim world,” Muhammad Mahfudh, the centre’s director, said.
Modern approach
More than 400 women applied for the 50 places. The prerequisites are an entrance exam, an interview and a BA degree. Candidates are also required to have a life grounded in the teachings of the holy Quran, by which is meant memorising it, and to have an understanding of tajwid, the art of Quranic recital.
The course includes Islamic studies, psychology, sociology, computer skills, economy, law and business management, along with three hours of homework a day.
“We want to help people know the Quran and to promote flexibility, and there are a lot of problems in our society - social, political, all,” one student, Halima Kachkach, 29, said.
“Before the mourchidat, women had no one to answer their questions,” said Dr Rajaa Naji el Mekkaoui, an expert in family law at the Université Mohamed-V in Rabat, and one of the architects of the mourchidat programme.
“They will try to find the answers in other areas, from fundamentalist imams - and this is a big risk to society. If they ask that if they are authorised to work, the imams will say, ‘No, that is not allowed’. If a woman asks ‘what must I wear’, they will say, ‘She must be covered with the veil’.”
El Mekkaoui believes that the mourchidat are a liberating force for women, and an inhibitor for radicalism.
The idea for the mourchidat was first discussed in 2003, but its roots go back to 1999, when Mohammed VI came to the throne. But the landmark event that paved the way for the mourchidat took place in 2003.
In a radical break with tradition, the king invited el Mekkaoui to give the Ramadan lecture at the royal palace in Rabat, attended by members of the government, high-ranking military officials and foreign ambassadors. It was the first time a woman had even been allowed to enter the room, let alone permitted to speak.
On graduation, each mourchidat is assigned a mosque, which can be anywhere in Morocco, although the ministry in charge aims to find somewhere close to their families. The mourchidat offer spiritual advice and teach women the holy Quran, but also discuss more contentious gender-related issues — about sex, women’s health, what to do if your husband beats you — issues that women would not dream of asking an imam.
They are paid 5,000 dirhams (£420) a month, and work long hours, both in and outside the mosque.
Since the introduction of the mourchidat, Turkey has also challenged traditional Islamic gender roles with the appointment of 450 women as preachers - or vaize. The Diyanet, or Directorate of Religious Affairs, which controls the Islamic faith in Turkey but also tries to improve women’s rights, sees the appointment of female vaize as a crucial step forward.
--Daily Times Monitor
Men and women learn side by side, but only men will be able to lead prayers. The mourchidat help women with religious questions, with their education and give support in schools and prisons. The long-term hope is that by working face-to-face with the community, they will help foster a more moderate Islam. Funded by the government, the initiative is part of a wave of liberal reforms begun by King Muhammad VI in 2004.
“This is a rare experiment in the Muslim world,” Muhammad Mahfudh, the centre’s director, said.
Modern approach
More than 400 women applied for the 50 places. The prerequisites are an entrance exam, an interview and a BA degree. Candidates are also required to have a life grounded in the teachings of the holy Quran, by which is meant memorising it, and to have an understanding of tajwid, the art of Quranic recital.
The course includes Islamic studies, psychology, sociology, computer skills, economy, law and business management, along with three hours of homework a day.
“We want to help people know the Quran and to promote flexibility, and there are a lot of problems in our society - social, political, all,” one student, Halima Kachkach, 29, said.
“Before the mourchidat, women had no one to answer their questions,” said Dr Rajaa Naji el Mekkaoui, an expert in family law at the Université Mohamed-V in Rabat, and one of the architects of the mourchidat programme.
“They will try to find the answers in other areas, from fundamentalist imams - and this is a big risk to society. If they ask that if they are authorised to work, the imams will say, ‘No, that is not allowed’. If a woman asks ‘what must I wear’, they will say, ‘She must be covered with the veil’.”
El Mekkaoui believes that the mourchidat are a liberating force for women, and an inhibitor for radicalism.
The idea for the mourchidat was first discussed in 2003, but its roots go back to 1999, when Mohammed VI came to the throne. But the landmark event that paved the way for the mourchidat took place in 2003.
In a radical break with tradition, the king invited el Mekkaoui to give the Ramadan lecture at the royal palace in Rabat, attended by members of the government, high-ranking military officials and foreign ambassadors. It was the first time a woman had even been allowed to enter the room, let alone permitted to speak.
On graduation, each mourchidat is assigned a mosque, which can be anywhere in Morocco, although the ministry in charge aims to find somewhere close to their families. The mourchidat offer spiritual advice and teach women the holy Quran, but also discuss more contentious gender-related issues — about sex, women’s health, what to do if your husband beats you — issues that women would not dream of asking an imam.
They are paid 5,000 dirhams (£420) a month, and work long hours, both in and outside the mosque.
Since the introduction of the mourchidat, Turkey has also challenged traditional Islamic gender roles with the appointment of 450 women as preachers - or vaize. The Diyanet, or Directorate of Religious Affairs, which controls the Islamic faith in Turkey but also tries to improve women’s rights, sees the appointment of female vaize as a crucial step forward.
--Daily Times Monitor
Kuwait: Women hope to enter parliament despite obstacles
Kuwaiti women are optimistic of winning seats next month when they contest legislative elections for only the second time, but analysts believe their chances are slim for lack of political support.
None of 27 female candidates who contested the previous general elections in June 2006 was successful, but a number did make an unexpectedly strong showing despite having little time to prepare for the polls.
"I am really very optimistic about the chances of women winning seats in this election as political awareness has increased," Salwa al-Jassar told AFP after registering to contest the May 17 elections for the 50-seat parliament.
"My optimism is based on facts, not illusions," said the US-educated activist who heads the Centre for Enabling Women and who is standing for the first time.
Kuwaiti women won the right to vote and run for public office in a landmark vote in the conservative Gulf state's parliament in May 2005, after a struggle lasting more than four decades.
Since then, two women have been appointed to the oil-rich emirate's cabinet. One, former health minister Maasuma al-Mubarak, was forced to quit last year under pressure from Islamist MPs.
"I believe women have little chance of reaching parliament this time, but it will be a good opportunity for them to gain much-needed political experience," political analyst Nada al-Mutawa said.
Since these are early polls, called after the emir dissolved parliament in March, political groups are opting for well-established veteran male candidates, forcing women to run as independents, Mutawa told AFP.
The only exception has been the liberal National Democratic Alliance which is fielding university professor Aseel al-Awadhi alongside seven male candidates.
"This is certainly a good beginning for accommodating women in politics. It will encourage other women to join the mainstream political groups," said Mutawa, also a university professor.
Under the new system, the number of electoral districts has been reduced to five from 25, increasing the number of voters fivefold.
Analysts believe this will make it difficult for independents to win because candidates will need the backing of political groups or major tribes.
Political parties are banned in Kuwait, even though several political groups act as de facto parties.
"Independents, both men and women, will have a difficult time winning under the new system," Mutawa said.
Although Kuwaiti women constitute 43 percent of the national workforce of about 324,000 -- the highest proportion in any Gulf Arab state -- only a few hold top positions in government.
Candidate and activist Abdulaziz Makki Juma believes the only way women can win seats is through a quota system.
"I have no doubt that the only way for women to win seats is through a quota system. They are being fought by some Islamist groups like the Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood," he said.
"The problem also is that women voters do not vote for female candidates," he said.
Women constitute 55 percent of the electorate, down from 58 percent in the previous election. In 2006, official figures showed that most women voted for men.
The number of eligible women voters is 200,500, as against 161,200 men. This is mainly because military personnel, almost all male, are barred from voting.
But Mutawa said the quota system is not popular in Kuwait, and candidate Ghanima al-Haidar, contesting for the second time, said she does not support such a system either.
"It is a failure system... Women should win on their merit and competence and I am sure they will do so," Haidar told AFP.
Twenty-eight women signed up as candidates before registration closed on April 23.
Women candidates have again had little time to prepare for the polls because parliament was prematurely dissolved, as was the case in the 2006.
Candidate Sameera al-Shatti said the male mentality meant women's chances of electoral success were slim.
Men "think that women should follow them. Local laws also give preferential treatment to men," she said, referring to citizenship and housing.
Some women candidates are highly qualified. Rula Dashti has a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Fatima Abdali holds a doctorate in environment studies, and Khaleda al-Khader has a doctorate in public health.
The women candidates include lawyers, businesswomen and activists.
-- Agence France-Presse
None of 27 female candidates who contested the previous general elections in June 2006 was successful, but a number did make an unexpectedly strong showing despite having little time to prepare for the polls.
"I am really very optimistic about the chances of women winning seats in this election as political awareness has increased," Salwa al-Jassar told AFP after registering to contest the May 17 elections for the 50-seat parliament.
"My optimism is based on facts, not illusions," said the US-educated activist who heads the Centre for Enabling Women and who is standing for the first time.
Kuwaiti women won the right to vote and run for public office in a landmark vote in the conservative Gulf state's parliament in May 2005, after a struggle lasting more than four decades.
Since then, two women have been appointed to the oil-rich emirate's cabinet. One, former health minister Maasuma al-Mubarak, was forced to quit last year under pressure from Islamist MPs.
"I believe women have little chance of reaching parliament this time, but it will be a good opportunity for them to gain much-needed political experience," political analyst Nada al-Mutawa said.
Since these are early polls, called after the emir dissolved parliament in March, political groups are opting for well-established veteran male candidates, forcing women to run as independents, Mutawa told AFP.
The only exception has been the liberal National Democratic Alliance which is fielding university professor Aseel al-Awadhi alongside seven male candidates.
"This is certainly a good beginning for accommodating women in politics. It will encourage other women to join the mainstream political groups," said Mutawa, also a university professor.
Under the new system, the number of electoral districts has been reduced to five from 25, increasing the number of voters fivefold.
Analysts believe this will make it difficult for independents to win because candidates will need the backing of political groups or major tribes.
Political parties are banned in Kuwait, even though several political groups act as de facto parties.
"Independents, both men and women, will have a difficult time winning under the new system," Mutawa said.
Although Kuwaiti women constitute 43 percent of the national workforce of about 324,000 -- the highest proportion in any Gulf Arab state -- only a few hold top positions in government.
Candidate and activist Abdulaziz Makki Juma believes the only way women can win seats is through a quota system.
"I have no doubt that the only way for women to win seats is through a quota system. They are being fought by some Islamist groups like the Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood," he said.
"The problem also is that women voters do not vote for female candidates," he said.
Women constitute 55 percent of the electorate, down from 58 percent in the previous election. In 2006, official figures showed that most women voted for men.
The number of eligible women voters is 200,500, as against 161,200 men. This is mainly because military personnel, almost all male, are barred from voting.
But Mutawa said the quota system is not popular in Kuwait, and candidate Ghanima al-Haidar, contesting for the second time, said she does not support such a system either.
"It is a failure system... Women should win on their merit and competence and I am sure they will do so," Haidar told AFP.
Twenty-eight women signed up as candidates before registration closed on April 23.
Women candidates have again had little time to prepare for the polls because parliament was prematurely dissolved, as was the case in the 2006.
Candidate Sameera al-Shatti said the male mentality meant women's chances of electoral success were slim.
Men "think that women should follow them. Local laws also give preferential treatment to men," she said, referring to citizenship and housing.
Some women candidates are highly qualified. Rula Dashti has a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Fatima Abdali holds a doctorate in environment studies, and Khaleda al-Khader has a doctorate in public health.
The women candidates include lawyers, businesswomen and activists.
-- Agence France-Presse
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Morocco: 7,000 new breast cancer cases documented yearly in Morocco
Casablanca, Apr. 24 - About 20 new cases of breast cancer are declared daily in Morocco, that is 7,000 new cases a year, Dr. Rachid Bekkali, executive director of the Lalla Salma Association to Fight Cancer revealed on Thursday.
In order to contain the spread of this disease among women, the Association will, on Friday, launch a national campaign to raise awareness as to the importance of early cancer screening.
The USD 480,000 campaign, due to run until May, will target women aged above 45, as well as health professionals.
