RIYADH: For the first time ever, Saudi businesswomen are preparing to be voted into the board of directors of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
Following elections in Jeddah and the Eastern Province, this will be the third time that Saudi women will be able to run for office at a Saudi chamber. Businessmen and businesswomen will compete to grab 10 seats in the election scheduled on Oct. 15.
Wafa’a Al-Sheikh, assistant director at the RCCI, said no businesswoman has so far officially nominated herself to partake in the poll.
She, however, pointed out that the RCCI is preparing businesswomen for the election by conducting a series of workshops explaining the election procedures and the importance of voting. “We have invited 6,000 women to vote for the members they wish to see in the board,” she said.
According to a report, Saudi women own nearly 70 percent of bank accounts in the Kingdom with deposits totaling SR100 billion. However, only SR60 billion of this money has been invested. There are also 34,000 trade records registered under the names of Saudi women, who own 20 percent of private companies in the Kingdom.
Although the elections seem very exciting, some businesswomen, judging by the outcomes of previous elections, expressed doubt that women would win any seats in the upcoming vote.
No women were elected in the Asharqia Chamber elections in 2006, while the two women in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s board were appointed by then Minister of Commerce Hashim Yamani.
“It may be difficult for men to consider giving their votes to a woman candidate,” said Huda Al-Asiri, a 28-year-old businesswoman who runs a fashion designing business. “Members will vote for people they trust, but unfortunately women haven’t been given a chance to show how good leaders they can be due to regulatory and cultural restrictions,” she said.
Modawi Al-Gane’er, one of the first women to be given a license to open a beauty salon in Riyadh, gave her complete support to women candidates.
“No matter what their qualifications are, I think businesswomen in this country need to be supported to become decision makers,” said Al-Gane’er, who has been in business for 27 years.
She added that she prefers to vote for someone who is able to face the same challenges she faces as a woman working in the business sector.
Asked whether she would like to be nominated, Al-Gane’er said, “I would rather observe how the first year goes. When I take this step, I need to be sure that my appointment is not taken as a formality but would allow me to make decisions, attend board meetings and have my ideas considered.”
Despite their achievements in business, Saudi women face obstacles that hinder development. For example, due to the restrictions on unrelated men and women mixing in public places, women need male agents to conduct their business in the governmental circles. Moreover, any business — even if it belongs to a woman — should have a male general manager, regardless of whether the woman practically runs the business or not.
Sarah Al-Shehri, a beauty salon owner, believes the existing regulations do not give women a free hand in managing their businesses. She added that there are a number of obstacles facing businesswomen.
“As a businesswoman, I would rather like to hear about a resolution eliminating the male agent condition. Because women as directors, if they get elected, will face the same problems,” she said.
Al-Shehri added that she would not cast her vote according to gender. She would, instead, give her vote to someone who is loyal and able to serve her interests.
Nadia Bakhurji, who was elected to the board of directors of the Council of Saudi Engineers in 2005, said, “It’s a new victory for Saudi women who will enable them to play a stronger role in the business and the economic development of Saudi Arabia.”
Talking about some of the issues that she wishes to see solved, she said, “We need flexible rules that allow women to operate their businesses without requiring existing male agents. Besides, we require regulations to help women who face legal problems, which most of them are subjected to consistently.”
She added that businesswomen face difficulties in issuing visas to bring laborers.
Speaking about whether the timing of allowing women to be candidates, businesswoman Reem Al-Rasheed said, “It is convenient and conforms with the Kingdom’s political and economic reform.”
She pointed out that women have not been able to participate in economic decision making although they are the half of society. “Any economic decision will remain missing if half of society is not sharing it,” she added.
---Arab News
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Bahrain: Lawmaker slams call to introduce sex-education clinics in Bahrain
Manama: A Salafist lawmaker denounced the calling of a society to promote the establishment of clinics to enhance awareness on sex education and contraception methods to unmarried youth.
MP Jassim Al Saidi told Gulf News on Wednesday that such clinics were against Islamic regulations and could promote sinful relations, despite their aims to prevent sexual transmitted diseases among youth.
The President of Bahrain Youth Forum Fatima Ali published a statement in local newspaper in the first week of July, 2008, discussing a paper she presented at a gathering in Tunisia that called for the establishment of the clinics.
“Such statements shouldn’t be made as they are calling upon youth to be engaged in sexual relations outside the marriage-lock and defend such demands as ways to prevent diseases, while youth societies should promote the adults of the future to protect the Islamic principle to stay clean and healthy,” he explained.
---Gulf News
MP Jassim Al Saidi told Gulf News on Wednesday that such clinics were against Islamic regulations and could promote sinful relations, despite their aims to prevent sexual transmitted diseases among youth.
The President of Bahrain Youth Forum Fatima Ali published a statement in local newspaper in the first week of July, 2008, discussing a paper she presented at a gathering in Tunisia that called for the establishment of the clinics.
“Such statements shouldn’t be made as they are calling upon youth to be engaged in sexual relations outside the marriage-lock and defend such demands as ways to prevent diseases, while youth societies should promote the adults of the future to protect the Islamic principle to stay clean and healthy,” he explained.
---Gulf News
Kuwait: Women's housing problems
KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has announced that it has concluded work on draft proposals to resolve divorced and widowed Kuwaiti women's housing problems within the framework of the country's housing laws. PAHW Deputy Director Subi Yousuf Al-Mulla said that the authority's management committee recently met with Housing Minister Dr. Moudi Al-Humoud to discuss the problem and possible solutions, reported Al Nahar. He added that the committee has put forward a number of proposals to resolve these women's housing problems. All these proposals will now be forwarded to the relevant committees for further study and will then be submitted to the minister, along with any additional recommendations, to enable him to take the appropriate decisions.
---Kuwait Times
---Kuwait Times
Bahrain: Better pay scale for nurses!
By REBECCA TORR
AN improved pay scale and allowances for government nurses will be submitted for Cabinet approval within two weeks, officials said yesterday. The new cadre will benefit 2,597 nursing staff, including 223 trained practical nurses, as well as another 600 nurses who work in primary health care.
Trained practical nurses, known before as attendants, assist the nurses. The Health Ministry phased out the programme for trained practical nurses and now has a bachelor programme.
According to the new cadre, nurses will either be on a professional or a general track, Health Ministry nursing services for hospitals chief Aisha Al Qaisi said at a Press conference held at the ministry's offices in Juffair yesterday.
At least 400 nurses who hold bachelor degrees will be put on a professional pay scale track. Others will be put on a general pay scale which will be raised by one grade.
Both tracks offer nurses about 15 per cent increase on their current pay scale. Nurses start at a basic wage of BD300 a month.
The new cadre also covers increases to the allowances, which are now BD40. It requests an allowance for nurses working in critical areas such as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care Unit and Burns Unit and another for nurses working in wards and primary health care.
It also asks for an increase to the uniform allowance and for the ministry to provide laundry services for uniforms.
According to the new cadre, those in the chief and deputy nursing services positions are eligible for chairperson allowance.
Ms Al Qaisi said the ministry began working on the nursing cadre, which is in its second stage, in February 2005.
At that time, they requested the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) to begin a study on the cadre and a joint committee was formed with representatives from nursing services in the ministry, CSB and Bahrain Nursing Society (BNS).
After two-and-a-half years of discussing the cadre proposal, bonuses and allowances, the results of the study were issued by the CSB on May 26 this year and submitted to the ministry for review with the view to it being implemented after Cabinet approval.
Ms Al Qaisi said the BNS and all ministry nurses had been informed of the progress of the cadre since 2001.
She said it took several years to finalise because the ministry wanted to get as many nurses as possible to qualify for the professional track.
"Gradually we want to limit the number of general nurses and increase the specialists," said Ms Al Qaisi.
"I hope this cadre will be implemented soon after this gap, we worked from our heart to get nurses on the pay scale.
"We have been speaking to the CSB since 2005, now we have reached an agreement and it will be raised with the Cabinet.
"We hope the Cabinet will approve it as soon as possible and once it is approved, we will go ahead and implement it."
CSB wages and compensation acting director Yousif Ahmed Mohammed said he believed the new cadre was a significant improvement on the old one.
"We are finalising the cadre and benefits allowance, it is in the final stage and then we will submit it to the Cabinet within a week or two weeks," he added.
Ms Al Qaisi announced that the ministry would increase the number of deputy chief nurses from four to six and they would be rotated every two to four years.
There are currently two chief nurses, one in public care and the other in primary.
Ms Al Qaisi said the ministry initially began work on upgrading the nursing cadre in 2001.
The first stage of the cadre, which was to raise the pay scale for 2,219 nursing staff by two grades, was implemented in July 2004.
Practical nurses and nursing aids in medical services also had their grades raised by two pay scales. "This was like an average of 20 per cent increase, but for some staff it was even as much as 25 to 30pc increase," said Health Ministry human resources acting director Abdul Samer Muftar.
At this time Bahrainis represented 99pc of nursing staff and 98pc of head nurses.
Ms Al Qaisi said the number of incentives such as cash awards, employee of the month and so on had increased since 2004 and more than 600 nurses had benefited.
She said the ministry was opening new programmes and facilities to encourage more nurses to the industry. "We have a shortage of nurses at the moment in the general ward. During the day we have one nurse to eight patients and at night one nurse to 11 patients," she said.
Services
"Our aim is to meet the international standard of one nurse for four patients.
"We are already at the international standard of one nurse to every patient in the Intensive Care Unit and one nurse to every two patients in the cardiac ward.
"We try to increase our manpower by 200 every year."
Health Ministry primary and public health care nursing services chief Seham Al Rashid and CSB project leader Hashim Al Hashim also attended the Press conference.
The announcement of the cadre follows calls by the BNS for better pay for Bahrain nurses.
Last week more than 6,000 nurses and others in the health field began wearing coloured ribbons demanding a 50 per cent pay rise and more staff. A petition is being signed by the nurses to be presented to Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Further action will be planned if there is no positive response. BNS was not available for comment yesterday.
---Gulf Daily News
Jordan: Initiative to train women in non-traditional professions
AMMAN (Petra) - The Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women (JFBPW) on Monday signed an agreement to provide 5,000 young women with training in non-traditional professions.
The agreement, signed by the Labour Ministry National Training and Employment Project (NTEP) and the Middle East Complex for Engineering, Electrical and Heavy Industries (MEC), seeks to empower women entering the labour market.
Under the agreement, selected young women will receive training in electronic, mechanical and technical professions including welding, electrical engineering and electric equipment maintenance, according to organisers.
JFBPW official Senator Wijdan Talhouni Saket said the agreement is in line with national initiatives seeking to employ more Jordanian women, which is currently being implemented by the forum in cooperation with the Planning Ministry.
Commenting on yesterday’s agreement, she said the forum seeks to establish partnerships with companies to enroll women in the workforce, highlighting women’s role in sustainable development.
The forum will carry out awareness campaigns, field visits and meetings to attract some 5,000 female job seekers to join the MEC training and employment programme, organisers indicated.
The six-month training programme targets women aged 18-36 who have completed their secondary education.
In pursuance of the agreement, trainees will receive a monthly stipend of JD150 throughout the training period and a salary of JD180 once signing a work contract. Participants will also receive health insurance and social security, among other benefits.
To reduce unemployment, particularly in remote areas, the Ministry of Labour launched its “Satellite Units” project earlier this year, NTEP Director Hisham Rawashdeh noted.