It will use posters, TV and radio commercials, as well as testimonies from patients, in addition to handing out leaflets to practitioners and the public, especially on self-examination of breasts.
The campaign will incite women to make early self-examination, the association executives said.
They stressed that 90% of the cases can be cured if discovered early, assuring of the existence of treatments that can be administered for free to poor patients.
-- Maghreb Arabe Press
In order to contain the spread of this disease among women, the Association will, on Friday, launch a national campaign to raise awareness as to the importance of early cancer screening.
The USD 480,000 campaign, due to run until May, will target women aged above 45, as well as health professionals.
It will use posters, TV and radio commercials, as well as testimonies from patients, in addition to handing out leaflets to practitioners and the public, especially on self-examination of breasts.
The campaign will incite women to make early self-examination, the association executives said.
They stressed that 90% of the cases can be cured if discovered early, assuring of the existence of treatments that can be administered for free to poor patients.
-- Maghreb Arabe Press
Friday, April 25, 2008
Bahrain: Government set to name Jewish woman envoy
Manama: A Jewish woman, Huda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, is set to become Bahrain's ambassador to Washington, sources close to diplomats told Gulf News on Thursday.
"Huda is Bahrain's nominee for the post and this is of course very good news for Bahrain's deep-rooted values of tolerance and openness," Faisal Fouladh, a Shura Council representative, and Western diplomats said.
Huda, a businesswoman, was the first Jewish woman to sit in the Shura Council, the 40-member upper house of the bicameral legislature, replacing her uncle. A Christian woman, Alice Samaan, also sits on the council which has 11 women, compared with only one woman MP, Lateefa Al Gaood, in the 40-member lower house.
Huda also is the first Jewish woman to head a rights organisation, the Bahrain Human Rights Watch. She is its secretary-general.
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief, Gulf News
"Huda is Bahrain's nominee for the post and this is of course very good news for Bahrain's deep-rooted values of tolerance and openness," Faisal Fouladh, a Shura Council representative, and Western diplomats said.
Huda, a businesswoman, was the first Jewish woman to sit in the Shura Council, the 40-member upper house of the bicameral legislature, replacing her uncle. A Christian woman, Alice Samaan, also sits on the council which has 11 women, compared with only one woman MP, Lateefa Al Gaood, in the 40-member lower house.
Huda also is the first Jewish woman to head a rights organisation, the Bahrain Human Rights Watch. She is its secretary-general.
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief, Gulf News
Middle East: A U.S. export that could lift the Middle East: Education
News reports on U.S. engagement in the Middle East usually focus on issues of war, terrorism and injustice. There is, however, other news of our involvement in the region that rarely receives coverage.
American universities, including Cornell and Georgetown, are moving into the region and establishing campuses to educate young men and women in the Middle East. They come at the invitation of Arab leaders who recognize that higher education is the key to the future of the region.
Regional statistics describe the stark nature of the challenge. Since 2003, the United Nations' Human Development Reports have documented the knowledge gaps, gender inequalities and political challenges facing the Arab world. Sixty-five million adults in the region are illiterate; almost two-thirds of them are women. Education in many villages is virtually non-existent.
Modern digital reality is just a dream for most, with fewer than 18 computers for every 1,000 people, compared with about 400 per 1,000 in high-income nations.
Higher education can help the next generation of Arab leaders lay foundations of economic progress, entrepreneurship and civil society.
U.S. serves as model
The American universities in Egypt and Lebanon are almost identical in curriculum and teaching styles to private liberal arts institutions in the USA. Their emphasis on critical thinking and independent judgment encourages students to develop the intellectual capacity they need to thrive in a global economy. By contrast, in much of the Middle East, the national universities are overwhelmed with hundreds or even thousands of students in mass lectures stressing rote memorization.
Those of us involved in higher education in this region believe that as we teach young leaders to embrace rigorous analysis and intellectual tolerance, radicalism can be trumped. Conversely, if higher education fails to provide the abilities young Arabs need to succeed in modern society, hopes will be dimmed, and minds closed.
Skill-training will not be enough. Young people must develop the ability to analyze complex problems and understand and evaluate different points of view. Without debate of diametrically opposing views aired publicly, there can be no diffusing of tensions and no hope of mutual understanding.
A race to educate
If, as H.G. Wells wrote, human history is "a race between education and catastrophe," then it is up to the leaders and the people of the Middle East to ensure that education wins the race in their villages, cities and nations.
It is not just political leaders who must adapt. Lasting progress requires leaders of many different institutions who see the need for change. These visionaries include lawyers who understand the importance of fair and impartial legal systems, journalists who link the immediacy of new media to the values of reform-minded advocacy, teachers who return to village and urban schools to prepare the youngest generation, social entrepreneurs who create new institutions of civil society, and philanthropists willing to invest in social progress.
The American University in Cairo and similar secular, non-profit, American-accredited universities in Beirut and more recently in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, are important elements in Middle Eastern development.
At a time when some Americans seem to doubt the very existence of moderate young Arab leaders, I assure you they are out there. And while many of them are critical of U.S. policies in the region, their aspirations are similar to those of young adults everywhere: They want a secure and safe society, economic opportunities and honest and effective governing institutions.
With the tools provided by a top-quality education, more and more Arab graduates are working toward those goals.
By David Arnold, USA Today
David Arnold is president of American University in Cairo and a member of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities.
American universities, including Cornell and Georgetown, are moving into the region and establishing campuses to educate young men and women in the Middle East. They come at the invitation of Arab leaders who recognize that higher education is the key to the future of the region.
Regional statistics describe the stark nature of the challenge. Since 2003, the United Nations' Human Development Reports have documented the knowledge gaps, gender inequalities and political challenges facing the Arab world. Sixty-five million adults in the region are illiterate; almost two-thirds of them are women. Education in many villages is virtually non-existent.
Modern digital reality is just a dream for most, with fewer than 18 computers for every 1,000 people, compared with about 400 per 1,000 in high-income nations.
Higher education can help the next generation of Arab leaders lay foundations of economic progress, entrepreneurship and civil society.
U.S. serves as model
The American universities in Egypt and Lebanon are almost identical in curriculum and teaching styles to private liberal arts institutions in the USA. Their emphasis on critical thinking and independent judgment encourages students to develop the intellectual capacity they need to thrive in a global economy. By contrast, in much of the Middle East, the national universities are overwhelmed with hundreds or even thousands of students in mass lectures stressing rote memorization.
Those of us involved in higher education in this region believe that as we teach young leaders to embrace rigorous analysis and intellectual tolerance, radicalism can be trumped. Conversely, if higher education fails to provide the abilities young Arabs need to succeed in modern society, hopes will be dimmed, and minds closed.
Skill-training will not be enough. Young people must develop the ability to analyze complex problems and understand and evaluate different points of view. Without debate of diametrically opposing views aired publicly, there can be no diffusing of tensions and no hope of mutual understanding.
A race to educate
If, as H.G. Wells wrote, human history is "a race between education and catastrophe," then it is up to the leaders and the people of the Middle East to ensure that education wins the race in their villages, cities and nations.
It is not just political leaders who must adapt. Lasting progress requires leaders of many different institutions who see the need for change. These visionaries include lawyers who understand the importance of fair and impartial legal systems, journalists who link the immediacy of new media to the values of reform-minded advocacy, teachers who return to village and urban schools to prepare the youngest generation, social entrepreneurs who create new institutions of civil society, and philanthropists willing to invest in social progress.
The American University in Cairo and similar secular, non-profit, American-accredited universities in Beirut and more recently in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, are important elements in Middle Eastern development.
At a time when some Americans seem to doubt the very existence of moderate young Arab leaders, I assure you they are out there. And while many of them are critical of U.S. policies in the region, their aspirations are similar to those of young adults everywhere: They want a secure and safe society, economic opportunities and honest and effective governing institutions.
With the tools provided by a top-quality education, more and more Arab graduates are working toward those goals.
By David Arnold, USA Today
David Arnold is president of American University in Cairo and a member of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities.
Saudi Arabia: Women can be employed according to Sharia rules
Riyadh: The issue of women's employment figured highly in both the days of the two-day Seventh National Dialogue Forum, which concluded on Wednesday in Buraidah City.
Minister of Labour Dr Gazi Al Gosaibi was the focus of attention among the key figures addressing the forum on the concluding day. While clarifying many doubts raised by the participants, including women, he touched upon the controversy around Sharia restrictions pertaining to women's employment.
"There are some people who want to have a debate on the issue again and again with the motive of either imposing restrictions on employing women or expanding the scope of the Sharia regulations in this respect," he said. Dr Al Gosaibi said the amendment of a clause in the Labour Law is nothing to do with mixing of women with men at work places. "On the other hand, it is aimed at broadening the supremacy of values of Islamic Sharia."
Provisions of law
Dr Al Gosaibi underlined the need for a re-reading of the provisions of the new law that clearly explain that women shall be allowed to work in an appropriate environment, not mixing with men and without exposure to harassment.
Taking part in the debate on 'Labour Sectors and Employment: A Dialogue Between Society and Labour Institutions', he agreed with senior Saudi scholar Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan's remarks on the previous day that Sharia does not prevent women from working.
Dr Al Gosaibi said no Islamic religious strictures prevent women from working. "After detailed studies and discussions, the religious scholars, intellectuals and the Supreme Economic Council have agreed on the religious regulations on the employment of women."
Replying to the avalanche of questions raised by some 70 participants, he clarified the government's position on topics such as unemployment, women's employment, Saudization, reducing dependence on expat workforce and minimum wage.
Al Gosaibi explained the dilemma faced by his ministry, which stood between the demands of the rapid economic development on one hand and socio-economic obligation to employ the huge number of unemployed youths on the other.
He said he had to concede, to some extent, to pressures from some quarters that objected to the policy of restricting labour import. "The ministry last year issued 1.7 million work visas, which was the highest number in the history of the kingdom." On the other hand, he said, "if recruitment of foreign workers were put on hold for six months, not a single Saudi would remain jobless".
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Gulf News
Minister of Labour Dr Gazi Al Gosaibi was the focus of attention among the key figures addressing the forum on the concluding day. While clarifying many doubts raised by the participants, including women, he touched upon the controversy around Sharia restrictions pertaining to women's employment.
"There are some people who want to have a debate on the issue again and again with the motive of either imposing restrictions on employing women or expanding the scope of the Sharia regulations in this respect," he said. Dr Al Gosaibi said the amendment of a clause in the Labour Law is nothing to do with mixing of women with men at work places. "On the other hand, it is aimed at broadening the supremacy of values of Islamic Sharia."
Provisions of law
Dr Al Gosaibi underlined the need for a re-reading of the provisions of the new law that clearly explain that women shall be allowed to work in an appropriate environment, not mixing with men and without exposure to harassment.
Taking part in the debate on 'Labour Sectors and Employment: A Dialogue Between Society and Labour Institutions', he agreed with senior Saudi scholar Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan's remarks on the previous day that Sharia does not prevent women from working.
Dr Al Gosaibi said no Islamic religious strictures prevent women from working. "After detailed studies and discussions, the religious scholars, intellectuals and the Supreme Economic Council have agreed on the religious regulations on the employment of women."
Replying to the avalanche of questions raised by some 70 participants, he clarified the government's position on topics such as unemployment, women's employment, Saudization, reducing dependence on expat workforce and minimum wage.
Al Gosaibi explained the dilemma faced by his ministry, which stood between the demands of the rapid economic development on one hand and socio-economic obligation to employ the huge number of unemployed youths on the other.
He said he had to concede, to some extent, to pressures from some quarters that objected to the policy of restricting labour import. "The ministry last year issued 1.7 million work visas, which was the highest number in the history of the kingdom." On the other hand, he said, "if recruitment of foreign workers were put on hold for six months, not a single Saudi would remain jobless".
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Gulf News
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Kuwait: Seven female hopefuls register for elections
Seven female hopefuls have registered with the General Directorate of the Electoral Affairs of the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry to contest the 12th National Assembly (parliament) elections, pushing to 28 the total number of female candidates, on Wednesday, the tenth and final day of registration.
"We seek to serve the broad spectrum of the Kuwaiti citizens," Aliya Al-Enezi, candidate of the fourth constituency, told KUNA."
My electoral platform highlights the woman issues and seeks to amend the laws that infringe on the rights of women," she asserted.
"Although women in Kuwait gained their political rights, they still suffer some social injustice," Al-Enezi noted.
She pledged to relieve the suffering of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men as well as the suffering of "Bedoon" (stateless) women and their children.
Al-Enezi voiced hope that more women would win parliamentary seats especially as women were more aware of their political and social rights.
Meanwhile, Amina Al-Qallaf, the candidate of the first constituency, said she attributed great importance to the economic, social, educational and healthcare problems faced by Kuwaiti families.
"My platform focuses on the issues of widows and divorcees as well as people with special needs," she said, asserted that she would do her utmost to translate her electoral promises into action.
For her part, Nabila Al-Omeiri, of the third constituency said she would raise the issues of rising prices and assert quality among all sons of Kuwait if she won a seat in parliament.
She voiced hope that all Kuwaitis would strengthen their ranks and work together to serve the interests of the homeland.
Samira Al-Shatti, of the fifth constituency, promised to serve the interests of the entire Kuwaiti nation particularly the middle class and women.
"I will push for legislations in favor of women and ordinary citizens," she underscored.Najlaa Al-Naqi, of the first constituency, reasserted the efficiency, experience and political maturity of Kuwaiti women who were qualified to contest the parliamentary elections.
She called for harmonizing the laws and cabinet decrees with Article 29 of the Constitution of Kuwait in order to strengthen the emerging democracy.
Tahani Karam, of the second constituency, promised to help women assert themselves in the society, and push for reforms in the educational system.Thikra Al-Majdali, a lawyer and candidate of the fourth constituency, said her platform prioritized the social issues and the issue of child affairs in order to ensure bringing up a generation more qualified to face the challenges of the future.
Kuwait News Agency - 24 April, 2008
"We seek to serve the broad spectrum of the Kuwaiti citizens," Aliya Al-Enezi, candidate of the fourth constituency, told KUNA."
My electoral platform highlights the woman issues and seeks to amend the laws that infringe on the rights of women," she asserted.
"Although women in Kuwait gained their political rights, they still suffer some social injustice," Al-Enezi noted.
She pledged to relieve the suffering of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men as well as the suffering of "Bedoon" (stateless) women and their children.
Al-Enezi voiced hope that more women would win parliamentary seats especially as women were more aware of their political and social rights.
Meanwhile, Amina Al-Qallaf, the candidate of the first constituency, said she attributed great importance to the economic, social, educational and healthcare problems faced by Kuwaiti families.
"My platform focuses on the issues of widows and divorcees as well as people with special needs," she said, asserted that she would do her utmost to translate her electoral promises into action.
For her part, Nabila Al-Omeiri, of the third constituency said she would raise the issues of rising prices and assert quality among all sons of Kuwait if she won a seat in parliament.
She voiced hope that all Kuwaitis would strengthen their ranks and work together to serve the interests of the homeland.
Samira Al-Shatti, of the fifth constituency, promised to serve the interests of the entire Kuwaiti nation particularly the middle class and women.
"I will push for legislations in favor of women and ordinary citizens," she underscored.Najlaa Al-Naqi, of the first constituency, reasserted the efficiency, experience and political maturity of Kuwaiti women who were qualified to contest the parliamentary elections.
She called for harmonizing the laws and cabinet decrees with Article 29 of the Constitution of Kuwait in order to strengthen the emerging democracy.
Tahani Karam, of the second constituency, promised to help women assert themselves in the society, and push for reforms in the educational system.Thikra Al-Majdali, a lawyer and candidate of the fourth constituency, said her platform prioritized the social issues and the issue of child affairs in order to ensure bringing up a generation more qualified to face the challenges of the future.
Kuwait News Agency - 24 April, 2008
Kuwait: Women to join police force for first time
Kuwait City, 24 April (AKI) - Women in Kuwait will be allowed to enter the police force from September, according to a local police official.
The director of the police academy, Yusuf al-Mudahaka, said that from September, women in the oil-rich emirate will be able to apply for recruitment to the local police force which currently is only open to men.
Al-Mudahaka was speaking on Wednesday at a ceremony with security officials which was also attended by the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah al-Ahmad.
"By September, at the latest, we will begin accepting applications from women, and in October we will present the first female police corps," he said.
According to a report on the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, the plan to create a police corp of female officers, was approved by Kuwait's council of ministers in 2001 and was followed by the creation last November of the first police academy for women.
In the political arena however, so far only 28 women have registered as candidates for next month's elections in Kuwait.
These women also ran in the 2006 polls. The number of male candidates however has increased significantly from 250 candidates in 2006 to 380 this year.
-- AKI
The director of the police academy, Yusuf al-Mudahaka, said that from September, women in the oil-rich emirate will be able to apply for recruitment to the local police force which currently is only open to men.
Al-Mudahaka was speaking on Wednesday at a ceremony with security officials which was also attended by the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah al-Ahmad.
"By September, at the latest, we will begin accepting applications from women, and in October we will present the first female police corps," he said.
According to a report on the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat, the plan to create a police corp of female officers, was approved by Kuwait's council of ministers in 2001 and was followed by the creation last November of the first police academy for women.
In the political arena however, so far only 28 women have registered as candidates for next month's elections in Kuwait.
These women also ran in the 2006 polls. The number of male candidates however has increased significantly from 250 candidates in 2006 to 380 this year.
-- AKI
Saudi Arabia: Our women must be protected: A report that publicises the plight of Saudi women
THE first and second time her husband shot her, the distressed woman in her 30s rejected advice to file a complaint. To do so, she explained, would require the presence of her obligatory male guardian, who happened to be...her husband. Without him, her testimony would not be legally valid. Besides, the all-male police might accuse her of “mixing” with the opposite sex, a crime in the eyes of most Saudi judges. The third time her husband shot her, she died.
This tale, told by a Saudi social worker in a new report on women's rights in the kingdom, is particularly harrowing. Yet it dramatises the more mundane plight of millions of Saudi women who are unable by law to study, work, travel, marry, testify in court, legalise a contract or undergo medical treatment without the assent of a close male relative, be he a father, husband or, less commonly, a grandfather, brother or son.
That Saudi women are banned from driving is well-known. But it is the imposition of male guardianship over adult women, affirms the detailed report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based monitoring group, that is the biggest obstacle to female advancement.
As the report points out, half the kingdom's citizens are treated in effect like children or the mentally ill for the duration of their lives. Worse, the guardianship policy creates a paradox: women may be held legally responsible for a crime, even though they are not deemed to have full legal capacity.
Oddly enough, there appear to be no written statutes mandating male guardianship for women. In the religiously conservative kingdom, where Muslim sharia law is held to override all other rules, the practice stems instead from extremist Wahhabi interpretations of Muslim scripture, particularly from a Koranic passage that describes men as the “protectors and keepers of women”. Sadly for Saudi women, the all-male Saudi judiciary is made up entirely of Wahhabi extremists.
Despite having signed various international charters for women's rights, the Saudi government has done little either to modify the system or to enforce the minor reforms it has sponsored.
Theoretically, for instance, women above the age of 45 no longer need a male guardian's permission to travel, yet airport officials routinely demand it anyway. A judge may, in theory, release a woman from the guardianship of an abusive parent or spouse, but only 1-2% of such appeals succeed, says a lawyer in the report. More than half of university students are women, yet they make up a tiny fraction of the workforce. This year will see the first-ever crop of female law graduates, but the justice ministry is unlikely to license any to practise, and judges are even less likely to allow them in their courtrooms.
Liberal-minded Saudis have long criticised such foibles, comparing the kingdom unfavourably to Muslim and Arab neighbours where women are far less restricted. Even those Saudis who uphold their traditions as defending female “honour” may take note of another woman's testimony to Human Rights Watch. A mother tells her daughter why she remarried: “I sold my body so that my paperwork can get taken care of. It tarnished my reputation and dignity, but our affairs are getting resolved.”
Optimists say the mere fact that the Saudi authorities let Human Rights Watch compile its report in situ is progress; four years ago the idea would have been damned as foreign interference. Last month, senior representatives from eight ministries met people from the rights group in Saudi Arabia and politely discussed the report ahead of publication, insisting that they could all “work together”.
The Saudis' officially sanctioned National Human Rights Commission, set up four years ago, privately agreed with many of the recommendations, predicting, among other things, that women would be allowed to drive cars “in the near future”—but such hopeful assurances have been given before. And, though one newspaper, the relatively liberal al-Watan, has aired parts of the report, the Saudi media have generally ignored it.
-- The Economist
This tale, told by a Saudi social worker in a new report on women's rights in the kingdom, is particularly harrowing. Yet it dramatises the more mundane plight of millions of Saudi women who are unable by law to study, work, travel, marry, testify in court, legalise a contract or undergo medical treatment without the assent of a close male relative, be he a father, husband or, less commonly, a grandfather, brother or son.
That Saudi women are banned from driving is well-known. But it is the imposition of male guardianship over adult women, affirms the detailed report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based monitoring group, that is the biggest obstacle to female advancement.
As the report points out, half the kingdom's citizens are treated in effect like children or the mentally ill for the duration of their lives. Worse, the guardianship policy creates a paradox: women may be held legally responsible for a crime, even though they are not deemed to have full legal capacity.
Oddly enough, there appear to be no written statutes mandating male guardianship for women. In the religiously conservative kingdom, where Muslim sharia law is held to override all other rules, the practice stems instead from extremist Wahhabi interpretations of Muslim scripture, particularly from a Koranic passage that describes men as the “protectors and keepers of women”. Sadly for Saudi women, the all-male Saudi judiciary is made up entirely of Wahhabi extremists.
Despite having signed various international charters for women's rights, the Saudi government has done little either to modify the system or to enforce the minor reforms it has sponsored.
Theoretically, for instance, women above the age of 45 no longer need a male guardian's permission to travel, yet airport officials routinely demand it anyway. A judge may, in theory, release a woman from the guardianship of an abusive parent or spouse, but only 1-2% of such appeals succeed, says a lawyer in the report. More than half of university students are women, yet they make up a tiny fraction of the workforce. This year will see the first-ever crop of female law graduates, but the justice ministry is unlikely to license any to practise, and judges are even less likely to allow them in their courtrooms.
Liberal-minded Saudis have long criticised such foibles, comparing the kingdom unfavourably to Muslim and Arab neighbours where women are far less restricted. Even those Saudis who uphold their traditions as defending female “honour” may take note of another woman's testimony to Human Rights Watch. A mother tells her daughter why she remarried: “I sold my body so that my paperwork can get taken care of. It tarnished my reputation and dignity, but our affairs are getting resolved.”
Optimists say the mere fact that the Saudi authorities let Human Rights Watch compile its report in situ is progress; four years ago the idea would have been damned as foreign interference. Last month, senior representatives from eight ministries met people from the rights group in Saudi Arabia and politely discussed the report ahead of publication, insisting that they could all “work together”.
The Saudis' officially sanctioned National Human Rights Commission, set up four years ago, privately agreed with many of the recommendations, predicting, among other things, that women would be allowed to drive cars “in the near future”—but such hopeful assurances have been given before. And, though one newspaper, the relatively liberal al-Watan, has aired parts of the report, the Saudi media have generally ignored it.
-- The Economist
UAE: Free screening a hit at Women's Healthcare
DUBAI - Scores of visitors to this week's Women's Healthcare exhibition are taking advantage of the free health screening and tests provided by exhibitors at the only dedicated health event for women in the UAE.
Women's Healthcare was launched this year to raise awareness about vital health issues for women residents in the country. While a range of health and well-being products and services are on offer, from cosmetic surgery advice to nutrition, the exhibition is also giving focus to life-threatening or debilitating illnesses which are prevalent in the UAE such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and diabetes.