Under the project, six factories are expected to establish sub-plants in Irbid, Karak, Shobak, Tafileh, Madaba and Balqa by the end of the year to create jobs for women in these areas.
---The Jordan Times
The agreement, signed by the Labour Ministry National Training and Employment Project (NTEP) and the Middle East Complex for Engineering, Electrical and Heavy Industries (MEC), seeks to empower women entering the labour market.
Under the agreement, selected young women will receive training in electronic, mechanical and technical professions including welding, electrical engineering and electric equipment maintenance, according to organisers.
JFBPW official Senator Wijdan Talhouni Saket said the agreement is in line with national initiatives seeking to employ more Jordanian women, which is currently being implemented by the forum in cooperation with the Planning Ministry.
Commenting on yesterday’s agreement, she said the forum seeks to establish partnerships with companies to enroll women in the workforce, highlighting women’s role in sustainable development.
The forum will carry out awareness campaigns, field visits and meetings to attract some 5,000 female job seekers to join the MEC training and employment programme, organisers indicated.
The six-month training programme targets women aged 18-36 who have completed their secondary education.
In pursuance of the agreement, trainees will receive a monthly stipend of JD150 throughout the training period and a salary of JD180 once signing a work contract. Participants will also receive health insurance and social security, among other benefits.
To reduce unemployment, particularly in remote areas, the Ministry of Labour launched its “Satellite Units” project earlier this year, NTEP Director Hisham Rawashdeh noted.
Under the project, six factories are expected to establish sub-plants in Irbid, Karak, Shobak, Tafileh, Madaba and Balqa by the end of the year to create jobs for women in these areas.
---The Jordan Times
Saudi Arabia: Reconciliation panels ease pressure on courts
JEDDAH: Following the continued success of the Reconciliation Committee at Jeddah’s General Court, the Ministry of Justice is mooting whether to introduce similar committees at courts across the Kingdom.
A massive backlog of cases and a shortage of judges have in recent years lent greater importance to the work that reconciliation committees do in settling disputes. These committees look into cases, especially those dealing with cases relating to blood money and marital disputes, before they reach judges.
According to a recent report in Al-Madinah newspaper, there are 266 judges working in the Kingdom’s 662 courts. The judges each year handle around 72,000 cases, including 12,000 criminal cases.
A report by the Social Center for Cordiality and Guidance, an organ affiliated to the General Court, said the Reconciliation Committee in Jeddah managed to solve 76 percent of the 8,500 family disputes that it looked into in the past three years. It also counseled 85,000 people via telephone, organized 158 family and marriage training sessions and distributed 60,000 awareness fliers.
The report added that heads of court have called on Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Asheikh to carefully select individuals for the proposed reconciliation committees and to provide them with necessary resources.
They also suggested extending the institution’s powers, allowing them to look into all types of family cases. They called for a special department at the Justice Ministry to oversee the functioning of the committees.
The Reconciliation Committee in Jeddah coordinates with the Makkah Governorate in securing pardons for convicted murderers. The committee has so far looked into 420 such cases from across the Kingdom and managed to secure pardons for 104 people on death row.
In a previous report in Al-Madinah newspaper, a number of people stressed the need to financially support reconciliation committees, which are generally run by part-time employees and volunteers.
Yahya Attiya, former secretary of the committee, said the organization plays an important role in Saudi society. “When feuding parties feel they won’t be forced to accept something against will, the chances of reconciliation increase,” he said.
“The Reconciliation Committee breaks the barriers of hostility between feuding parties and makes it easy to negotiate and reach amicable settlements. Reconciliation sessions are flexible and have a congenial atmosphere. On the contrary, court sessions are stringent and places where every word counts,” said Attiya.
When asked about the complications the committee faces, he said, “Sometimes we encounter problems when we intercede to solve a problem between married couples. Like when we ask the husband to pay a sum of money or buy a gift for his wife that he can’t afford,” he said.
According to Ahmad Muhammad Al-Mazrouie, head of the Summary Court in Makkah and a judge at the Court of Cassation in Riyadh, reconciliation committees are a blessing per se. “They help in solving many disputes and problems peacefully, exactly as Islam teaches us. These includes marital problems and issues surrounding blood money,” he said.
Hayzae bin Ali, head of the Directorate of Legal Counseling in Makkah, said, “Reconciliation committees help solve problems before they reach courts. They contribute to helping people in a community integrate. They also spread the message of compassion and peace in society.”
---Arab News
A massive backlog of cases and a shortage of judges have in recent years lent greater importance to the work that reconciliation committees do in settling disputes. These committees look into cases, especially those dealing with cases relating to blood money and marital disputes, before they reach judges.
According to a recent report in Al-Madinah newspaper, there are 266 judges working in the Kingdom’s 662 courts. The judges each year handle around 72,000 cases, including 12,000 criminal cases.
A report by the Social Center for Cordiality and Guidance, an organ affiliated to the General Court, said the Reconciliation Committee in Jeddah managed to solve 76 percent of the 8,500 family disputes that it looked into in the past three years. It also counseled 85,000 people via telephone, organized 158 family and marriage training sessions and distributed 60,000 awareness fliers.
The report added that heads of court have called on Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Asheikh to carefully select individuals for the proposed reconciliation committees and to provide them with necessary resources.
They also suggested extending the institution’s powers, allowing them to look into all types of family cases. They called for a special department at the Justice Ministry to oversee the functioning of the committees.
The Reconciliation Committee in Jeddah coordinates with the Makkah Governorate in securing pardons for convicted murderers. The committee has so far looked into 420 such cases from across the Kingdom and managed to secure pardons for 104 people on death row.
In a previous report in Al-Madinah newspaper, a number of people stressed the need to financially support reconciliation committees, which are generally run by part-time employees and volunteers.
Yahya Attiya, former secretary of the committee, said the organization plays an important role in Saudi society. “When feuding parties feel they won’t be forced to accept something against will, the chances of reconciliation increase,” he said.
“The Reconciliation Committee breaks the barriers of hostility between feuding parties and makes it easy to negotiate and reach amicable settlements. Reconciliation sessions are flexible and have a congenial atmosphere. On the contrary, court sessions are stringent and places where every word counts,” said Attiya.
When asked about the complications the committee faces, he said, “Sometimes we encounter problems when we intercede to solve a problem between married couples. Like when we ask the husband to pay a sum of money or buy a gift for his wife that he can’t afford,” he said.
According to Ahmad Muhammad Al-Mazrouie, head of the Summary Court in Makkah and a judge at the Court of Cassation in Riyadh, reconciliation committees are a blessing per se. “They help in solving many disputes and problems peacefully, exactly as Islam teaches us. These includes marital problems and issues surrounding blood money,” he said.
Hayzae bin Ali, head of the Directorate of Legal Counseling in Makkah, said, “Reconciliation committees help solve problems before they reach courts. They contribute to helping people in a community integrate. They also spread the message of compassion and peace in society.”
---Arab News
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Women-only industrial zones sought
By P.K. Abdul Ghafour
JEDDAH: Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, a Shoura Council member and leading businessman, has called for the establishment of women-only industrial zones as part of efforts to create more job opportunities for Saudi women.
Speaking to Al-Madinah daily, he urged authorities to provide Saudi women industrialists with financial and logistic support. “Many Saudi women are now involved in small-scale industries,” he added.
He said greater participation of women in the industrial sector would contribute to increasing society’s productivity and family income. “Women can play a big role in light industries, such as gold, jewelry and foodstuffs.”
He emphasized that women should be given production areas inside cities and not in far-off places. “We recruit women usually for light industries. Why don’t we develop women-only industrial zones for this purpose?” he asked.
Al-Zamil said the Kingdom’s experience in women-only banks was highly successful. “It created new job opportunities for Saudi women and helped them make important contributions to the banking and financial sector.”
The industrial sector is not only a major employer but also an important revenue earner. Al-Zamil estimated the Kingdom’s nonoil exports at SR122 billion every year. “The amount represents about 20 percent of the value of the total production in different sectors.”
Speaking about Saudization, he said about 16 percent of workers in the sector were Saudis. “Many other sectors cannot claim such Saudization rates.” There are 300,000 new job opportunities in downstream industries. He described industries as a promising sector for the employment of Saudis.
“Saudi national industries were nurtured in a free and open market environment. They face stiff competition from foreign products within the Kingdom,” he said. Saudi industries export 30 percent of their output annually. At present, Saudi products are marketed in 120 countries.
Al-Zamil said Saudi Arabia attained global standards in oil and petrochemical industries. “Figures prove our ability to manage a large number of petrochemical factories,” he said, adding that they attract a largest number of local and foreign investors. There are at least 15 giant petrochemical industries in the Kingdom.
The Shoura Council is currently studying an industrial strategy presented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Al-Zamil said, adding that the consultative body would pass it shortly.
Al-Zamil urged Saudis to increasingly engage in small-scale and cottage industries. “All major industries in the Kingdom had small beginnings,” he said.
---Arab News
JEDDAH: Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, a Shoura Council member and leading businessman, has called for the establishment of women-only industrial zones as part of efforts to create more job opportunities for Saudi women.
Speaking to Al-Madinah daily, he urged authorities to provide Saudi women industrialists with financial and logistic support. “Many Saudi women are now involved in small-scale industries,” he added.
He said greater participation of women in the industrial sector would contribute to increasing society’s productivity and family income. “Women can play a big role in light industries, such as gold, jewelry and foodstuffs.”
He emphasized that women should be given production areas inside cities and not in far-off places. “We recruit women usually for light industries. Why don’t we develop women-only industrial zones for this purpose?” he asked.
Al-Zamil said the Kingdom’s experience in women-only banks was highly successful. “It created new job opportunities for Saudi women and helped them make important contributions to the banking and financial sector.”
The industrial sector is not only a major employer but also an important revenue earner. Al-Zamil estimated the Kingdom’s nonoil exports at SR122 billion every year. “The amount represents about 20 percent of the value of the total production in different sectors.”
Speaking about Saudization, he said about 16 percent of workers in the sector were Saudis. “Many other sectors cannot claim such Saudization rates.” There are 300,000 new job opportunities in downstream industries. He described industries as a promising sector for the employment of Saudis.
“Saudi national industries were nurtured in a free and open market environment. They face stiff competition from foreign products within the Kingdom,” he said. Saudi industries export 30 percent of their output annually. At present, Saudi products are marketed in 120 countries.
Al-Zamil said Saudi Arabia attained global standards in oil and petrochemical industries. “Figures prove our ability to manage a large number of petrochemical factories,” he said, adding that they attract a largest number of local and foreign investors. There are at least 15 giant petrochemical industries in the Kingdom.
The Shoura Council is currently studying an industrial strategy presented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Al-Zamil said, adding that the consultative body would pass it shortly.
Al-Zamil urged Saudis to increasingly engage in small-scale and cottage industries. “All major industries in the Kingdom had small beginnings,” he said.
---Arab News
Egypt: Women relatives of incarcerated prisoners demand their release
By Abdel-Rahman Hussein
CAIRO: Around 40 women gathered in front of the governor’s office in Al-Arish in Northern Sinai Tuesday to protest the continuing incarceration of some 70 prisoners from Siai arrested in the wake of a spate of bombings in the peninsula.
The protestors lifted placards and chanted slogans demanding the release of the prisoners, none of whom are kept in Sinai prisons but in other facilities such as Borg El-Arab, near Alexandria, and Cairo's Tora prison.
According to journalist and activist Mustapha Singer who was present at the protest, the women chanted slogans saying “Our country’s leaders, why did you take our children?”
Children lifted placards with captions such as “Release my father.”
There was a security presence around the protest and “I was prevented from taking pictures,” Singer said.
The governor sent some of his staff to take the names of the protestors so as to offer them aid, but the protestors demanded that their sons be released.
According to Singer, the staff responded by stating that the governor did not have the jurisdiction to release the prisoners, but that aid could be offered to the relatives.
The protest petered out at mid-afternoon and left vowing to return if the prisoners were not released.
Last Wednesday, a similar protest was prevented from taking place in a square in Al-Arish.
A government crackdown ensued after the Taba bombings of 2004, which killed 34 people. This attacked was followed by the 2005 attack in Sharm El-Sheikh in which 70 people were killed. An attack in Dahab the following year left 20 people dead.
According to Human Rights Watch, 3,000 people were arrested following the Dahab bombings. Since then most of them have been released except for the 70 for whom the protest was held.
All those who were held were detained under the emergency law, thus they were kept without charge or trial with their incarceration being renewed every 45 days. Some of the remaining 70 detainees have been kept under this law since 2004.
---Daily News Egypt
CAIRO: Around 40 women gathered in front of the governor’s office in Al-Arish in Northern Sinai Tuesday to protest the continuing incarceration of some 70 prisoners from Siai arrested in the wake of a spate of bombings in the peninsula.
The protestors lifted placards and chanted slogans demanding the release of the prisoners, none of whom are kept in Sinai prisons but in other facilities such as Borg El-Arab, near Alexandria, and Cairo's Tora prison.
According to journalist and activist Mustapha Singer who was present at the protest, the women chanted slogans saying “Our country’s leaders, why did you take our children?”
Children lifted placards with captions such as “Release my father.”
There was a security presence around the protest and “I was prevented from taking pictures,” Singer said.
The governor sent some of his staff to take the names of the protestors so as to offer them aid, but the protestors demanded that their sons be released.
According to Singer, the staff responded by stating that the governor did not have the jurisdiction to release the prisoners, but that aid could be offered to the relatives.
The protest petered out at mid-afternoon and left vowing to return if the prisoners were not released.
Last Wednesday, a similar protest was prevented from taking place in a square in Al-Arish.
A government crackdown ensued after the Taba bombings of 2004, which killed 34 people. This attacked was followed by the 2005 attack in Sharm El-Sheikh in which 70 people were killed. An attack in Dahab the following year left 20 people dead.
According to Human Rights Watch, 3,000 people were arrested following the Dahab bombings. Since then most of them have been released except for the 70 for whom the protest was held.
All those who were held were detained under the emergency law, thus they were kept without charge or trial with their incarceration being renewed every 45 days. Some of the remaining 70 detainees have been kept under this law since 2004.
---Daily News Egypt
Monday, July 28, 2008
Jordan: Kingdom’s family planning efforts lagging
HRH Princess Basma, the Global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund, speaks at a ceremony marking World Population Day
By Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN - Jordan has achieved satisfying results in population-related issues, but further work is needed in supporting family planning efforts, HRH Princess Basma said on Sunday.
Princess Basma made her remark during a ceremony marking World Population Day, observed annually on July 11, where she underlined the importance of the theme of this year’s celebration: “Family planning… it’s a right, let’s make it real.”
“Despite lots of talk on the benefits of family planning, it has yet to be tackled as part of human rights. This year’s theme focuses on family planning as a right and underscores that this right is still unattained and needs to be realised,” Princess Basma, who serves as the Global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said yesterday.
International statistics show that young mothers’ mortality rates are high; therefore, family planning efforts should urge young women to wait until they are older than 20 to have children, the Princess said.
She commended UNFPA for supporting Jordan’s goals of developing reproductive health services, achieving gender equality and reducing maternal and infant mortality rates by 2015.
Maternal mortality in Jordan currently stands at 41 deaths per 100,000, while infant mortality decreased from 22 deaths per 1,000 in 2002 to 19 deaths per 1,000 in 2007, according to the Ministry of Health.
The ministry’s 2008-2012 strategy seeks to reduce maternal deaths to 25 per 100,000 and lower the total fertility rate to less than three births per woman by the year 2012.
Highlighting the importance of easy access to contraceptives, Higher Population Council (HPC) Secretary General Raeda Qutob said the use of contraception in developing countries can reduce the cost of health services, education, housing and infrastructure, thus curbing poverty.
“The main challenge that our country is facing today is the imbalance between population growth and available resources. The growth is still higher than what the available resources can handle,” Qutob said.
The Kingdom’s fertility rate is decreasing “very slowly” according to the demographic and health surveys of 2002 and 2007, which hinders efforts combating poverty, she added.
According to the Department of Statistics, the total fertility rate dropped by 16 per cent, from 4.4 to 3.7 births per woman, between 1997 and 2002, and then remained stagnant at 3.6 between 2004 and 2007.
“Ongoing efforts and cooperation with our partners is necessary to achieve the goals of the National Population Strategy, which strives to achieve a balance between population and economic resources… and protect the public from unsustainable and inequitable production and consumption patterns,” Qutob said.
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator Luc Stevens said family planning is essential to women’s empowerment and gender equality.
“When a woman can plan her family, she can plan the rest of her life. Information and services for family planning allows couples to realise the right to determine the number, spacing and timing of their children,” Stevens said yesterday.
The UN official added that more could be done in altering demographic trends.
“Today in Jordan, we are facing a challenge; the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey shows that the modern contraceptives’ prevalence rate in the country is stagnant at 42 per cent and has not really changed over the last five years,” Stevens pointed out.
“This calls on us all to review our strategies and agree on collective efforts needed to ensure that all couples who would like to plan the spacing and timing of their children can do so with the support of the government, civil society, the media and other partners,” Stevens noted.
According to HPC figures, the Kingdom’s population currently stands at 5.7 million, with a child born every three minutes.
---The Jordan Times
Saudi Arabia: Stalemate on 'mahram' condition continues
FINAL CHECK: A student applying for scholarship checks her documents. (AN photo)
By Najah Alosaimi
RIYADH: Manal Al-Quais, a 23-year-old Saudi, won a scholarship from the King Abdullah Scholarship Program to study nursing in Canada. There’s only one problem: She can’t find a close male relative to go with her for the entire duration of the study; they have their own families and responsibilities to attend to.
Recently, two key governmental departments have initiated a debate on how women in Manal’s situation can take advantage of Saudi Arabia’s national scholarship program.
The Higher Education Ministry will not lift the requirement that these students bring a guardian (a close male relative or husband) in order to study abroad, while the governmental Human Rights Commission (HRC) disagrees on the importance of the “mahram” accompanying the students.
“This would help hundreds of women who don’t have male guardians available or ready to go with them to pursue higher education outside,” said HRC spokesman Zuhair Al-Harithy.
In a recommendation sent to the Council of Ministers, the HRC argues that the permission of a guardian should suffice, just as it is done for allowing women to travel unaccompanied.
But for the time being, Higher Education Ministry will stick to the existing policy. Saudi women who go abroad to study at their own expense are exempt from this requirement.
“Any woman student whose guardian leaves the country where she studies will immediately lose financial support,” said Abdullah Al-Moussa, general supervisor of scholarships at the Ministry of Higher Education.
Some guardians prefer to accompany their relatives for a couple of months and return to work and family. And some Saudi women, like Maram, who in her late teens dreams of going to college abroad to study events management, simply do not have any close male relatives.
“The rule expects that every house has a man,” Maram told Arab News, adding that the rules don’t allow her mother to accompany her.
The way the government ensures that Saudi women receiving these scholarships follow the requirements is simple: They don’t give the allowance money to the woman, but rather directly to the guardian whose passport is submitted along with the prospective student during the application process.
“The complaints (on the policy of requiring “mahrams” to accompany these young women) also come from parents,” said Al-Harithy. “They object to the rules that prevent their daughters from studying abroad when they have given their full approval for them to do so.”
Contrary to a popular misconception, women in Saudi Arabia are allowed to travel abroad alone (or without their male relatives) if their guardians give permission. The permission slips are affixed to the passports to show to the authorities.
Al-Harithy pointed out that the HRC efforts in this regard are not only because of individual complaints, but also because of the impact of this rule on society and the economy.
With approximately 30 percent of these scholarships going to women, according to official figures, there are many families with college-bound daughters who can’t afford to send a male relative with them, or the male relatives have their own lives and responsibilities that prevent them from being able to take this time off.
According to media reports, the problem has even led some women to seek out marriages of convenience with men willing to become “temporary husbands” and therefore guardians of these women during their stay abroad.
Sociologist Wafa’a Taibah, a professor at King Saud University and HRC member, expressed concern about these short-term marriages. “Such marriages are based on selfish interests,” she said. “They raise the rate of divorce and adversely affect any children born out of these marriages.”
The guardians themselves are affected. Should they decide to accompany their women relatives, they can end up spending years outside the work force and return to Saudi Arabia jobless.
Abdullah, 31, who did not want to provide his family name, is an example. He works in a legal office, but will soon resign to go to Brisbane, Australia, to act as his sister’s guardian while she earns her Ph.D.
“I will have to resign from my work because the management refused to give me three years’ leave,” he said.
Furthermore, in many cases these men will not be able to legally work in the countries where they reside temporarily. Guardians abroad receive monthly allowances from the ministry for staying with their student relatives.
In some countries, such as the United States and Britain, the guardians receive monthly stipends of SR4,000.
Wajeha Al-Huwaider, a Saudi women’s rights activist, said this policy should change and that there is no legitimate religious basis for prohibiting women from living alone in general.
“If we look around us we will find a number of Saudi women living alone with their kids after divorce, or after their husbands pass away,” she said. “Tribal customs and traditions must not interfere in education because it will slow women empowerment.”
---Arab News
Morocco: Mauritanian women journalists attend capacity-building workshop in Morocco
Nine Mauritanian women journalists are attending a workshop in Rabat, within the framework of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), a co-operation programme between UNESCO and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), UNESCO's Office in Rabat said on Friday (July 25th). The journalists are members of the Network of Mauritanian Women Journalists. The workshop, which runs through July 30th, focuses on the basics of journalism, writing and radio production, according to a UNESCO press release.
---Magharebia
---Magharebia
Morocco: Morocco hails first female district officers
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat
Until recently, women were barred from attending Morocco's elite training academy for district officers. The graduation of the country's first female caids last week is seen as a milestone for equal rights.
In what is being called a landmark event for gender equality in Morocco, the Royal Institute for Regional Government has granted training course diplomas to women for the first time since its founding in 1965. The 43rd cohort of new caids (district officers) who graduated Monday (July 21st) includes 19 women out of a total of 107.
According to teachers at the institute, which provides theoretical, military and on-the-job training, the first female caids have dazzled with their ability. One – Loubna Faez – obtained the highest mark in her year and will now be promoted directly to the post of District Chief.
"Women have shown that they’re just as capable as men of running all aspects of national affairs. This first cohort of female district officers is something Morocco should be very proud of," Faez commented.
Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa chaired last week's ceremony in Kenitra and praised the performance of the female graduates. He also noted that a woman "came first in her year".
The first group of female district officers in more than four decades strengthens the programme and helps build "a modern democratic society to ensure equality between man and woman", the minister said.