Being held at Zabeel Hall at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Women's Healthcare is decked up with the latest health testing equipment where women could get their blood pressure checked and their body mass index confirmed, both of which are indicators of cardiovascular disease.
The other tests, such as checking blood sugar levels and bone mineral density, have proved to be popular with visitors wishing to screen for diabetes and osteoporosis, as well as the mammogram mobile screening unit brought in by Tawam Hospital.
The recent research by the organisers of the exhibition, IIR Middle East, has revealed that women residents are not really aware of the major health risks, such as cardiovascular disease with which more than a third of women worldwide currently live.
To help increase awareness about cardiovascular disease among women, Women's Healthcare and the Emirates Cardiac Society has launched the "Go Red for Women" campaign at the exhibition. Part of a global project, "Go Red for Women" aims to change the misconception that heart disease is a 'man's illness'.
In addition to testing their health, visitors have the opportunity to meet a wide range of healthcare professionals and specialists - from acupuncturists to representatives from private hospitals. Dental clinics are available to discuss both cosmetic and medical procedures and women can consult cosmetic surgery facilities about their services and what elective treatments would suit them.
- Khaleej Times
Women's Healthcare was launched this year to raise awareness about vital health issues for women residents in the country. While a range of health and well-being products and services are on offer, from cosmetic surgery advice to nutrition, the exhibition is also giving focus to life-threatening or debilitating illnesses which are prevalent in the UAE such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and diabetes.
Being held at Zabeel Hall at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Women's Healthcare is decked up with the latest health testing equipment where women could get their blood pressure checked and their body mass index confirmed, both of which are indicators of cardiovascular disease.
The other tests, such as checking blood sugar levels and bone mineral density, have proved to be popular with visitors wishing to screen for diabetes and osteoporosis, as well as the mammogram mobile screening unit brought in by Tawam Hospital.
The recent research by the organisers of the exhibition, IIR Middle East, has revealed that women residents are not really aware of the major health risks, such as cardiovascular disease with which more than a third of women worldwide currently live.
To help increase awareness about cardiovascular disease among women, Women's Healthcare and the Emirates Cardiac Society has launched the "Go Red for Women" campaign at the exhibition. Part of a global project, "Go Red for Women" aims to change the misconception that heart disease is a 'man's illness'.
In addition to testing their health, visitors have the opportunity to meet a wide range of healthcare professionals and specialists - from acupuncturists to representatives from private hospitals. Dental clinics are available to discuss both cosmetic and medical procedures and women can consult cosmetic surgery facilities about their services and what elective treatments would suit them.
- Khaleej Times
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Saudi Arabia: More Job Opportunities for Women Urged
BURAIDAH — The seventh national dialogue forum began here yesterday with calls for creating more job opportunities for Saudi women and implementing resolutions on women’s employment.
“We see thousands of foreign women working in health care and other sectors while Saudi women await in long queues for jobs,” said Dr. Rafeeqa Al-Dakhil, a delegate attending the forum.
Saleh Al-Hosain, president of the National Dialogue Forum, said the meeting would discuss various aspects of women’s employment, including its motives. He highlighted the importance of national dialogue, saying that discussions on controversial topics would give momentum to the dialogue process. The participation of prominent personalities would make the event lively and informative, he added.
“Labor Sectors and Employment: A Dialogue Between Society and Labor Institutions” is the forum’s main theme. The first session focused on the complex issue of unemployment in the Kingdom.
Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan, president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, moderated the session that dealt with the economic and social reasons for unemployment.
Officials from the ministries of labor and civil service in addition to a large number of academics and media persons are attending the two-day forum.
Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a member of the Shoura Council, said Shariah does not prevent women from working as long as they do not mix with unrelated men. “We have to understand that the basic duty of women is at home and bringing up children,” Al-Obaikan said.
He, however, called for opening separate sections for workingwomen at companies and offices.
Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, deputy minister of labor, said his ministry has set out a new employment strategy with the support of the private sector. It has been presented to the Supreme Economic Council for approval.
The delegates emphasized the need to find a quick solution to unemployment that creates social and mental problems.
The first day of the forum was distinguished by the active participation of women. Nadiya Al-Dossari said she believed most cases of unemployment cases in the Kingdom were “optional.”
She emphasized the need for providing training to Saudi graduates to meet job market requirements.
Dr. Muneera Al-Sheikha spoke about another key problem: transportation. She urged companies to arrange transportation for their women employees.
- Arab News
“We see thousands of foreign women working in health care and other sectors while Saudi women await in long queues for jobs,” said Dr. Rafeeqa Al-Dakhil, a delegate attending the forum.
Saleh Al-Hosain, president of the National Dialogue Forum, said the meeting would discuss various aspects of women’s employment, including its motives. He highlighted the importance of national dialogue, saying that discussions on controversial topics would give momentum to the dialogue process. The participation of prominent personalities would make the event lively and informative, he added.
“Labor Sectors and Employment: A Dialogue Between Society and Labor Institutions” is the forum’s main theme. The first session focused on the complex issue of unemployment in the Kingdom.
Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan, president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, moderated the session that dealt with the economic and social reasons for unemployment.
Officials from the ministries of labor and civil service in addition to a large number of academics and media persons are attending the two-day forum.
Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a member of the Shoura Council, said Shariah does not prevent women from working as long as they do not mix with unrelated men. “We have to understand that the basic duty of women is at home and bringing up children,” Al-Obaikan said.
He, however, called for opening separate sections for workingwomen at companies and offices.
Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, deputy minister of labor, said his ministry has set out a new employment strategy with the support of the private sector. It has been presented to the Supreme Economic Council for approval.
The delegates emphasized the need to find a quick solution to unemployment that creates social and mental problems.
The first day of the forum was distinguished by the active participation of women. Nadiya Al-Dossari said she believed most cases of unemployment cases in the Kingdom were “optional.”
She emphasized the need for providing training to Saudi graduates to meet job market requirements.
Dr. Muneera Al-Sheikha spoke about another key problem: transportation. She urged companies to arrange transportation for their women employees.
- Arab News
Kuwait: Arrests for vote buying
The Ministry of Interior will refer two former MPs and parliamentary candidates to the Public Prosecution for alleged vote-buying, Arab Times reports.
The parliamentary elections are on May 17.
Securitymen have arrested more than 10 men and women, including members of a female candidate’s committee in Hawalli and three women in the Fifth Constituency on similar charges. The police raided the committee’s office and during interrogation some panel members admitted that they had purchased votes in the Third Constituency. The police found a box full of citizenship certificates and another box containing KD100,000 ready for distribution to the certificate owners.
Sources said votes were purchased at KD500 each and one candidate intended to buy votes to win tribal elections in the Fifth Constituency. The raid was part of efforts to combat vote-buying in line with the Elections Law and Interior Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Khaled Al Sabah issued directives to expedite interrogation and refer the accused to the Public Prosecution. The Public Prosecution also ordered the immediate arrest of members of the Hawajer and Awazem tribes in the First Constituency for participation in the recent primaries.
The elections monitoring committee at the Kuwait Democracy Development Society said one candidate from the Fourth Constituency hired the services of citizens for unknown reasons and expressed doubts on the candidate’s move which, it said, might be intended to buy votes.
The sources said Al Otaibi tribe held primaries on Monday and nominated two candidates from the First Constituency. Al Rashidi tribe also held primaries.Naeema Al Hae from the Third Constituency filed papers and said women voters in previous elections were disappointed as male parliamentarians ignore their issues.
Accusing some male candidates of spreading rumours that women would not vote for female candidates, Al Hae said it was one way to discourage women from contesting the elections.
Objecting to the proposed quota system, Al Hae said the system would limit the number of parliamentary seats for women. “If female voters choose four candidates each, then there will be 20 female MPs in the next parliament.”
Al Hae is the only female candidate to register since Thursday. Twenty candidates registered on Monday, bringing the number of candidates to 313, including 19 women.
Only one candidate has withdrawn since the start of registration on April 14. Former MP and First Constituency candidate Sayed Hussein Al Qallaf confirmed he would form alliance with others but refused to provide details. Asked about the large number of alliances among candidates from the First Constituency, Al Qallaf said the five constituency system had given birth to alliances. “Ethnical electoral lists are being enforced on us but I hope they represent the community and not a certain group.”
The Court of First Instance ordered the ministry to allow Fourth Constituency candidate Faisal Al Tuwayeh to contest the election. But it dismissed Al Tuwayeh’s petition to declare Elections Law No. 35/1962 unconstitutional. Tuwayeh argued that he was Kuwaiti and had never been convicted for dishonesty or breach of trust. But when he filed papers as candidate from the Fourth Constituency, he said, he discovered Al Nahda area where he lived was not included in the election. Tuwayeh sought help of people to consider his candidacy but his efforts went in vain and he filed the case.
Bahrain Tribune
The parliamentary elections are on May 17.
Securitymen have arrested more than 10 men and women, including members of a female candidate’s committee in Hawalli and three women in the Fifth Constituency on similar charges. The police raided the committee’s office and during interrogation some panel members admitted that they had purchased votes in the Third Constituency. The police found a box full of citizenship certificates and another box containing KD100,000 ready for distribution to the certificate owners.
Sources said votes were purchased at KD500 each and one candidate intended to buy votes to win tribal elections in the Fifth Constituency. The raid was part of efforts to combat vote-buying in line with the Elections Law and Interior Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Khaled Al Sabah issued directives to expedite interrogation and refer the accused to the Public Prosecution. The Public Prosecution also ordered the immediate arrest of members of the Hawajer and Awazem tribes in the First Constituency for participation in the recent primaries.
The elections monitoring committee at the Kuwait Democracy Development Society said one candidate from the Fourth Constituency hired the services of citizens for unknown reasons and expressed doubts on the candidate’s move which, it said, might be intended to buy votes.
The sources said Al Otaibi tribe held primaries on Monday and nominated two candidates from the First Constituency. Al Rashidi tribe also held primaries.Naeema Al Hae from the Third Constituency filed papers and said women voters in previous elections were disappointed as male parliamentarians ignore their issues.
Accusing some male candidates of spreading rumours that women would not vote for female candidates, Al Hae said it was one way to discourage women from contesting the elections.
Objecting to the proposed quota system, Al Hae said the system would limit the number of parliamentary seats for women. “If female voters choose four candidates each, then there will be 20 female MPs in the next parliament.”
Al Hae is the only female candidate to register since Thursday. Twenty candidates registered on Monday, bringing the number of candidates to 313, including 19 women.
Only one candidate has withdrawn since the start of registration on April 14. Former MP and First Constituency candidate Sayed Hussein Al Qallaf confirmed he would form alliance with others but refused to provide details. Asked about the large number of alliances among candidates from the First Constituency, Al Qallaf said the five constituency system had given birth to alliances. “Ethnical electoral lists are being enforced on us but I hope they represent the community and not a certain group.”
The Court of First Instance ordered the ministry to allow Fourth Constituency candidate Faisal Al Tuwayeh to contest the election. But it dismissed Al Tuwayeh’s petition to declare Elections Law No. 35/1962 unconstitutional. Tuwayeh argued that he was Kuwaiti and had never been convicted for dishonesty or breach of trust. But when he filed papers as candidate from the Fourth Constituency, he said, he discovered Al Nahda area where he lived was not included in the election. Tuwayeh sought help of people to consider his candidacy but his efforts went in vain and he filed the case.
Bahrain Tribune
Algeria: Passport veil ban protest
Muslim Scholars in Algeria say a government ban on pictures of veiled women in passport photographs runs counter to Sharia law.
The Society of Algerian Muslim Scholars has denounced the ban which also applies to bearded men.
The organisation says the veil and beard are part of Muslim tradition which cannot be outlawed.
The society says it issued a fatwa against the ban after receiving hundreds of complaints.
Prime Minister Abdelazeez Belkhadem is reported to have received complaints from the public urging him to overturn the ban.