"By taking this step based on the values of fairness and equal opportunity, the main foundations of building modern Morocco, the Interior Ministry is determined to move forward on this path to... integrate the female element into the areas of authority and give them the opportunity to assume positions of responsibility," he added.
Women's organisations and NGOs have welcomed the move to bring equality for women. Initiatives of this kind mean that women are finally making their presence felt, noted Samira Bandouri of Together for Development.
"We've been waiting a long time for decision-makers to apply the principle of equal opportunities in all areas. Over the last few years women have finally been given a chance to show what they can do," she said.
---Magharebia
Until recently, women were barred from attending Morocco's elite training academy for district officers. The graduation of the country's first female caids last week is seen as a milestone for equal rights.
In what is being called a landmark event for gender equality in Morocco, the Royal Institute for Regional Government has granted training course diplomas to women for the first time since its founding in 1965. The 43rd cohort of new caids (district officers) who graduated Monday (July 21st) includes 19 women out of a total of 107.
According to teachers at the institute, which provides theoretical, military and on-the-job training, the first female caids have dazzled with their ability. One – Loubna Faez – obtained the highest mark in her year and will now be promoted directly to the post of District Chief.
"Women have shown that they’re just as capable as men of running all aspects of national affairs. This first cohort of female district officers is something Morocco should be very proud of," Faez commented.
Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa chaired last week's ceremony in Kenitra and praised the performance of the female graduates. He also noted that a woman "came first in her year".
The first group of female district officers in more than four decades strengthens the programme and helps build "a modern democratic society to ensure equality between man and woman", the minister said.
"By taking this step based on the values of fairness and equal opportunity, the main foundations of building modern Morocco, the Interior Ministry is determined to move forward on this path to... integrate the female element into the areas of authority and give them the opportunity to assume positions of responsibility," he added.
Women's organisations and NGOs have welcomed the move to bring equality for women. Initiatives of this kind mean that women are finally making their presence felt, noted Samira Bandouri of Together for Development.
"We've been waiting a long time for decision-makers to apply the principle of equal opportunities in all areas. Over the last few years women have finally been given a chance to show what they can do," she said.
---Magharebia
Friday, July 25, 2008
Jordan: Peace Corps ‘GLOW’ camp helps young women shine
Camp GLOW counsellor advises a young participant. The initiative used counsellors and other positive role models to provide examples of successful women (Photos by Charles Loi)
Robert O’Neill
IRBID - US Peace Corps volunteers and their Jordanian partners conclude on Friday a young women’s empowerment training camp designed to help prepare the next generation of the Kingdom’s women leaders.
Named Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), the programme, which started Sunday, hosted 26 girls between 9th and 12th grades from rural villages where Peace Corps volunteers are serving.
Working in collaboration with students and administrators from the Jordan University of Science and Technology and the Civil Society Development Centre, female Peace Corps volunteers developed GLOW to aid young Jordanian women in realising a greater sense of self-confidence, female camaraderie and independence.
According to one camp counsellor, one of the camp’s main objectives was to help participants realise they “have control over their futures”.
Centre director and project contributor Mohammad Qasem Al Hamad highlighted the fact that women’s empowerment initiatives are on the rise throughout the Kingdom, in large part “thanks to King Abdullah and his continued focus on this particular issue”.
He told The Jordan Times that Camp GLOW is “a perfect example” of women’s empowerment training, calling it “the pearl in the crown of cooperation with the Peace Corps” and a place where the participants “will learn to become the future female leaders of Jordan”.
This year’s programme was free of charge, offering rural and economically disadvantaged girls the opportunity to attend an all-women-run and operated summer camp, he added.
The camp focused on leadership skills and career development in order to help “solidify their [the participants] life’s goals and break these goals down step by step” into clear objectives, according to camp organisers.
The 26 young women took part in team-building and self-esteem activities, leadership training, goal development workshops and environmental awareness training over the week-long camp.
In addition, the participants attended a special brainstorming session on how to implement community service projects in their own communities upon completion of the camp.
Currently women account for 6 per cent of entrepreneurs in the formal sector in Jordan, compared to the global average of 30 per cent.
This can partially be attributed to “a lack of understanding about career options” available to women, according to programme coordinator and Peace Corps volunteer Mindy Ko.
Seeking to remedy this, GLOW organisers sought to expose the 26 participants to positive Jordanian female role models in order to give examples of “successful, empowered women”.
The role models included Jordanian camp counsellors and an all-female-career panel, set up to demonstrate some of the careers and life options available to women in the Kingdom and to show the participants how to achieve a balance between family and career.
“The girls pick up on these examples and gain a greater understanding of their own independence,” Ko told The Jordan Times, adding that the Peace Corps hopes the camp becomes self-sustaining so that future generations of Jordanian girls can benefit.
“A big part of Peace Corps work is always to involve Jordanians in project development, so they can carry on the project when the Peace Corps leaves,” Ko noted.
For many participants, the camp was a time of firsts.
The majority had never spent time away from home without family, while others had never met other young women facing similar obstacles and sharing the same goals and career aspirations.
Camp participant Loma Madanab from Karak Governorate stated that she believes her time at Camp GLOW has helped her become more organised, professional and confident.
“Women are equal to men, but we need to know how to use our opportunities,” she noted.
Upon returning to her village, Madanab hopes to “change the minds of fathers, brothers and husbands about the role of women”.
“Some men think women are weak, but if we believe in ourselves, we can do the same things men can do but better,” she added.
Since 1997, the Peace Corps has been serving in Jordan at the invitation of the late King Hussein. All volunteers are assigned to rural primary and secondary schools under the Ministry of Education, with 61 volunteers currently serving in the Kingdom.
---The Jordan Times
Bahrain: U-turn over strike
By BEGENA P PRADEEP
A PETITION will be signed by more than 6,000 nurses for increased salaries and more staff and presented to Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, it was announced yesterday. Members of the Bahrain Nursing Society (BNS) had earlier threatened to spearhead a nationwide nurses' strike if demands weren't met.
President Rula Al Saffar had given the authorities a three-week ultimatum, though they have now decided to give them more time to review the matter.
Ms Al Saffar had reiterated earlier that nurses hoped to reach a solution without strike, but said they were prepared to follow through on their threat.
However, BNS secretary-general Ibrahim Al Demestani yesterday rejected the possibility of going on strike.
Sources told the GDN that the Health Ministry officials would investigate whether Ms Al Saffar had instigated the protest.
Society insiders said that they would not allow the ministry any such investigations as it did not come under the Health Ministry, but the Social Affairs Ministry.
More than 6,000 nurses will wear coloured ribbons from Sunday onwards as they step up their campaign for increased salaries and more staff.
They will wear orange ribbons for two weeks from Sunday, red ribbons for the next two weeks and black ribbons for the fifth and sixth week if their demands for a 50 per cent pay rise and more staff are still not met.
Further action will be planned at the end of the six weeks if there is still no positive response but a strike is not a possibility.
"We have already launched a petition and are asking nurses to join it," said Mr Al Demestani.
"We will then send it to Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa requesting him to find a solution to our problem.
"We do not want to go on a strike because it is not in our interests.
"We understand a nurse's duty more than anyone else and don't need anyone to tell us that.
"We have an ethical responsibility towards our patients that would not allow us to leave them in their time of need.
"But the authorities must realise the importance of our role in society instead of taking advantage of our sense of duty.
"Going on an actual strike is so different from protesting in our own way without stopping work.
"We declare our disappointment against not being given what we actually deserve.
"But conveying our disapproval of how we are being treated should not be mixed up by going on strike.
"The nurses will definitely continue doing their duty.
"A Health Ministry official has been constantly promising us for a couple of years now as well as in the media that nurses will be upgraded to a professional level.
"Every time we try to follow up on the matter, we are assured that it is under process. But we've not got anything until now.
"We are fed up of waiting and have reached the limits of our patience.
Mr Al Demestani said that the society was hurt by the attitude of the nursing administration staff at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, health centres and maternity hospitals.
"They have ordered them not to wear the ribbons, threatening to suspend those who do for three days.
"If they continue to wear the ribbon even after this, their services would be terminated forever."
The Health Ministry employs 6,000 nurses, of whom 63pc are Bahrainis and 2,700 work within the ministry, and all start at a basic wage of BD300 a month.
However, the ministry declared the strike as "illegal" and threatened to hold Ms Al Saffar directly responsible if the nurses went ahead with the agitation.
Her announcement was in violation of the Trade Unions Law (Article 21), which prohibits strikes in the nursing sector, said the ministry.
The society started distributing coloured ribbons to their members yesterday evening.
---Gulf Daily News
A PETITION will be signed by more than 6,000 nurses for increased salaries and more staff and presented to Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, it was announced yesterday. Members of the Bahrain Nursing Society (BNS) had earlier threatened to spearhead a nationwide nurses' strike if demands weren't met.
President Rula Al Saffar had given the authorities a three-week ultimatum, though they have now decided to give them more time to review the matter.
Ms Al Saffar had reiterated earlier that nurses hoped to reach a solution without strike, but said they were prepared to follow through on their threat.
However, BNS secretary-general Ibrahim Al Demestani yesterday rejected the possibility of going on strike.
Sources told the GDN that the Health Ministry officials would investigate whether Ms Al Saffar had instigated the protest.
Society insiders said that they would not allow the ministry any such investigations as it did not come under the Health Ministry, but the Social Affairs Ministry.
More than 6,000 nurses will wear coloured ribbons from Sunday onwards as they step up their campaign for increased salaries and more staff.
They will wear orange ribbons for two weeks from Sunday, red ribbons for the next two weeks and black ribbons for the fifth and sixth week if their demands for a 50 per cent pay rise and more staff are still not met.
Further action will be planned at the end of the six weeks if there is still no positive response but a strike is not a possibility.
"We have already launched a petition and are asking nurses to join it," said Mr Al Demestani.
"We will then send it to Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa requesting him to find a solution to our problem.
"We do not want to go on a strike because it is not in our interests.
"We understand a nurse's duty more than anyone else and don't need anyone to tell us that.
"We have an ethical responsibility towards our patients that would not allow us to leave them in their time of need.
"But the authorities must realise the importance of our role in society instead of taking advantage of our sense of duty.
"Going on an actual strike is so different from protesting in our own way without stopping work.
"We declare our disappointment against not being given what we actually deserve.
"But conveying our disapproval of how we are being treated should not be mixed up by going on strike.
"The nurses will definitely continue doing their duty.
"A Health Ministry official has been constantly promising us for a couple of years now as well as in the media that nurses will be upgraded to a professional level.
"Every time we try to follow up on the matter, we are assured that it is under process. But we've not got anything until now.
"We are fed up of waiting and have reached the limits of our patience.
Mr Al Demestani said that the society was hurt by the attitude of the nursing administration staff at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, health centres and maternity hospitals.
"They have ordered them not to wear the ribbons, threatening to suspend those who do for three days.
"If they continue to wear the ribbon even after this, their services would be terminated forever."
The Health Ministry employs 6,000 nurses, of whom 63pc are Bahrainis and 2,700 work within the ministry, and all start at a basic wage of BD300 a month.
However, the ministry declared the strike as "illegal" and threatened to hold Ms Al Saffar directly responsible if the nurses went ahead with the agitation.
Her announcement was in violation of the Trade Unions Law (Article 21), which prohibits strikes in the nursing sector, said the ministry.
The society started distributing coloured ribbons to their members yesterday evening.
---Gulf Daily News
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Algeria: EU grant supports women's rights in Algeria
The EU will provide a 6m euro grant to Algeria to finance development projects, El Moudjahid reported on Wednesday (July 23rd). The majority of the funds will be used to promote women's rights.
---Magharebia
---Magharebia
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Morocco: Women as local governors
For the first time in the history of Morocco, women become local governor or the so-called Caid, who are the representatives of the ministry of interior at the local level.
This year’s cohort of the Royal Institute of Territorial Administration was marked by the graduation of 19 women local governors that will be appointed in different regions of Morocco at a later stage.
Chakib Ben Moussa, minister of interior who presided the graduation ceremony said that “Morocco is determined to ensure professionalism and good quality of services in the territorial administration by the integration of women in the authority sphere.”
---Aujord'hui le Maroc (article in French)
This year’s cohort of the Royal Institute of Territorial Administration was marked by the graduation of 19 women local governors that will be appointed in different regions of Morocco at a later stage.
Chakib Ben Moussa, minister of interior who presided the graduation ceremony said that “Morocco is determined to ensure professionalism and good quality of services in the territorial administration by the integration of women in the authority sphere.”
---Aujord'hui le Maroc (article in French)
Morocco: Women qualify as civil servants for the first time
Rabat, 23 July (AKI) - For the first time in Morocco's history, 19 women have qualified as civil servants, pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports.
Previously only men could qualify as civil servants in Morocco.
According to the daily, the 19 women are among 107 new civil servants who qualified on Tuesday in the city of Quneitra, 40 kilometres north of the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
"The presence of women in the civil service reinforces our government's policies aimed at building a modern and democratic society where women and men are equal," said Morocco's Interior Minister Shakib Binumsi.
Binumsi vowed these and other women will in the future be able to reach senior positions in the country's civil service.
Fouzia Amansar in October 2006 became the first female governor of the prefecture of Ain Chock, Casablanca. She was appointed by to the post by King Mohammed VI.
---Adnkronos International
Jordan: Pioneering study maps women’s empowerment
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali presides over a ceremony unveiling the findings of a new study on women’s empowerment. The study, carried out by the Department of Statistics, measured women’s empowerment across the 12 governorates (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Planning)
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN - A pioneering study mapping women’s empowerment in Jordan revealed that Karak and Madaba lead the Kingdom’s governorates in the percentage of economically active women.
The study also indicated that the governorates of Zarqa and Irbid scored the least percentages of women in this category.
The study, conducted by the Department of Statistics (DoS) aimed at shedding light on the levels and variations in women’s empowerment across the Kingdom’s 12 governorates as well as progress during 2004-2007.
The study’s findings were unveiled at a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, attended by female senators, members of Parliament, the secretary general of the Jordan National Committee for Women and the National Council for Family Affairs, as well as representatives of civil society organisations and women’s groups in Jordan.
The DoS used the Regional Gender Equality Index as a reference to measure levels of women’s participation in all areas of life and its development over the years using 17 categorised indicators that include education, economic and public participation, gender balance and average annual income.
“These initial findings will hopefully guide our future strategies as well as set the ground to discuss the outcome with experts and officials to expand the study to include more categories that would help us develop more conclusive findings,” Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali said yesterday.
She underlined the “strong political will” in Jordan to increase women’s empowerment, driven by the vision and support of their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania.
“This consequently will improve human development in its entirety in Jordan given that women constitute approximately half of the population, and thus a women’s role in advancing society becomes a national priority,” she said.
DoS Director General Haidar Freihat pointed to the fact that Jordan has pioneered efforts to improve the conditions of Arab women as part of comprehensive development, necessitating in-depth studies conducted on the subject of incorporating women into public life.
Freihat explained that the study depended on internationally recognised measurement tools in its methodology.
“It marks a new beginning in the field of measuring women’s participation compared to men, and allows for the transfer of Jordanian expertise and knowledge in this field to other Arab countries,” he added.
A national committee headed by the DoS, the Ministry of Planning, NGOs and experts will be building on this study to explore additional indicators in the future.
---Jordan Times
Yemen: Yemeni clerics to form religious police
Hardline clerics attend the ceremony at which the formation of the Authority for Protecting Virtue and Fighting Vice was announced. Mohammed al Qadhi, The National.
SANA’A: Activists in Yemen say the establishment of a religious police force, under the banner of promoting virtue and curbing vice, is a war on women and their rights.
Some two thousand clerics led by Sheikh Abdulmajeed al Zindani, the hardline rector of the Islamic Al Eman University, and a number of tribal dignitaries met in Sana’a last week and announced the establishment of The Authority for Protecting Virtue and Fighting Vice.
Women’s rights activists immediately condemned the move.
“The objective of this commission is to wage a war on feminists and women’s rights,” said Hooriah Mashhoor, vice chair of the governmental Women’s National Committee. “We are very concerned to see a religious authority or police working beyond the function of state institutions,” she said.
The authority will be run by a central committee of 42 clerics from the powerful Yemeni Clerics Association and will scour the streets looking for “immoral” behaviour, such as intimacy between unrelated men and women and the consumption of alcohol. The authority will then report the offences to police.
Hasan Abdullah al Sheikh, the deputy minister for Religious Guidance and Endowment, said the commission will not have the authority to imprison or otherwise prosecute “offenders”.
“The commission can just give advice and report on immoral incidents but cannot take action to prevent that,” he said.
A number of other non-governmental organisations also appealed to the government to prevent the establishment of the religious authority.
“The establishment of such a commission is an infringement on the constitution and law,” Intellectuals for Social Peace and Stability said in a statement. “It means abolishing democracy and the multiparty system, and pushing the country into chaos and disorder, which subjects it to foreign intervention under the pretext of curbing extremism and terrorism.”
At the meeting, the clerics also issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning women from participating in politics and forbidding the implementation of a proposed quota that would guarantee 15 per cent of parliamentary seats for women. The quota was pledged by Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president, when he was running for election and is currently in discussion in the Shoura (consultative council).
Mrs Mashhoor condemned the fatwa and said it was a blow to the progress made in recent years to empower women in Yemen, particularly in the political sphere. She said the Women’s National Committee will write to Mr Saleh urging him to fulfil his pledge.
“We have made some good steps to make the people accept women’s rights and a women’s quota in elections, but this group of extremist clerics wants to undo all these efforts,” she said.
Sheikh Zindani, who is accused by the United States and the United Nations of financing terrorism, said the religious authority will ask the government to shut down any workplaces where alcohol and prostitution is present. “We will never be silent towards any such place, wherever it is,” he said.
Hamud al Tharehi, a hardline cleric and leading exponent of the authority, said “moral corruption” in Yemen had become institutionalised.
“The sale and trade in alcoholic beverages, hashish, and drugs, the disappearance and escape of schoolgirls through middlemen to places to practise vice, and the spread of CDs of nude dancing with idlers coming from Gulf countries – all this has brought dishonour to Yemen and distorted its image,” Mr Tharehi said.
In a press release issued at the meeting in Sana’a, the clerics outlined a catalogue of “vices” that included: performances by female singers, alcohol, nightclubs, fashion shows, mixed-sex dancing, sending female students to study in foreign countries without companions from their families and coeducation in schools and universities.
Already vigilante groups have forced restaurants and hotels that serve alcohol or permit socialising between men and women to close.
Mr Tharehi denied that he or any of his associates were involved in threatening the venues, but praised those who were. “They have good faith,” he said. “There are individuals in [the cities of] Hodeidah and Aden who have good faith.
But the establishment of a religious police and the possible abandonment of the proposed quota system are not the only setbacks facing women’s rights in Yemen.
Last week the Committee of Islamic Sharia parliamentary group refused to incorporate amendments presented by the government that would have made men and women legally equal in blood money, the practice in which financial compensation is paid to the family of a person killed on purpose or by accident. As it stands, blood money paid for the death of a woman is half that for a man.
Parliament is also debating a law that would introduce an automatic one-year prison sentence for both men and women who are found meeting in private, if they are not related.
“Women study to get jobs, and considering they will be forbidden from being alone with unrelated men at their workplace, this is really crazy. This is a backwards step for human rights in Yemen,” Mrs Mashhoor said.
Analysts said there are political motives behind the establishment of the committee.
“The regime is ensuring its continuity in power through its coalition with the religious establishment,” said Abdullah Obal, secretary general of the opposition leftist Yemeni Unionist party.
He said the virtue commission and the various amendments currently being discussed are driving Yemen backwards.
“These amendments are frightening and are driving us towards a theocratic state,” he said.
“They mean men will not be able to go outside with their female relatives without having legal documents to prove [they are related]. Women will not be able to take a taxi, for instance, without a male companion. This is really horrible.”
---The National
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Women’s rights in Kingdom
By Samar Fatany
THERE are conflicting reports about the participation of women in the 2009 municipal elections. According to some government officials, there are still many challenges that make it difficult for Saudi women to participate in the decision-making process of their country.
This sorry situation is due to several major factors that continue to harm Saudi women and deprive them of the right to manage and lead organizations. The most obvious ones are the long absence of any resistance toward blatant discrimination and women’s sad acceptance and resignation to their unfortunate fate. They make no demands to take charge of their lives or to reject the continued abuse and unjust policies. Moreover, the indifference of the educated elite and acquiescence of the more moderate religious scholars who remained silent for decades contributed to ignorant and shortsighted restrictions that have excluded women from all spheres of public life.
However, this is no longer the case. I have been following with great interest and enthusiasm the calls and activities of women leaders in Saudi society. Some of them who are associated with Human Rights Organization have been very critical of the judiciary for its blatant bias toward men and its failure to provide justice for women who suffer from domestic abuse. Women writers have also boldly defied those who argue that driving for women is not a priority. They have asserted that the ban is another form of misogynistic control over women and a means to restrict their movement.
The board members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry also have played a vital role in addressing the segregation laws and other obstacles that limit the success of women in business and the work force.
ACADEMICS and women in media have contributed by conducting scientific studies and exposing the violations and social problems facing women as well as recommending solutions to raise the status of women in Saudi society.
Today, the educated elite, who had abandoned their intellectual role and whose only interest in the past was personal gain, is taking a more active role to confront the hegemony of tribal culture and is working hard toward changing the social fabric of this male domination that is hobbling the progress and development of this country.
A national campaign has already begun to address the challenges that impede women’s participation in government and managerial positions. King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center should be commended for leading this campaign to raise awareness among women and address the major obstacles that stand in the way of their empowerment. The center invited researchers and social scientists to participate in several conferences throughout the Kingdom and, for the first time, has succeeded in creating a culture of dialogue in our society to discuss matters that were taboo in the past — mainly discrimination against women in the name of Islam. All the debates were televised, and the media covered in detail many bold and transparent studies that expose the unjust policies that control women and marginalize their role, such as the imposed rule of a male guardian licensed to manage all legal aspects of women in Saudi Arabia. These rules keep women entirely under the mercy of people who prey on their legal vulnerability. Issues like these need to be raised, as they constitute a clear violation of human rights by all world standards and any religious belief.
The initiatives of the National Dialogue Center provide us with hopes for a better future. The center recently endorsed a new plan to launch an awareness campaign that will reach 45,000 citizens within six months. Three categories of people will be selected for a national study of Saudi culture and lifestyle. Each category will consist of 15,000 people including imams in mosques, elementary school teachers, university professors and parents. One of the main objectives of this initiative is to emphasize the importance of social responsibility and positive and transparent interaction between community members. I hope and pray that one day the initiatives of our activists, social scientists and women in media will pave the way for Saudi women to assume leadership positions in government and business.