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhardi says it is an example of a modern secular state coming under fire from a resurgent Islamism.
This confrontation took a sinister turn in Algeria back in the 1990s, when the Algerian army fought a bloody battle against Islamic militants leaving an estimated 100,000 people dead.
Our correspondent says the conflict between secular values and a new assertive Islamic identity has taken many shapes in Muslim as well as European societies where there is a vocal Islamic community.
He says the veil has figured prominently in fierce debates.
Most recently, Turkey was plunged into a constitutional crisis after the ruling party removed a ban on wearing the veil in universities.
The powerful secular establishment was outraged saying this was Islamisation by stealth and it took the matter to court hoping to outlaw the ruling party itself.
The Society of Algerian Muslim Scholars has denounced the ban which also applies to bearded men.
The organisation says the veil and beard are part of Muslim tradition which cannot be outlawed.
The society says it issued a fatwa against the ban after receiving hundreds of complaints.
Prime Minister Abdelazeez Belkhadem is reported to have received complaints from the public urging him to overturn the ban.
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhardi says it is an example of a modern secular state coming under fire from a resurgent Islamism.
This confrontation took a sinister turn in Algeria back in the 1990s, when the Algerian army fought a bloody battle against Islamic militants leaving an estimated 100,000 people dead.
Our correspondent says the conflict between secular values and a new assertive Islamic identity has taken many shapes in Muslim as well as European societies where there is a vocal Islamic community.
He says the veil has figured prominently in fierce debates.
Most recently, Turkey was plunged into a constitutional crisis after the ruling party removed a ban on wearing the veil in universities.
The powerful secular establishment was outraged saying this was Islamisation by stealth and it took the matter to court hoping to outlaw the ruling party itself.
Saudi Arabia: Saudis slow to accept working women
KAI RYSSDAL: Jordan's King Abdullah had a quick meeting with President Bush today. It was a setup for the president's trip to the Middle East next month. He'll be in Israel as well, and in Saudi Arabia.
Less than 10 percent of the Saudi workforce is female, yet women make up more than half of that country's college graduates. Jobs that could go to women are held, instead, by men from countries like India and Pakistan. The Saudi government is trying to get its own citizens to work.
It's started hiring more women and encouraging the private sector to do the same, but Kelly McEvers reports from Riyadh, change isn't coming easily.
KELLY MCEVERS: About a year ago, a Saudi woman who works at the Ministry of Planning and Development had a meeting with her male counterparts.
SAUDI WOMAN: There was two men and there were like three of us, the ladies. We have met for I think it was only like for 20 minutes.
Sounds like a regular day at the office, but in Saudi Arabia it's a really big deal. That's because religious leaders forbid the mixing of unrelated men and women. Partitions, window coverings, different hours for men and women, all this is designed to keep the sexes apart. Now the Saudi government wants women to start filling jobs occupied by foreigners, who make up at least a quarter of the country's 24 million people. Officials say the move is still in line with religious law, because, like at this woman's government office, men and women have separate entrances.
SAUDI WOMAN: It's a separate place, but it is, it's in the same building, and if we, if we need, we can just use the telephones to talk to the males in the other departments.
Phone calls with men are fine, but meetings . . .
SAUDI WOMAN: It is very rare. I think it only happens twice.
This is the conundrum of Saudi Arabia. Women want to work, but both sexes are still reluctant to put themselves in situations where they might mix, so the government keeps trying. The Ministry of Labor recently passed a law requiring shops and stores that cater to women to actually hire women, but, says journalist Maha Akeel, store owners found excuses not to comply.
MAHA AKEEL: The businessmen objected that it was an added expense, you know, segregating the stores. You know, who's going to manage those stores? We don't have qualified women, you know. They have to be trained. By time they train them, what are they going to do with the stores?
So in the end ...
AKEEL: The ministry backed off, and said "Well, we'll just make it optional."
And so far, no stores have hired women. Instead, they're staffed by foreign men. Architect and interior designer Nadia Bakhurji is seen as a pioneer for women's rights in Saudi Arabia. She ran for local office in 2005, even though women aren't allowed on the ballot. Yet even she doesn't hire Saudi women. She says the few who are qualified in her field are still afraid of working with men.
NADIA BAKHURJI: You know, some girls just don't have the confidence to go out into the workforce.
Bakhurji says most Saudi women have never even met a man who is not their relative, so the mixing of the sexes almost always means some kind of sexual tension.
BAKHURJI: I mean, my advice to any professional woman is if the guy tries to get difficult, either he's being sexually discriminating by putting your work down because you're a woman, or if they try to get fresh, if you know what I mean, you need to, you know, not accept any nonsense.
That advice might not go very far with 23-year-old Haifa Fahad Al Ajra. She says she has no interest in working with men, because if she was sexually harassed, she says through an interpreter, she'd have no legal recourse.
HAIFA FAHAD AL AJRA INTERPRETER: She said, you will find a clear and strong punishment for that in the United States. Unlike here in Saudi Arabia, there is no clear punishment here, so we need to do this in a gradual, harmonic way."
Al Ajra says the segregation of men and women here is a product of both religion and culture. Imagine being told your whole life you need to be protected from the prying eyes of men, she says. You'd be hesitant to work with them, too.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I'm Kelly McEvers for Marketplace/NPR.
Audio Link here.
Less than 10 percent of the Saudi workforce is female, yet women make up more than half of that country's college graduates. Jobs that could go to women are held, instead, by men from countries like India and Pakistan. The Saudi government is trying to get its own citizens to work.
It's started hiring more women and encouraging the private sector to do the same, but Kelly McEvers reports from Riyadh, change isn't coming easily.
KELLY MCEVERS: About a year ago, a Saudi woman who works at the Ministry of Planning and Development had a meeting with her male counterparts.
SAUDI WOMAN: There was two men and there were like three of us, the ladies. We have met for I think it was only like for 20 minutes.
Sounds like a regular day at the office, but in Saudi Arabia it's a really big deal. That's because religious leaders forbid the mixing of unrelated men and women. Partitions, window coverings, different hours for men and women, all this is designed to keep the sexes apart. Now the Saudi government wants women to start filling jobs occupied by foreigners, who make up at least a quarter of the country's 24 million people. Officials say the move is still in line with religious law, because, like at this woman's government office, men and women have separate entrances.
SAUDI WOMAN: It's a separate place, but it is, it's in the same building, and if we, if we need, we can just use the telephones to talk to the males in the other departments.
Phone calls with men are fine, but meetings . . .
SAUDI WOMAN: It is very rare. I think it only happens twice.
This is the conundrum of Saudi Arabia. Women want to work, but both sexes are still reluctant to put themselves in situations where they might mix, so the government keeps trying. The Ministry of Labor recently passed a law requiring shops and stores that cater to women to actually hire women, but, says journalist Maha Akeel, store owners found excuses not to comply.
MAHA AKEEL: The businessmen objected that it was an added expense, you know, segregating the stores. You know, who's going to manage those stores? We don't have qualified women, you know. They have to be trained. By time they train them, what are they going to do with the stores?
So in the end ...
AKEEL: The ministry backed off, and said "Well, we'll just make it optional."
And so far, no stores have hired women. Instead, they're staffed by foreign men. Architect and interior designer Nadia Bakhurji is seen as a pioneer for women's rights in Saudi Arabia. She ran for local office in 2005, even though women aren't allowed on the ballot. Yet even she doesn't hire Saudi women. She says the few who are qualified in her field are still afraid of working with men.
NADIA BAKHURJI: You know, some girls just don't have the confidence to go out into the workforce.
Bakhurji says most Saudi women have never even met a man who is not their relative, so the mixing of the sexes almost always means some kind of sexual tension.
BAKHURJI: I mean, my advice to any professional woman is if the guy tries to get difficult, either he's being sexually discriminating by putting your work down because you're a woman, or if they try to get fresh, if you know what I mean, you need to, you know, not accept any nonsense.
That advice might not go very far with 23-year-old Haifa Fahad Al Ajra. She says she has no interest in working with men, because if she was sexually harassed, she says through an interpreter, she'd have no legal recourse.
HAIFA FAHAD AL AJRA INTERPRETER: She said, you will find a clear and strong punishment for that in the United States. Unlike here in Saudi Arabia, there is no clear punishment here, so we need to do this in a gradual, harmonic way."
Al Ajra says the segregation of men and women here is a product of both religion and culture. Imagine being told your whole life you need to be protected from the prying eyes of men, she says. You'd be hesitant to work with them, too.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I'm Kelly McEvers for Marketplace/NPR.
Audio Link here.
Saudi Arabia: Islam 'does not forbid women from working'
Riyadh: A senior Saudi scholar is in the forefront of those who made a fervent appeal to the Saudi public and private sectors to create more job opportunities for qualified young Saudi women.
Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan, a member of the Shura Council and adviser to the Ministry of Justice, ruled that Sharia does not prevent women from working as long as they do not mix with unrelated men.
"We cannot see any religious scriptures that forbid women from being engaged in duty together with men at work places. Islam permits women to mix with men even while performing Tawaf and Sa'ai. Similar is the case with shopping at markets," he said.
In his speech at the first day of the Seventh National Dialogue Forum in Buraida City in Qaseem Province on Tuesday, Al Obaikan said: "We cannot say that a woman in Islamic dress in the workplace is in a state of khulwa [mixing with unrelated men], which is prohibited by Islam."
Islam bans such mixing if it involves any fitna or seduction. "All mixings are not prohibited. But only those involving fitna," he said.
However, he also pointed out that the basic duty of women is at home and bringing up children. He also called for opening separate sections for working women at companies and offices.
The first day's session of Dialogue Forum, with the theme of 'Labour Sectors and Employment: A Dialogue Between Society and Labour Institutions', is mainly devoted to problems faced by Saudi women in the local employment market. As many as 70 figures, including academics, thinkers, writers, businessmen as well as officials from the ministries of labour and civil service are attending the two-day forum.
Those who addressed the forum stressed the need for more job opportunities for Saudi women and implementation of resolutions on women's employment.
The discussion was being held in the wake of a recent report of the Ministry of Economy and Planning saying unemployment among Saudi women soared to an alarming rate exceeding 60 per cent.
The first day of the forum was conspicuous by the participation of women. Nadiya Al Dossari, one of the participants, emphasised the need to provide training to Saudi graduates to meet job market requirements, while Dr Muneera Al Shaikha spoke about another key problem of transportation faced by women.
Saleh Al Hosain, president of the forum, said the meeting would discuss various aspects of women's employment, including its motives. He highlighted the importance of national dialogue, saying that discussions on controversial topics would give momentum to the dialogue process.
Dr Khalid Al Sultan, president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, moderated the session.
By Mariam Al Hakeem
Shaikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obaikan, a member of the Shura Council and adviser to the Ministry of Justice, ruled that Sharia does not prevent women from working as long as they do not mix with unrelated men.
"We cannot see any religious scriptures that forbid women from being engaged in duty together with men at work places. Islam permits women to mix with men even while performing Tawaf and Sa'ai. Similar is the case with shopping at markets," he said.
In his speech at the first day of the Seventh National Dialogue Forum in Buraida City in Qaseem Province on Tuesday, Al Obaikan said: "We cannot say that a woman in Islamic dress in the workplace is in a state of khulwa [mixing with unrelated men], which is prohibited by Islam."
Islam bans such mixing if it involves any fitna or seduction. "All mixings are not prohibited. But only those involving fitna," he said.
However, he also pointed out that the basic duty of women is at home and bringing up children. He also called for opening separate sections for working women at companies and offices.
The first day's session of Dialogue Forum, with the theme of 'Labour Sectors and Employment: A Dialogue Between Society and Labour Institutions', is mainly devoted to problems faced by Saudi women in the local employment market. As many as 70 figures, including academics, thinkers, writers, businessmen as well as officials from the ministries of labour and civil service are attending the two-day forum.
Those who addressed the forum stressed the need for more job opportunities for Saudi women and implementation of resolutions on women's employment.
The discussion was being held in the wake of a recent report of the Ministry of Economy and Planning saying unemployment among Saudi women soared to an alarming rate exceeding 60 per cent.
The first day of the forum was conspicuous by the participation of women. Nadiya Al Dossari, one of the participants, emphasised the need to provide training to Saudi graduates to meet job market requirements, while Dr Muneera Al Shaikha spoke about another key problem of transportation faced by women.
Saleh Al Hosain, president of the forum, said the meeting would discuss various aspects of women's employment, including its motives. He highlighted the importance of national dialogue, saying that discussions on controversial topics would give momentum to the dialogue process.
Dr Khalid Al Sultan, president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, moderated the session.
By Mariam Al Hakeem
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Yemen: Women’s development organization launches in Marib
YEMEN--Soul for Development, a woman and child development organization is to launch a four day training course in Marib. The course is supported by the American Middle East partnership initiative and is within the organization’s activity to build Marib NGOs’ institutional capacity.
With special focus on five women’s organizations in the districts of al-Wadi al-Joba, Harib and Sirwah, 26 participants will be trained in two phases for one year on administrative issues, preparing project proposals, archive system, communication and the effective time management. The second phase will focus on support and advocacy issues.
At the end of each session, the organization will follow up the implementation of plans presented by the societies, holding workshops for discussing the results.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should not only serve community social, economic, and educational needs, they should also organize and empower citizens to seek governmental support, services, and policies that are responsive to those needs, according to a statement issued by SOUL organization.
Through this two-phase project, SOUL will strengthen the ability of 13 women NGOs in the governorate of Marib to mobilize citizens, engage government, and advocate for the needs and rights of the people of their communities. Phase one will provide participant NGOs training and resources essential to strengthening their operations and capacity.
Phase two will provide training on effective advocacy campaigns; including effective lobbying of municipal councils and government institutions, and how to garner public support. Both phases will include examples of best practices from other Yemeni NGOs.
The outcomes of the workshops represented by Nascent civil society groups with limited impact become more robust NGOs that play an effective role in bringing needed changes to their communities. In addition to Citizens of Marib, especially women, learn and value collective, effective engagement of government institutions to secure positive changes for their communities.
The objectives of the workshops are Participating NGOs understand, value, and learn to implement organizational best practices that strengthen their capacity and operations, and to effectively fulfill the role of civil society in mobilizing citizens and lobbying government. SOUL improves its capacity for training NGOs on advocacy and lobbying campaigns.
A needs assessment survey will be completed by each participating NGO before training commences to help determine strengths and weaknesses and design the training program.
SOUL organizes and leads a 4-day, interactive training workshop for 26 participants (two representatives from 13 Marib NGOs) on organizational best practices and effective operations, including setting organizational vision, mission and goals organizational structure, the value of research in supporting organizational mission, strategic and program planning, budgeting, finance and fundraising, and recruiting and working with volunteers.
SOUL organizes, and an expert consultant leads, a 4-day, interactive training workshop for the same 26 participants on mounting effective advocacy and lobbying campaigns, including community outreach, engaging the private sector, coalition building, public awareness raising and garnering public support, lobbying elected and unelected government institutions, and use of media.
90 – 120 days after reviewing action plans, SOUL leads a one-day follow-up workshop to examine the progress and experiences of the NGOs in implementing the plans. During the second workshop, participants will identify one to three specific needs or changes in local governmental policies or services for which groups of the participant NGOs will produce an advocacy/lobbying plan to achieve.
SOUL, with assistance of an expert consultant, reviews and provides feedback on the advocacy/lobbying plans. 90-120 days after reviewing the advocacy/lobbing plans, SOUL leads a one-day follow-up workshop to examine the progress and experiences of the NGOs’ advocacy and lobbying efforts.
Zaid al-Alaya’a, Yemen Observer
With special focus on five women’s organizations in the districts of al-Wadi al-Joba, Harib and Sirwah, 26 participants will be trained in two phases for one year on administrative issues, preparing project proposals, archive system, communication and the effective time management. The second phase will focus on support and advocacy issues.
At the end of each session, the organization will follow up the implementation of plans presented by the societies, holding workshops for discussing the results.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should not only serve community social, economic, and educational needs, they should also organize and empower citizens to seek governmental support, services, and policies that are responsive to those needs, according to a statement issued by SOUL organization.
Through this two-phase project, SOUL will strengthen the ability of 13 women NGOs in the governorate of Marib to mobilize citizens, engage government, and advocate for the needs and rights of the people of their communities. Phase one will provide participant NGOs training and resources essential to strengthening their operations and capacity.
Phase two will provide training on effective advocacy campaigns; including effective lobbying of municipal councils and government institutions, and how to garner public support. Both phases will include examples of best practices from other Yemeni NGOs.
The outcomes of the workshops represented by Nascent civil society groups with limited impact become more robust NGOs that play an effective role in bringing needed changes to their communities. In addition to Citizens of Marib, especially women, learn and value collective, effective engagement of government institutions to secure positive changes for their communities.
The objectives of the workshops are Participating NGOs understand, value, and learn to implement organizational best practices that strengthen their capacity and operations, and to effectively fulfill the role of civil society in mobilizing citizens and lobbying government. SOUL improves its capacity for training NGOs on advocacy and lobbying campaigns.
A needs assessment survey will be completed by each participating NGO before training commences to help determine strengths and weaknesses and design the training program.
SOUL organizes and leads a 4-day, interactive training workshop for 26 participants (two representatives from 13 Marib NGOs) on organizational best practices and effective operations, including setting organizational vision, mission and goals organizational structure, the value of research in supporting organizational mission, strategic and program planning, budgeting, finance and fundraising, and recruiting and working with volunteers.
SOUL organizes, and an expert consultant leads, a 4-day, interactive training workshop for the same 26 participants on mounting effective advocacy and lobbying campaigns, including community outreach, engaging the private sector, coalition building, public awareness raising and garnering public support, lobbying elected and unelected government institutions, and use of media.
90 – 120 days after reviewing action plans, SOUL leads a one-day follow-up workshop to examine the progress and experiences of the NGOs in implementing the plans. During the second workshop, participants will identify one to three specific needs or changes in local governmental policies or services for which groups of the participant NGOs will produce an advocacy/lobbying plan to achieve.
SOUL, with assistance of an expert consultant, reviews and provides feedback on the advocacy/lobbying plans. 90-120 days after reviewing the advocacy/lobbing plans, SOUL leads a one-day follow-up workshop to examine the progress and experiences of the NGOs’ advocacy and lobbying efforts.
Zaid al-Alaya’a, Yemen Observer
Kuwait: Al-Alwadi favors women to contest in coalitions
KUWAIT: Woman parliamentary candidate for the third constituency Dr Assil Al-Awadhi called yesterday on political coalitions to include female nominees in their electoral lists to secure seats for the soft gender.
Al-Awadhi, said such a commitment would enhance the women chances of securing seats in the National Assembly in the upcoming elections, due on May 17, indicating that leaders of electoral blocs and coalitions enjoy significant experience in the mobilization to win the hearts and minds of the voters.
She indicated that the women did not play a significant role in the 2006 parliamentary elections due to several reasons, namely the limited experience and the holding of the polls on the basis of 25 constituencies. None of the women nominees won seats due to these reasons, and other factors as well.
Al-Awadhi has a record of service in charities, women associations, in addition to her work in the information committee of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Bahrain during the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of the country.
The woman nominee expressed her belief that only a single woman should be nominated in each constituency, and indicated that winning five seats in the assembly would be quite satisfactory for the women at present. The elections will be held on May 17 on the basis of five constituencies for the first time. Several women have registered nomination for the contest.
The Ministry of Interior has launched an intensive surveillance to detect cases of vote-buying. It said the Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid is personally directing and supervising the activities. The crusade against vote-buying will cover all districts particularly the second, third and fifth as officials speculate vote-buying is usually rife in those districts. Detectives assigned for the operation are instructed to coordinate directly with the Ministry of Interior in receiving and transmitting all relevant information.
The crusade has reportedly already started producing the desired results. Two cases of vote-buying in the third and fifth districts have been detected recently and the persons involved in the deal have been apprehended. Meanwhile, senior officials Brig Ali Al-Yousef, Maj Generals Ghazi Al-Omar and Abdulhamed Al-Awadhi called for an investigation in another case.
The investigation was prompted after detectives arrested a man, canvassing for a candidate, on charges of vote-buying. The interior minister attended the investigation meeting too. Detectives also raided a women's election headquarters in the third district and arrested some female workers there in connection with vote-buying, reported Al-Watan. Unnamed officials also speculate that some vacant houses that were sold recently to certain parties might be used in vote-buying activities.
- Kuwait Times
Al-Awadhi, said such a commitment would enhance the women chances of securing seats in the National Assembly in the upcoming elections, due on May 17, indicating that leaders of electoral blocs and coalitions enjoy significant experience in the mobilization to win the hearts and minds of the voters.
She indicated that the women did not play a significant role in the 2006 parliamentary elections due to several reasons, namely the limited experience and the holding of the polls on the basis of 25 constituencies. None of the women nominees won seats due to these reasons, and other factors as well.
Al-Awadhi has a record of service in charities, women associations, in addition to her work in the information committee of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Bahrain during the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of the country.
The woman nominee expressed her belief that only a single woman should be nominated in each constituency, and indicated that winning five seats in the assembly would be quite satisfactory for the women at present. The elections will be held on May 17 on the basis of five constituencies for the first time. Several women have registered nomination for the contest.
The Ministry of Interior has launched an intensive surveillance to detect cases of vote-buying. It said the Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid is personally directing and supervising the activities. The crusade against vote-buying will cover all districts particularly the second, third and fifth as officials speculate vote-buying is usually rife in those districts. Detectives assigned for the operation are instructed to coordinate directly with the Ministry of Interior in receiving and transmitting all relevant information.
The crusade has reportedly already started producing the desired results. Two cases of vote-buying in the third and fifth districts have been detected recently and the persons involved in the deal have been apprehended. Meanwhile, senior officials Brig Ali Al-Yousef, Maj Generals Ghazi Al-Omar and Abdulhamed Al-Awadhi called for an investigation in another case.
The investigation was prompted after detectives arrested a man, canvassing for a candidate, on charges of vote-buying. The interior minister attended the investigation meeting too. Detectives also raided a women's election headquarters in the third district and arrested some female workers there in connection with vote-buying, reported Al-Watan. Unnamed officials also speculate that some vacant houses that were sold recently to certain parties might be used in vote-buying activities.
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait: Women's chances in upcoming parliamentary elections dim
KUWAIT: A woman voter from the third constituency expressed her belief yesterday that women's chances in the upcoming election were low and rejected a proposal to allocate a number of seats in the parliament exclusive for women. Sabika Bourisley, a teacher in the Arab Open University, said women joining a political coalition or bloc is the best way to ensure success of the women in the parliamentary polls.
However, Bourisley added that the women chances of success in the elections were low, despite the fact that "participating in such an occasion was considered a success in itself."
"Joining a political bloc, party will increase the opportunity; however a one constituency resolution would even work better, regardless of the current positive outcome of five constituencies," Bourisley added.
Asked to whom she would vote, Bourisley said she would nominate a candidate who will be qualified in representing all Kuwaitis, "a person who will adopt resolving all the society's problems."
One woman citizen registered her nomination yesterday, on the eighth day of 2008 election registration for the 12th legislative term, which increased the number of women participants to 19. The third constituency candidate Naimah Al-Hay said she will focus in her campaign on issues regarding women, children, health and education.
Al-Hay, called for establishing a system for routine annual medical examination of citizens for early detetecion of serious diseases such as cancer. She also called for improving the education system to keep up with the world's modern-day advancements in this vital sector. The woman candidate added that women participation in the elections is intended to prove that the women of the society adopt their own ideology and perspectives for serving Kuwait and the national interests.
- KUNA
However, Bourisley added that the women chances of success in the elections were low, despite the fact that "participating in such an occasion was considered a success in itself."