Women here have suffered in silence for decades; it is time we heard them speak out and demand their legal rights as equal citizens of this country. However, women must understand that in order to succeed and gain these rights, they must stand up for themselves while learning from the experience of others.
In more advanced societies, women had to work hard to get to where they are today. Some struggled for many years to become leaders and decision-makers. I wonder how long it will take to convince our leaders to include women in government and in managerial positions. How long will it take to make our judiciary recognize women as equal partners in this land? Saudi officials have no definite answers. There are many uncertainties, and no one can guarantee that women will assume leadership positions or participate in the decision-making process in the near future. Will the barriers remain in place for the following round of elections — or will they simply remain in place forever?
---Arab News
THERE are conflicting reports about the participation of women in the 2009 municipal elections. According to some government officials, there are still many challenges that make it difficult for Saudi women to participate in the decision-making process of their country.
This sorry situation is due to several major factors that continue to harm Saudi women and deprive them of the right to manage and lead organizations. The most obvious ones are the long absence of any resistance toward blatant discrimination and women’s sad acceptance and resignation to their unfortunate fate. They make no demands to take charge of their lives or to reject the continued abuse and unjust policies. Moreover, the indifference of the educated elite and acquiescence of the more moderate religious scholars who remained silent for decades contributed to ignorant and shortsighted restrictions that have excluded women from all spheres of public life.
However, this is no longer the case. I have been following with great interest and enthusiasm the calls and activities of women leaders in Saudi society. Some of them who are associated with Human Rights Organization have been very critical of the judiciary for its blatant bias toward men and its failure to provide justice for women who suffer from domestic abuse. Women writers have also boldly defied those who argue that driving for women is not a priority. They have asserted that the ban is another form of misogynistic control over women and a means to restrict their movement.
The board members of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry also have played a vital role in addressing the segregation laws and other obstacles that limit the success of women in business and the work force.
ACADEMICS and women in media have contributed by conducting scientific studies and exposing the violations and social problems facing women as well as recommending solutions to raise the status of women in Saudi society.
Today, the educated elite, who had abandoned their intellectual role and whose only interest in the past was personal gain, is taking a more active role to confront the hegemony of tribal culture and is working hard toward changing the social fabric of this male domination that is hobbling the progress and development of this country.
A national campaign has already begun to address the challenges that impede women’s participation in government and managerial positions. King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center should be commended for leading this campaign to raise awareness among women and address the major obstacles that stand in the way of their empowerment. The center invited researchers and social scientists to participate in several conferences throughout the Kingdom and, for the first time, has succeeded in creating a culture of dialogue in our society to discuss matters that were taboo in the past — mainly discrimination against women in the name of Islam. All the debates were televised, and the media covered in detail many bold and transparent studies that expose the unjust policies that control women and marginalize their role, such as the imposed rule of a male guardian licensed to manage all legal aspects of women in Saudi Arabia. These rules keep women entirely under the mercy of people who prey on their legal vulnerability. Issues like these need to be raised, as they constitute a clear violation of human rights by all world standards and any religious belief.
The initiatives of the National Dialogue Center provide us with hopes for a better future. The center recently endorsed a new plan to launch an awareness campaign that will reach 45,000 citizens within six months. Three categories of people will be selected for a national study of Saudi culture and lifestyle. Each category will consist of 15,000 people including imams in mosques, elementary school teachers, university professors and parents. One of the main objectives of this initiative is to emphasize the importance of social responsibility and positive and transparent interaction between community members. I hope and pray that one day the initiatives of our activists, social scientists and women in media will pave the way for Saudi women to assume leadership positions in government and business.
Women here have suffered in silence for decades; it is time we heard them speak out and demand their legal rights as equal citizens of this country. However, women must understand that in order to succeed and gain these rights, they must stand up for themselves while learning from the experience of others.
In more advanced societies, women had to work hard to get to where they are today. Some struggled for many years to become leaders and decision-makers. I wonder how long it will take to convince our leaders to include women in government and in managerial positions. How long will it take to make our judiciary recognize women as equal partners in this land? Saudi officials have no definite answers. There are many uncertainties, and no one can guarantee that women will assume leadership positions or participate in the decision-making process in the near future. Will the barriers remain in place for the following round of elections — or will they simply remain in place forever?
---Arab News
Monday, July 21, 2008
Yemen: Women's group flays fatwa against rights
By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
Sana'a: The Yemen Women's Union has demanded Parliament condemn a recent religious fatwa banning women from political participation and running for seats in parliament.
"We want parliament to explicitly condemn such a fatwa because it is a confiscation of personal and public freedom," Ramziah Al Eryani, chairperson of the Yemen Women Union, told Gulf News.
Al Eryani said a meeting with the speaker of parliament and a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) to discuss the issue was scheduled to take place on Sunday but was postponed because of the speaker's other commitments.
Strong attack
We agreed the meeting is going to be held this week, she said.
"We want to tell them that this is completely against democracy, against human rights, against civil society and against the multiparty system," she said.
The fatwa, issued by a number of religious scholars on July 16, says it is haram (forbidden) for women to be MPs.
The fatwa was considered as a strong attack on a controversial proposal by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to allocate 15 per cent of parliamentary seats for women in the upcoming elections in April 2009.
"This fatwa is against Islam, against equality between men and women stipulated by the Quran," Al Eryani said.
---Gulf News
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Bahrain: Activists step up efforts to penalise ‘spousal rape’
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Saturday, July 19, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Could the ban on women drivers be lifted?
Saleswomen check under the hood of a car at a showroom where women sell cars to women, even though they cannot drive them. AP
Hamida Ghafour
It was a tragic accident, but one that seemed no different from thousands of others that happen every day in cities across the world: a woman, 21, was driving so fast late at night that her Nissan Maxima turned over and she died on the way to hospital.
Police blamed the accident, on July 5, on reckless driving.
The difference was this happened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where women are banned from driving.
The death of the woman, whose name has not been released, has caused a stir in the kingdom, with radio shows, blogs and newspaper pundits discussing her story.
Her father reportedly said his daughter got what she deserved.
The buzz was partly attributed to an incident three weeks ago, when another woman in her 20s drove her family’s car in Jeddah’s Aziziah district and was arrested by police.
She was taken to the police station and released after her parents posted bail.
Indeed, over the past three months there has been a spate of reports about women defiantly getting behind the wheel and incurring the wrath of the mutaween, the religious police whose job it is to regulate morality on the streets of the kingdom.
The women seem to be testing the political climate, which some activists say is one that hints Saudi women may finally enjoy the same right given to females in every country in the world but theirs.
“This year, you heard about many ladies driving,” says Dima al Hajri, 33, a member of the Society for Defending Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia. “It is a good step; I can’t believe it.
“I worked for an insurance company and quit last month, but they told me when they had meetings with officials they were told women will be allowed [to drive] this year. So we are waiting.”
Yet another indication came at a press conference on July 13, when the director general of the Saudi traffic department announced that new laws to curb dangerous driving were not gender specific. Previously, the rules referred to men, but now “the new law speaks only about the driver of the vehicle and there is no specification of either man or woman”, he told reporters.
Social change in Saudi Arabia is famously slow and the laws are sometimes so ambiguous that in many areas relating to the strict segregation of the sexes and guardianship of men over women, there are actually no written legal provisions. While women are forbidden to drive, for instance, they are allowed to buy cars.
And when change arrives, it is usually done after a series of seemingly inconsequential developments, statements or tests of public opinion that Saudis must decipher and relate to the bigger picture. Some television programmes have featured women driving cars – unheard of a decade ago – while the newspapers debate the merits and drawbacks of female drivers.
Nissan Middle East, no doubt keen to get a slice of the lucrative market if it opens, released a survey earlier this year that stated Saudi women preferred black sports utility vehicles, replacing pink as their favourite car colour. One Saudi princess, in particular, is well known for her pink Hummer studded with faux diamonds.
Then there is the email in circulation, which is supposedly a government plan that gives details of times women are allowed to drive and in which cities. It is being forwarded and read eagerly by thousands of people but no one knows if it is a forgery or a real official document.
Ms Hajri says the rumours and contradictions in the law are confusing and no one in the government tries to clarify them.
“Sometimes, I can’t understand what they want from us women. You are between the sky and the earth,” she says.
Still, the issue of women being able to drive appears to be a question of when, not if.
“I think we will drive by the end of the year,” says Wajeha al Huwaider, 46, who caused a sensation in March when she posted a video of herself on YouTube driving around her company’s compound.
“The head of the traffic department is the highest person who said this kind of thing. Before, they [the government] allowed people to discuss in the newspapers and that was it. Now they are connecting the dots and heading towards a decision. We sent two petitions to the king and Prince Naif, the interior minister. One was in September last year and one at the beginning of this year. We had 3,000 signatures in total and took them by going to the malls and cafes. We got men and women, but 80 per cent were women. We haven’t heard anything from the government, but they haven’t said to stop either so it gives us hope to continue.”
Women caught driving are taken to the police station with their male guardians who usually sign a paper promising she will not do it again, Ms Hajri says.
To some, that may be considered degrading, but it is a marked contrast to 1990, when 47 women gathered in a supermarket car park in Riyadh, dismissed their chauffeurs and drove through the city on the eve of the first Gulf War – when hundreds of foreign journalists were in Saudi Arabia.
The women were arrested, most lost their jobs and all had their names and telephone numbers published and distributed in pamphlets under the heading “communists” or “harlots”. They received death threats.
One of those women is watching a new generation take up the cause while she cheers quietly from the sidelines.
“Yes, it’s a brave act although tragic for the young woman who died,” says the woman, 54, who lives in Riyadh but does not want to be named because she had to sign a paper stating she would never speak to the press about her experience.
“But if the intention of the girls driving around is to change, it won’t work,” she says. “Sometimes an individual can change things, but not here. I think it is about preparing society for the concept, ‘Let’s talk about it, let’s discuss it’. The pressure is mounting. When will it happen? I don’t know. But I think the government is preparing people.
“I don’t regret what I did. Absolutely not. At that moment, it was important because the government kept saying women were not ready for change and that was just not the case. It’s not like we thought our driving would change the law, but it would show that we were not happy and there were many issues that needed to be addressed.”
Instead, there was a strong backlash from the powerful religious establishment, which issued a fatwa in 1991 that made driving a punishable offence. Previously, there was only an informal ban.
The late Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, chairman of the council of senior religious scholars, stated at the time that there was “no doubt” women were not allowed to drive because “women driving lead to many evils and negative consequences”.
The view was that the royal family placated religious conservatives as a way to gain concessions on the more pressing issue of allowing American soldiers on Muslim soil on the eve of the first Gulf War.
However, this February, Sheikh Abdul Mohsen al Okaikan, a member of the council of senior religious scholars, said “in principle, women driving is permitted in Islam”. He insisted the ban was related to the issue of men’s behaviour and road safety and if those were resolved, there were no religious grounds for preventing women from driving.
There is no appetite for another public protest to force the issue, says Rasha al Dabaan, a dentist who is studying to become a lecturer at King Saud University.
“We wouldn’t take that approach now, you learn from others,” she says. “It’s about working from within. Riding my car with 50 women won’t change anything. Our names will be out there and we will be harassed. But we’re out there, society is changing. Women need to work these days. It’s difficult for society to accept because it’s very rigid and afraid of change especially relating to women. Women used to work as teachers only. Even in a hospital it was a big thing to work there because it was a mixed environment. It was like, ‘My God, this lady is doing something bad. She has less virtue’. But now you see women in all areas of work.”