"Joining a political bloc, party will increase the opportunity; however a one constituency resolution would even work better, regardless of the current positive outcome of five constituencies," Bourisley added.
Asked to whom she would vote, Bourisley said she would nominate a candidate who will be qualified in representing all Kuwaitis, "a person who will adopt resolving all the society's problems."
One woman citizen registered her nomination yesterday, on the eighth day of 2008 election registration for the 12th legislative term, which increased the number of women participants to 19. The third constituency candidate Naimah Al-Hay said she will focus in her campaign on issues regarding women, children, health and education.
Al-Hay, called for establishing a system for routine annual medical examination of citizens for early detetecion of serious diseases such as cancer. She also called for improving the education system to keep up with the world's modern-day advancements in this vital sector. The woman candidate added that women participation in the elections is intended to prove that the women of the society adopt their own ideology and perspectives for serving Kuwait and the national interests.
- KUNA
Middle East: Arab women journalists launch campaign for leadership
During a regional meeting Saturday (April 19th) in Tunis, women journalists from Arab countries and Iran decided to launch a campaign for leadership positions in their countries' journalist unions, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Monday.
According to figures revealed at the event, the share of women in national unions' leadership varies from 0% in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine to 26% in Morocco and 33% in Tunisia.
IFJ Gender Equality Officer Pamela Moriniere was quoted as saying that "journalist unions need to recruit more women, make it easier for women activists to participate in union affairs and generalise gender equality in union policies and actions".
-- Magharebia
According to figures revealed at the event, the share of women in national unions' leadership varies from 0% in Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine to 26% in Morocco and 33% in Tunisia.
IFJ Gender Equality Officer Pamela Moriniere was quoted as saying that "journalist unions need to recruit more women, make it easier for women activists to participate in union affairs and generalise gender equality in union policies and actions".
-- Magharebia
Monday, April 21, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Over 60 per cent of Saudi women are jobless
Riyadh: Unemployment among Saudi women rose to an alarming rate of 60.6 per cent, according to a new report of the Ministry of Economy and Planning. “The number of unemployed Saudis is put at 4.45 million. Of these women make up 60.6 per cent,” the report said.
The report was released on the eve of the Seventh National Forum for Dialogue, which is to discuss various aspects of unemployment problem. The theme of this year’s forum, which began in Buraida on Monday, is “Labour sectors and employment: A dialogue between society and labour institutions.”
According to organisers, the Buraida event will be a great opportunity for government officials in the labour sector to listen first hand to the problems of employment from the participants.
The ministry’s report showed that there has been an alarming increase in the percentage of unemployment even among the educated young Saudi men and women. “The workforce in Saudi Arabia accounted for 8.2 million last year, of which Saudi men constituted 40.9 per cent while women’s percentage was only 8.1.
As for expatriates, men make up 43 per cent while the remaining 7.3 per cent are women,” the report said. The female labour participation rate was extremely low in the kingdom as there will be little growth in government hiring, and the private sector is overwhelmingly dominated by foreign workforce. Saudi women comprise 55 per cent of graduates but make up only 5 per cent of the workforce in the Kingdom.
However, Abdul Rahman Al Rashid, president of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that the percentage of Saudi women working in the private sector does not exceed five.
“The number of working Saudi women accounts for 565,000 from among 8.4 million women in the Kingdom,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying. Implementation sought Al Rashid, who is also president of the Eastern Province Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the number of women registered for jobs at the chamber reached only 1,405.
According to a statistical report released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2005, the number of women registered with the chambers in various regions of the kingdom accounts for only over 22,500. Al Rashid called for strict implementation of the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers with regard to providing jobs for qualified Saudi young women as well as to open ladies’ sections at government departments.
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Gulf News
The report was released on the eve of the Seventh National Forum for Dialogue, which is to discuss various aspects of unemployment problem. The theme of this year’s forum, which began in Buraida on Monday, is “Labour sectors and employment: A dialogue between society and labour institutions.”
According to organisers, the Buraida event will be a great opportunity for government officials in the labour sector to listen first hand to the problems of employment from the participants.
The ministry’s report showed that there has been an alarming increase in the percentage of unemployment even among the educated young Saudi men and women. “The workforce in Saudi Arabia accounted for 8.2 million last year, of which Saudi men constituted 40.9 per cent while women’s percentage was only 8.1.
As for expatriates, men make up 43 per cent while the remaining 7.3 per cent are women,” the report said. The female labour participation rate was extremely low in the kingdom as there will be little growth in government hiring, and the private sector is overwhelmingly dominated by foreign workforce. Saudi women comprise 55 per cent of graduates but make up only 5 per cent of the workforce in the Kingdom.
However, Abdul Rahman Al Rashid, president of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that the percentage of Saudi women working in the private sector does not exceed five.
“The number of working Saudi women accounts for 565,000 from among 8.4 million women in the Kingdom,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying. Implementation sought Al Rashid, who is also president of the Eastern Province Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the number of women registered for jobs at the chamber reached only 1,405.
According to a statistical report released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2005, the number of women registered with the chambers in various regions of the kingdom accounts for only over 22,500. Al Rashid called for strict implementation of the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers with regard to providing jobs for qualified Saudi young women as well as to open ladies’ sections at government departments.
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Gulf News
Kuwait: US envoy to Kuwait submits credentials
The first female American ambassador to this conservative Gulf Arab nation presented her credentials Sunday.
Deborah K. Jones assumes her post only days before US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives here to attend a meeting on Iraq and ahead of parliamentary elections slated for May 17. The US Embassy said in a statement that career diplomat Jones, who is not the first female US ambassador to be posted in an Arab nation, presented her diplomatic credentials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She will present them to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jabar Al-Sabah, at an unspecified future date.“I don’t think her gender will be an issue ..., but she will face some kind of a culture shock,” said Abdullah Al-Shayji, a political-science lecturer at Kuwait University. He said while Kuwaiti women will see her presence in the country as a “good omen,” it will remain to be seen how she would be received in the traditional, men-only gatherings called diwaniyas.
American ambassadors here routinely visit diwaniyas, which are key to election campaigning. They also are often invited to wedding parties, which are held separately for men and women. Women in this male-dominated society won their political-rights in 2005, but failed to win a parliament seat in elections held a year later.
However, two women have served as members of the Cabinet since. Ambassador Jones is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having been with the Department of State since 1982.
Prior to her new assignment as Ambassador, she served as Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. Her previous overseas assignments include: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Baghdad, Iraq; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Damascus, Syria. Her service in Washington, DC includes two years as Country Director of the Office of Arabian Peninsula and Iran Affairs in addition to assignments as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asia Affairs, Acting Public Affairs Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, Desk Officer for Jordan, and duty in the Department’s Operations Center. Jones has also served on the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service.Ambassador Jones is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a BS in history (magna cum laude) and a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College of the National Defense University with an MS in national security strategy. She speaks Arabic, Spanish and French. The Ambassador is married to US Foreign Service Officer Richard G. Olson, who is currently serving as the Deputy Permanent Representative to US Mission NATO. They have two daughters.
Deborah K. Jones assumes her post only days before US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives here to attend a meeting on Iraq and ahead of parliamentary elections slated for May 17. The US Embassy said in a statement that career diplomat Jones, who is not the first female US ambassador to be posted in an Arab nation, presented her diplomatic credentials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She will present them to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jabar Al-Sabah, at an unspecified future date.“I don’t think her gender will be an issue ..., but she will face some kind of a culture shock,” said Abdullah Al-Shayji, a political-science lecturer at Kuwait University. He said while Kuwaiti women will see her presence in the country as a “good omen,” it will remain to be seen how she would be received in the traditional, men-only gatherings called diwaniyas.
American ambassadors here routinely visit diwaniyas, which are key to election campaigning. They also are often invited to wedding parties, which are held separately for men and women. Women in this male-dominated society won their political-rights in 2005, but failed to win a parliament seat in elections held a year later.
However, two women have served as members of the Cabinet since. Ambassador Jones is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having been with the Department of State since 1982.
Prior to her new assignment as Ambassador, she served as Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. Her previous overseas assignments include: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Baghdad, Iraq; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Damascus, Syria. Her service in Washington, DC includes two years as Country Director of the Office of Arabian Peninsula and Iran Affairs in addition to assignments as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asia Affairs, Acting Public Affairs Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, Desk Officer for Jordan, and duty in the Department’s Operations Center. Jones has also served on the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service.Ambassador Jones is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a BS in history (magna cum laude) and a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College of the National Defense University with an MS in national security strategy. She speaks Arabic, Spanish and French. The Ambassador is married to US Foreign Service Officer Richard G. Olson, who is currently serving as the Deputy Permanent Representative to US Mission NATO. They have two daughters.
Bahrain: Activists demand Bahrain reintroduce driving ban on fully covered women
MANAMA — Activists in Bahrain, citing security and safety reasons, want the government to re-introduce the ban on fully covered women from driving.
Abdullah Al Ayobi, an activist and writer, said that Bahrain is the only country in the world that allows unidentified individuals to drive and that could lead to many dangerous circumstances such as crimes.
Women covering their faces were allowed to drive after the establishment of the parliament in 2002 as MPs pressured the government to allow women to lead normal lifestyles. However, Al Ayobi feels that criminals could fully cover themselves and commit crimes before speeding away from the scene without being noticed by the authority or the public.
He also warned that underage boys and girls could cover their faces and drive in public roads after stealing their parents’ vehicles and put their’s and other people’s lives in danger. “I’m not against religious ladies as Bahrain is a free country and there is no dressing code in the Kingdom, but the safety and security of the country should come first,” Al Ayobi said.
He said that it wasn’t too late to reconsider the decision as admitting the fault was better than continuing with it.
When the government approved the decision, it imposed certain restrictions such as ladies have to cooperate with traffic men by presenting their licences or other documents required to avoid facing legal charges.
In rare cases, the traffic authority might demand to see the face of the lady drivers to make sure of their identities.
Before the Cabinet decision, fully covered women needed to take off their veil while driving to avoid getting traffic fine.
The government’s hesitation in the beginning to allow fully covered women to drive was out of fear that terrorists might cover their faces and drive cars to perform terror acts or in case of accident the identity of driver couldn’t be known as the face of the driver would be covered.
Abdullah Al Ayobi, an activist and writer, said that Bahrain is the only country in the world that allows unidentified individuals to drive and that could lead to many dangerous circumstances such as crimes.
Women covering their faces were allowed to drive after the establishment of the parliament in 2002 as MPs pressured the government to allow women to lead normal lifestyles. However, Al Ayobi feels that criminals could fully cover themselves and commit crimes before speeding away from the scene without being noticed by the authority or the public.
He also warned that underage boys and girls could cover their faces and drive in public roads after stealing their parents’ vehicles and put their’s and other people’s lives in danger. “I’m not against religious ladies as Bahrain is a free country and there is no dressing code in the Kingdom, but the safety and security of the country should come first,” Al Ayobi said.
He said that it wasn’t too late to reconsider the decision as admitting the fault was better than continuing with it.
When the government approved the decision, it imposed certain restrictions such as ladies have to cooperate with traffic men by presenting their licences or other documents required to avoid facing legal charges.
In rare cases, the traffic authority might demand to see the face of the lady drivers to make sure of their identities.
Before the Cabinet decision, fully covered women needed to take off their veil while driving to avoid getting traffic fine.
The government’s hesitation in the beginning to allow fully covered women to drive was out of fear that terrorists might cover their faces and drive cars to perform terror acts or in case of accident the identity of driver couldn’t be known as the face of the driver would be covered.
Saudi Arabia: Guardianship key to women rights abuse
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's system of male "guardianship" or wide-ranging control over women lies at the heart of rights abuse in the conservative Islamic state, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday.
But a government spokesman said Saudi Arabia was disappointed the report had failed to highlight efforts to improve women's status and confused tradition with state policy.
"We agree with some points and we are working on that as a commission for the government, but we don't agree with the generalisation," said Zoheir al-Harithi, spokesman for Saudi's Human Rights Commission.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world. Tradition and the Islamic clerical establishment restrict women's movement, preventing them from driving cars.
Saudi women must usually obtain permission from a "guardian" -- father, husband, or son -- to work, travel, study, marry, or get access to healthcare, HRW said in the study, "Perpetual Minors: Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Male Guardianship and Sex Segregation in Saudi Arabia".
"The Saudi government sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women," Farida Deif, Human Rights Watch women's rights researcher for the Middle East, said in a statement sent to Reuters.
"Saudi women won't make any progress until the government ends the abuses that stem from these misguided policies."
Since King Abdullah came to power in 2005, the government has said it supports a reform agenda but that it cannot enforce changes if significant sections of society continue to resist.
Clerics of the state-sanctioned brand of Sunni Islam, a strict form often termed Wahhabism, see the "muhrim", or guardian of women's honour, as central to the system of social and moral control in the country.
The rules -- the subject of heated national debate -- are enforced by the judiciary and a morals police body, both of which are run by Wahhabi clerics.
The government has allowed Human Rights Watch unprecedented access over the past two years, and more women have been able to enter the workforce. This year new regulations allowed women to stay in hotels without a guardian.
"The authorities essentially treat adult women like legal minors who are not entitled to authority over their lives and well-being," the HRW report says, citing a list of complaints based on interviews with about 100 women.
It says women cannot open bank accounts for children, enrol them in school, obtain school files, or travel with their children without written permission from the child's father.
Women are also prevented from accessing government agencies that have not established female sections unless they have a male representative, and the need to establish separate office space discourages firms from hiring women, it said.
"We know some customs and traditions prevent women having their complete rights, but you cannot say they are 'legal minors'," said the Saudi HRC's Harithi. "They are doctors, teach in universities, are elected to the chambers of commerce."
- Reuters
But a government spokesman said Saudi Arabia was disappointed the report had failed to highlight efforts to improve women's status and confused tradition with state policy.
"We agree with some points and we are working on that as a commission for the government, but we don't agree with the generalisation," said Zoheir al-Harithi, spokesman for Saudi's Human Rights Commission.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world. Tradition and the Islamic clerical establishment restrict women's movement, preventing them from driving cars.
Saudi women must usually obtain permission from a "guardian" -- father, husband, or son -- to work, travel, study, marry, or get access to healthcare, HRW said in the study, "Perpetual Minors: Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Male Guardianship and Sex Segregation in Saudi Arabia".
"The Saudi government sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women," Farida Deif, Human Rights Watch women's rights researcher for the Middle East, said in a statement sent to Reuters.
"Saudi women won't make any progress until the government ends the abuses that stem from these misguided policies."
Since King Abdullah came to power in 2005, the government has said it supports a reform agenda but that it cannot enforce changes if significant sections of society continue to resist.
Clerics of the state-sanctioned brand of Sunni Islam, a strict form often termed Wahhabism, see the "muhrim", or guardian of women's honour, as central to the system of social and moral control in the country.
The rules -- the subject of heated national debate -- are enforced by the judiciary and a morals police body, both of which are run by Wahhabi clerics.
The government has allowed Human Rights Watch unprecedented access over the past two years, and more women have been able to enter the workforce. This year new regulations allowed women to stay in hotels without a guardian.
"The authorities essentially treat adult women like legal minors who are not entitled to authority over their lives and well-being," the HRW report says, citing a list of complaints based on interviews with about 100 women.
It says women cannot open bank accounts for children, enrol them in school, obtain school files, or travel with their children without written permission from the child's father.
Women are also prevented from accessing government agencies that have not established female sections unless they have a male representative, and the need to establish separate office space discourages firms from hiring women, it said.
"We know some customs and traditions prevent women having their complete rights, but you cannot say they are 'legal minors'," said the Saudi HRC's Harithi. "They are doctors, teach in universities, are elected to the chambers of commerce."
- Reuters
Morocco: Ministry report finds women stereotyped by Moroccan media
Moroccan media do not accurately reflect the evolution of women's social status and lack any clear strategy on women's issues: so concluded a government ministry study released Monday (April 14th) in Rabat. Titled "Moroccan Media: Facts and Prospects," the report determined that the government's political message is inconsistent with the image of women conveyed by television programmes, advertising and newspapers in the Kingdom.
"In Morocco, the role of women in the political, economic and cultural fields has known a rapid evolution [but] their image in the media has not registered any significant transformation," Minister for Social Development, Family and Solidarity Nouzha Skelli noted with regret.
Her department commissioned the analysis and found that images associating women with household and family life prevail in the media. Such sexist stereotypes undermine the dignity of women, the ministry study says. In advertisements, women are shown as housewives whereas men are presented as chairmen, executives, businessmen and doctors. Newspapers rarely address themes relating to violence against women and sexual harassment, focusing instead on subjects of greater interest to men: politics, economics and sports. Broadcast television is no better.
Since television shows produced in Morocco dominate the airwaves during the holy month of Ramadan, the study evaluated their portrayal of women to better assess societal attitudes.
Analysts found that the Moroccan programmes degraded women, particularly the way in which they minimised the role of women's associations in the fight against sex-related violence. The study found, however, that a new generation of directors and scriptwriters is conveying a more progressive image of women.
While media experts do not deny these findings, they defend themselves by calling attention to their efforts to show a more accurate image of women.
"Morocco now has the institutional means to frame the image of women in the media, support it and make sure that it is fair and balanced, thus reflecting the new roles played by women in Moroccan society," media specialist Nadia Mhidi explained.
The country's press union agrees that the media must present a balanced image of women. "Our union endeavours to promote a media culture that denounces all forms of discrimination and objectively and professionally defends women," National Union of Moroccan Press chief Mohamed Moujahid told Magharebia.
"Some low-profile media unfortunately present stereotyped images of women by exploiting their bodies. This is a commercial treatment that we must challenge," he added.
The media must not ignore the achievements of women who dramatically contribute to developing society, Minister Skelli maintains, but should instead establish a media culture based on real gender-equality. Her ministry's recommendations, such as putting more women in decision-making roles in the media and creating awareness campaigns, will frame a multi-sector action plan. The goal: to fill the gap between the media's image of women and the part they actually play in society.
"Morocco has launched many reforms, strategies and schemes to effectively support women and improve their status; the media must sustain this reality," the minister said.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat
"In Morocco, the role of women in the political, economic and cultural fields has known a rapid evolution [but] their image in the media has not registered any significant transformation," Minister for Social Development, Family and Solidarity Nouzha Skelli noted with regret.
Her department commissioned the analysis and found that images associating women with household and family life prevail in the media. Such sexist stereotypes undermine the dignity of women, the ministry study says. In advertisements, women are shown as housewives whereas men are presented as chairmen, executives, businessmen and doctors. Newspapers rarely address themes relating to violence against women and sexual harassment, focusing instead on subjects of greater interest to men: politics, economics and sports. Broadcast television is no better.
Since television shows produced in Morocco dominate the airwaves during the holy month of Ramadan, the study evaluated their portrayal of women to better assess societal attitudes.
Analysts found that the Moroccan programmes degraded women, particularly the way in which they minimised the role of women's associations in the fight against sex-related violence. The study found, however, that a new generation of directors and scriptwriters is conveying a more progressive image of women.
While media experts do not deny these findings, they defend themselves by calling attention to their efforts to show a more accurate image of women.
"Morocco now has the institutional means to frame the image of women in the media, support it and make sure that it is fair and balanced, thus reflecting the new roles played by women in Moroccan society," media specialist Nadia Mhidi explained.
The country's press union agrees that the media must present a balanced image of women. "Our union endeavours to promote a media culture that denounces all forms of discrimination and objectively and professionally defends women," National Union of Moroccan Press chief Mohamed Moujahid told Magharebia.
"Some low-profile media unfortunately present stereotyped images of women by exploiting their bodies. This is a commercial treatment that we must challenge," he added.
The media must not ignore the achievements of women who dramatically contribute to developing society, Minister Skelli maintains, but should instead establish a media culture based on real gender-equality. Her ministry's recommendations, such as putting more women in decision-making roles in the media and creating awareness campaigns, will frame a multi-sector action plan. The goal: to fill the gap between the media's image of women and the part they actually play in society.
"Morocco has launched many reforms, strategies and schemes to effectively support women and improve their status; the media must sustain this reality," the minister said.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Bahrain: Women empowerment to be discussed today
MANAMA — Steps needed to be taken by Bahrain to deal with UN Human Rights Council’s women empowerment recommendation will be the focus of a meeting between the government’s Supreme Council of Women (SCW) and NGOs dealing with women affairs to be held today.
The recommendations were drawn from the Bahrain Human Rights reports that was reviewed at the first Universal Periodic Review Session, April 2008.
The participants would evaluate the recommendations and discuss mechanisms to implement them to further women empowerment in Bahrain.
The meeting is open to women societies, women panels, women lawmakers, human rights activists and journalists.
- Khaleej Times
The recommendations were drawn from the Bahrain Human Rights reports that was reviewed at the first Universal Periodic Review Session, April 2008.
The participants would evaluate the recommendations and discuss mechanisms to implement them to further women empowerment in Bahrain.
The meeting is open to women societies, women panels, women lawmakers, human rights activists and journalists.
- Khaleej Times
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Jordan: Queen discusses violence against women in latest YouTube response
AMMAN (JT) - In her second response to the YouTube community on stereotypes of Arab and Muslim communities, Her Majesty Queen Rania spoke out on honour crimes and violence against women.
Many of responses and stereotypes which have been posted on the Queen’s YouTube channel have focused on women’s empowerment issues. Specifically, many YouTubers raised the issues of domestic violence and honour crimes committed in the region.
“It is horrific. It is inexcusable. And there is absolutely no honour in it,” the Queen said in her message, acknowledging that while honour crimes do happen in the region, it is not a widespread occurrence.
“It is not a prevalent cultural practice. It has nothing to do with Islam. It is not at all indicative of the status and standing of women in our culture and it is being challenged,” the Queen said.
Her Majesty noted that violence against women “is not exclusive to the Arab world” and is a “worldwide shame”.
At the end of the two-minute clip, Queen Rania listed the progress witnessed in the Arab world and invited viewers to share their experiences of how women all over the world are overcoming social, economic and cultural barriers.
In order to correct stereotypes of the region that plague the Western media, the Queen last month devoted a YouTube channel to bridge the rift between East and West, using the video-sharing website as a platform for dialogue with people across the world.
With over one million viewers from across the world, YouTubers have expressed their interest in learning more about both Middle Eastern and Islamic culture.
The Queen’s latest response can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyCB-ULChV4
The dialogue on stereotypes will continue until International Youth Day, observed on August 12.
-- The Jordan Times
Many of responses and stereotypes which have been posted on the Queen’s YouTube channel have focused on women’s empowerment issues. Specifically, many YouTubers raised the issues of domestic violence and honour crimes committed in the region.
“It is horrific. It is inexcusable. And there is absolutely no honour in it,” the Queen said in her message, acknowledging that while honour crimes do happen in the region, it is not a widespread occurrence.
“It is not a prevalent cultural practice. It has nothing to do with Islam. It is not at all indicative of the status and standing of women in our culture and it is being challenged,” the Queen said.
Her Majesty noted that violence against women “is not exclusive to the Arab world” and is a “worldwide shame”.
At the end of the two-minute clip, Queen Rania listed the progress witnessed in the Arab world and invited viewers to share their experiences of how women all over the world are overcoming social, economic and cultural barriers.
In order to correct stereotypes of the region that plague the Western media, the Queen last month devoted a YouTube channel to bridge the rift between East and West, using the video-sharing website as a platform for dialogue with people across the world.
With over one million viewers from across the world, YouTubers have expressed their interest in learning more about both Middle Eastern and Islamic culture.
The Queen’s latest response can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyCB-ULChV4
The dialogue on stereotypes will continue until International Youth Day, observed on August 12.
-- The Jordan Times
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