Many observers say the new climate is largely due to King Abdullah, who came to the throne in 2005 following the death of his half brother Fahd and has since gained a reputation as a reformer. After being crowned, he declared in a television interview, “I believe the day will come when women drive” in Saudi Arabia. This week, the king convened an unprecedented interfaith conference in Madrid between the three Abrahimic faiths, as well as Sikhs, Buddhists and Hindus.
Many women say the law will not be changed on the grounds of gender equality but economic necessity because a lot of families cannot afford to have a driver and public transportation does not exist.
“Society is not what it used to be,” says Ms Dabaan. “There are also so many single women out there and the number of divorced women have increased. It does not make sense to depend on a man. I live with my family, but a lot of women can’t afford that, a driver, and they take a taxi and that is a risk.”
A problem that needs to be addressed before women are allowed to get behind the wheel is the dangerous state of Saudi roads, which are overrun with arrogant teenagers in fast sport cars.
The new laws announced last week received a lot of attention because drivers may now be sent to jail for reckless behaviour. A new point-based system has also been set up where, after losing 96 points, the driver loses his licence and is required to enrol in driving school. The measures have been taken to discourage young Saudi men from speeding for kicks.
“Driving is high risk, even if it was allowed,” says Ms Dabaan. “They have to have really strict rules.”
A recent survey in Arab News, a Saudi-based newspaper, asked 400 Saudi and non-Saudi women where they stood on the issue and 282 said they would drive on their own without a male driver. However, 296 said they would want to see better enforcement of traffic laws before they felt safe enough to drive.
Alanoud Badr, 28, founder of Fozaza, an online boutique based in Dubai, grew up in Riyadh and says the social atmosphere needs to be changed because men are not used to the sight of women in public.
“Can you imagine a girl driving? She will be followed home by seven guys. Guys follow a girl home even if she is in a car with her family. If you allow them to drive, you need to change the whole social atmosphere.”
---The National
Qatar: Qatar's woman beside the man
ASMA AL-ASSAD was not the only Middle Eastern consort making a statement in Paris this week. The wife of Qatar's emir was also hard to miss in a vivid green pantsuit cinched wickedly around her slim waist.
But Sheika Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned grabs attention for more than her fashion sense. As the Christian Science Monitor reported last year, "the glamorous mother of seven rivals her husband in terms of influence in her native land".
Last year she was ranked 79 on the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The Times, of London, named her one of the 25 most influential business leaders in the Middle East.
A commoner who studied sociology at Qatar University, she married the emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in 1977, despite his father having exiled her father after he called for a fairer distribution of wealth in the small oil and gas-rich nation. She is the second of the emir's three wives.
In 1995, her husband overthrew his father in a bloodless coup, and set about modernising the country, although it remains the personal fiefdom of his family.
Sheika Mozah has been at the forefront of this work, reforming the education system, establishing the region's first battered women's shelter, and encouraging a modicum of free speech.
Her work has been internationally recognised. She is a UNESCO special education envoy, and in 2005 the UN secretary-general asked her to be a member of a group set up to develop creative mechanisms for fighting terrorism.
Sheika Mozah has earned admiration for the way she has struck a balance between modernity, Islam and Arabic culture. "People tend to believe that to be modern you have to disengage from your heritage, but it's not true," she told the Christian Science Monitor.
But as the first and only ruling spouse in Qatar to show herself publicly, she has also earned enemies. In 2005 she won a defamation case against an Arabic newspaper in Britain, which had published stories alleging she had improperly interfered in political, judicial and security matters in Qatar.
---Sydney Morning Herald
But Sheika Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned grabs attention for more than her fashion sense. As the Christian Science Monitor reported last year, "the glamorous mother of seven rivals her husband in terms of influence in her native land".
Last year she was ranked 79 on the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The Times, of London, named her one of the 25 most influential business leaders in the Middle East.
A commoner who studied sociology at Qatar University, she married the emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in 1977, despite his father having exiled her father after he called for a fairer distribution of wealth in the small oil and gas-rich nation. She is the second of the emir's three wives.
In 1995, her husband overthrew his father in a bloodless coup, and set about modernising the country, although it remains the personal fiefdom of his family.
Sheika Mozah has been at the forefront of this work, reforming the education system, establishing the region's first battered women's shelter, and encouraging a modicum of free speech.
Her work has been internationally recognised. She is a UNESCO special education envoy, and in 2005 the UN secretary-general asked her to be a member of a group set up to develop creative mechanisms for fighting terrorism.
Sheika Mozah has earned admiration for the way she has struck a balance between modernity, Islam and Arabic culture. "People tend to believe that to be modern you have to disengage from your heritage, but it's not true," she told the Christian Science Monitor.
But as the first and only ruling spouse in Qatar to show herself publicly, she has also earned enemies. In 2005 she won a defamation case against an Arabic newspaper in Britain, which had published stories alleging she had improperly interfered in political, judicial and security matters in Qatar.
---Sydney Morning Herald
Qatar: Qatar's woman beside the man
ASMA AL-ASSAD was not the only Middle Eastern consort making a statement in Paris this week. The wife of Qatar's emir was also hard to miss in a vivid green pantsuit cinched wickedly around her slim waist.
But Sheika Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned grabs attention for more than her fashion sense. As the Christian Science Monitor reported last year, "the glamorous mother of seven rivals her husband in terms of influence in her native land".
Last year she was ranked 79 on the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The Times, of London, named her one of the 25 most influential business leaders in the Middle East.
A commoner who studied sociology at Qatar University, she married the emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in 1977, despite his father having exiled her father after he called for a fairer distribution of wealth in the small oil and gas-rich nation. She is the second of the emir's three wives.
In 1995, her husband overthrew his father in a bloodless coup, and set about modernising the country, although it remains the personal fiefdom of his family.
Sheika Mozah has been at the forefront of this work, reforming the education system, establishing the region's first battered women's shelter, and encouraging a modicum of free speech.
Her work has been internationally recognised. She is a UNESCO special education envoy, and in 2005 the UN secretary-general asked her to be a member of a group set up to develop creative mechanisms for fighting terrorism.
Sheika Mozah has earned admiration for the way she has struck a balance between modernity, Islam and Arabic culture. "People tend to believe that to be modern you have to disengage from your heritage, but it's not true," she told the Christian Science Monitor.
But as the first and only ruling spouse in Qatar to show herself publicly, she has also earned enemies. In 2005 she won a defamation case against an Arabic newspaper in Britain, which had published stories alleging she had improperly interfered in political, judicial and security matters in Qatar.
---Sydney Morning Herald
But Sheika Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned grabs attention for more than her fashion sense. As the Christian Science Monitor reported last year, "the glamorous mother of seven rivals her husband in terms of influence in her native land".
Last year she was ranked 79 on the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The Times, of London, named her one of the 25 most influential business leaders in the Middle East.
A commoner who studied sociology at Qatar University, she married the emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in 1977, despite his father having exiled her father after he called for a fairer distribution of wealth in the small oil and gas-rich nation. She is the second of the emir's three wives.
In 1995, her husband overthrew his father in a bloodless coup, and set about modernising the country, although it remains the personal fiefdom of his family.
Sheika Mozah has been at the forefront of this work, reforming the education system, establishing the region's first battered women's shelter, and encouraging a modicum of free speech.
Her work has been internationally recognised. She is a UNESCO special education envoy, and in 2005 the UN secretary-general asked her to be a member of a group set up to develop creative mechanisms for fighting terrorism.
Sheika Mozah has earned admiration for the way she has struck a balance between modernity, Islam and Arabic culture. "People tend to believe that to be modern you have to disengage from your heritage, but it's not true," she told the Christian Science Monitor.
But as the first and only ruling spouse in Qatar to show herself publicly, she has also earned enemies. In 2005 she won a defamation case against an Arabic newspaper in Britain, which had published stories alleging she had improperly interfered in political, judicial and security matters in Qatar.
---Sydney Morning Herald
Friday, July 18, 2008
Egypt: Egypt's sexual harassment 'cancer'
By Magdi Abdelhadi
Sexual harassment of women in Egypt is on the increase and observing Islamic dress code is no deterrent, according to a survey published this week.
The Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights (ECWR) describes the problem as a social cancer and calls on the government to introduce legislation to curb it.
The findings contradict the widely held belief in Egypt that unveiled women are more likely to suffer harassment than veiled ones.
More than 60% - including female respondents - suggested the scantily clad woman was most at risk. But in reality the study concluded the majority of the victims of harassment were modestly dressed women wearing Islamic headscarves.
ECWR head Nihad Abu El-Qoumsan said that even veiled women who were victims of harassment blamed themselves.
Western women who took part in the study demonstrated a strong belief in their entitlement to personal safety and freedom of movement, she says, but this was totally absent among Egyptian respondents.
No-one spoke about freedom of choice, freedom of movement or the right to legal protection. No-one showed any awareness that the harasser was a criminal, regardless of what clothes the victim was wearing.
Shocking attitude
The centre is campaigning for a new law that clearly defines sexual harassment as a crime and makes it easier for women to report it in Egypt - women like Noha Ostath.
Women are targets for harassment whether they are fully covered or not
The young film-maker told the BBC she was repeatedly groped in broad daylight by a van driver in a Cairo traffic jam as she walked on the pavement.
His behaviour made her so angry she ran after the van and held on to the side mirror to force the driver to stop so she could take him to a police station.
She was equally shocked by the attitude of other passers-by. Some tried to dissuade her from going to the police - others blamed her for what she was wearing (a baggy sports outfit).
In the end, after a tussle with the man that lasted for more than one hour, the strong-willed Ms Ostath dragged the man to the police station.
But even there, police officers refused to open an investigation and insisted on the presence of her father despite the fact that she is not a minor - she is 26.
Impudent allegation
After Noha's story was published in the Badeel daily, editor-in-chief Muhammad El Sayyed Said wrote that the behaviour of the crowd was characteristic of oppressed societies, where the majority identified with the oppressor.
He blamed the increase in sexual harassment on what he said were "three decades of incitement against women" from the pulpits of some of Egypt's mosques.
"This verbal incitement is based on the extremely sordid and impudent allegation that our women are not modestly dressed. This was, and still is, a flagrant lie, used to justify violence against women in the name of religion."
The British foreign office says Egypt is one of the countries with the highest number of cases reported to embassy staff regarding sexual offences against visiting women.
It warns them to be extra cautious in public places especially when alone because of the risks.
Ms Abou El-Qoumsan says Egyptians need to re-evaluate their value system and school curricula and to ensure that the rule of law prevails and prevents offenders and criminals walking free because of a breakdown of basic notions of right and wrong.
Thanks to surveys like this, one encounters an endless number of newspaper articles reflecting the feeling that Egypt is in the grip of a moral crisis.
Perhaps nothing illustrates Egypt's loss of a moral compass than the responses of some men in the ECWR study.
Some said they harassed a woman simply because they were bored. One who abused a woman wearing the niqab said she must be beautiful, or hiding something.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN EGYPT
Experienced by 98% of foreign women visitors
Experienced by 83% of Egyptian women
62% of Egyptian men admitted harassing women
53% of Egyptian men blame women for 'bringing it on'
Source: Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights
Participants in the survey were shown pictures of women wearing different kinds of dress - from the mini skirt to the niqab (full face veil) and asked which were more likely to be harassed.
---BBC News, Cairo
Yemen: Yemeni group rejects fatwa banning women from politics
By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
Sana'a: The Yemeni Women's Union has refused to honour a fatwa issued earlier this week banning women from participating in public and political affairs and from running for election under a quota system.
The union, an NGO supported by the government, said the fatwa issued by some religious scholars was aimed at reducing the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
The fatwa was circulated within a booklet titled The letter of Yemen's clerics on the women's quota at a conference earlier this week by a group of religious scholars.
The clerics forbade calls for a quota system in elections which aims to help women get into parliament.
The clerics say in their booklet it is haram for women to be members of parliament or hold any other leading position.
The clerics also warned women not to leave their homes.
In reaction to the fatwa, the women's union cited many Quranic verses and hadith (the Prophet's sayings) to contradict the fatwa and prove that women have equal rights in political life to men.
In a strongly worded statement, the women's union accused the authors of the fatwa of defaming women and of offending their honour, dignity and decency.
"Those who persecute or draw into temptation the believers, men and women, and do not turn in repentance, will face the penalty of hell," the statement said, citing from the Quran.
'No superiority'
Everything in this booklet contradicts Islam, which gives women absolute equality with men, said the statement, denying any superiority of men over women.
The statement cited from the Quran, "Mankind, we created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other, verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you and Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted."
The instructions and doctrines of Islam do not differentiate between men and women, said the statement, calling on the clerics to treat women fairly.
"The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another, they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil, they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity and obey Allah and his messenger, on them will Allah pour his mercy for Allah is exalted in power," the statement cited from the Quran.
In reaction to the fatwa, the women's union cited many Quranic verses and hadith [the Prophet's sayings] to contradict the fatwa and prove that women have equal rights in political life to men.
---Gulf News
Sana'a: The Yemeni Women's Union has refused to honour a fatwa issued earlier this week banning women from participating in public and political affairs and from running for election under a quota system.
The union, an NGO supported by the government, said the fatwa issued by some religious scholars was aimed at reducing the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
The fatwa was circulated within a booklet titled The letter of Yemen's clerics on the women's quota at a conference earlier this week by a group of religious scholars.
The clerics forbade calls for a quota system in elections which aims to help women get into parliament.
The clerics say in their booklet it is haram for women to be members of parliament or hold any other leading position.
The clerics also warned women not to leave their homes.
In reaction to the fatwa, the women's union cited many Quranic verses and hadith (the Prophet's sayings) to contradict the fatwa and prove that women have equal rights in political life to men.
In a strongly worded statement, the women's union accused the authors of the fatwa of defaming women and of offending their honour, dignity and decency.
"Those who persecute or draw into temptation the believers, men and women, and do not turn in repentance, will face the penalty of hell," the statement said, citing from the Quran.
'No superiority'
Everything in this booklet contradicts Islam, which gives women absolute equality with men, said the statement, denying any superiority of men over women.
The statement cited from the Quran, "Mankind, we created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other, verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you and Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted."
The instructions and doctrines of Islam do not differentiate between men and women, said the statement, calling on the clerics to treat women fairly.
"The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another, they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil, they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity and obey Allah and his messenger, on them will Allah pour his mercy for Allah is exalted in power," the statement cited from the Quran.
In reaction to the fatwa, the women's union cited many Quranic verses and hadith [the Prophet's sayings] to contradict the fatwa and prove that women have equal rights in political life to men.
---Gulf News
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Yemen: Women's union in Yemen slams clerics for issuing 'defamatory decree'
By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
Sana'a: A women's union in Yemen slammed a religious decree issued by a group of clerics earlier in July, 2008, banning female participation in public life.
The Yemeni Women Union, a non-governmental organisation supported by the government, said the decree reduces the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
Quoting verses from Quran and Hadiths (the prophet's saying), they refuted the decree and proved that women have all the right to political life.
In a strongly worded statement, the union accused the clerics of defaming women.
---Gulf News
Sana'a: A women's union in Yemen slammed a religious decree issued by a group of clerics earlier in July, 2008, banning female participation in public life.
The Yemeni Women Union, a non-governmental organisation supported by the government, said the decree reduces the value and importance of the great role of women in building the society.
Quoting verses from Quran and Hadiths (the prophet's saying), they refuted the decree and proved that women have all the right to political life.
In a strongly worded statement, the union accused the clerics of defaming women.
---Gulf News
Egypt: Two-thirds of Egyptian men harass women
By Cynthia Johnston
CAIRO (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of Egyptian men admit to having sexually harassed women in the most populous Arab country, and a majority say women themselves are to blame for their maltreatment, a survey showed on Thursday.
The forms of harassment reported by Egyptian men, whose country attracts millions of foreign tourists each year, include touching or ogling women, shouting sexually explicit remarks, and exposing their genitals to women. "Sexual harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis," said the report by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights.
Egyptian women and female visitors frequently complain of persistent sexual harassment on Egyptian streets, despite the socially conservative nature of this traditional Muslim society.
The behaviour could have repercussions on Egypt's tourism industry, a major foreign income earner, with 98 percent of foreign women saying they had experienced harassment in the country, the survey said.
The survey of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women and 109 foreign women said the vast majority of Egyptians believed that sexual harassment in Egypt was on the rise, citing a worsening economic situation and a lack of awareness or religious values.
It said 62 percent of Egyptian men reported perpetrating harassment, while 83 percent of Egyptian women reported having been sexually harassed. Nearly half of women said the abuse occurred daily.
Only 2.4 percent of Egyptian women reported it to the police, with most saying they did not believe anyone would help. Some feared reporting harassment would hurt their reputations.
"The vast majority of women did nothing when confronted with sexual harassment," the survey said, adding that most Egyptian women believed the victim should "remain silent".
Some 53 percent of men blamed women for bringing on sexual harassment, saying they enjoyed it or were dressed in a way deemed indecent. Some women agreed.
"Out of Egyptian women and men interviewed, most believe that women who wear tight clothes deserve to be harassed," the survey said. It added most agreed women should be home by 8 p.m.
The survey said most of the Egyptian women who told of being harassed said they were dressed conservatively, with the majority wearing the Islamic headscarf. The harassment took place on the streets or on public transport, as well as in tourist destinations and foreign educational institutions.
---Reuters
CAIRO (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of Egyptian men admit to having sexually harassed women in the most populous Arab country, and a majority say women themselves are to blame for their maltreatment, a survey showed on Thursday.
The forms of harassment reported by Egyptian men, whose country attracts millions of foreign tourists each year, include touching or ogling women, shouting sexually explicit remarks, and exposing their genitals to women. "Sexual harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis," said the report by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights.
Egyptian women and female visitors frequently complain of persistent sexual harassment on Egyptian streets, despite the socially conservative nature of this traditional Muslim society.
The behaviour could have repercussions on Egypt's tourism industry, a major foreign income earner, with 98 percent of foreign women saying they had experienced harassment in the country, the survey said.
The survey of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women and 109 foreign women said the vast majority of Egyptians believed that sexual harassment in Egypt was on the rise, citing a worsening economic situation and a lack of awareness or religious values.
It said 62 percent of Egyptian men reported perpetrating harassment, while 83 percent of Egyptian women reported having been sexually harassed. Nearly half of women said the abuse occurred daily.
Only 2.4 percent of Egyptian women reported it to the police, with most saying they did not believe anyone would help. Some feared reporting harassment would hurt their reputations.
"The vast majority of women did nothing when confronted with sexual harassment," the survey said, adding that most Egyptian women believed the victim should "remain silent".
Some 53 percent of men blamed women for bringing on sexual harassment, saying they enjoyed it or were dressed in a way deemed indecent. Some women agreed.
"Out of Egyptian women and men interviewed, most believe that women who wear tight clothes deserve to be harassed," the survey said. It added most agreed women should be home by 8 p.m.
The survey said most of the Egyptian women who told of being harassed said they were dressed conservatively, with the majority wearing the Islamic headscarf. The harassment took place on the streets or on public transport, as well as in tourist destinations and foreign educational institutions.
---Reuters
West Bank/Gaza: A Profile of Palestinian Women’s Political Participation within the Hamas Party
Palestinian Legislative Council member, Sameera Abdullah Halaykah, of the Hamas Party.
By Cheryl Rettig for the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
The 2006 Palestinian national elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip resulted in the largest increase ever of women members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). After the ballots were tallied, six women from Hamas, eight from Fatah, and three from democratic political parties were members of the PLC. Many have speculated on the reasons for the substantial increase in women candidates, especially in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
It is important to realize that Hamas is not simply a political or military organization. Hamas members are extensively involved in grassroots initiatives concerning the economy, education, culture and health care. For example, Hamas provides assistance to the poor and runs preschools, youth clubs and health clinics. It has also attracted the support of women by offering assistance programs for widows, day care, kindergartens and preschools, in addition to beauty parlors and women-only gyms.
One of the women attracted to Hamas and encouraged by the organization to stand for elections is Sameera Abdullah Halaykah, 44, a woman with a bright smile and visible passion for the people in her community. She was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006 on the Hamas ticket after earning her BA in Islamic Studies from Hebron University and working as a journalist with Sawt al-Haq and al-Risala (journals affiliated with Hamas) and as the Director of the al-Rassad Office for Journalism and Media. However, though she belongs to Hamas, it is important to stress she does not speak on behalf of Hamas. Rather she limits her statements to her own background and experiences, as well as the general issue of female Palestinian political activism.
Before being elected to the PLC in 2006, Halaykah operated a media office in Hebron, where she monitored political and social issues in Palestine. It was in this capacity, she says, that she saw people’s suffering and made their stories public in reports for numerous websites. In the course of meeting with people who had lost family members through violence and their homes through demolitions, she was confronted with their problems on a daily basis and became well known in the community. It was also through this work and meetings with people, she says, that she learned what they were saying on a political level and what they were thinking regarding solutions. These experiences ultimately led Halaykah to become a candidate in the elections as she believes it is a “very important position that women be in legislative council”, though she stressed it is not easy for a woman to take this role due to factors such as culture and social expectations. However, she believes the presence of women in the legislative council is important despite these obstacles.
When Halaykah was running for office, she faced opposition from three primary groups. Obstacles came from Israeli security forces, which arrested activists involved with her campaign. Local Palestinian security officials were concerned that Halaykah spoke against the agreements of Fatah, and even called her husband to complain about her actions. Unknown persons further attempted to sabotage her efforts by burning her office. Despite these obstacles, says Halaykah, she remains determined and optimistic. It is clear from the respectful treatment she receives from male visitors to her office that she has already succeeded in dispelling certain stereotypes concerning women in positions of authority. Halaykah notes that one of the main ways she has done this is by closely following the problems experienced by people in her community and responding appropriately. She clearly states her main aim as an elected official is to help people; her office and home are always open to people in her constituency.
Halaykah closely monitors the situation of prisoners detained without charges for their political affiliations or beliefs, in addition to compiling reports and holding meetings, workshops and seminars on women’s rights. Halaykah is also very committed to working towards political unity and creating one government in the West Bank and Gaza to enable the Palestinians to have more effective representation. She said unity between Gaza (Hamas) and the West Bank (Fatah) requires will from both sides. In other words, if both sides make the decision, then it will happen. She also said the recent truce between Hamas and Israel, as well as the delegation from Fatah that entered Gaza, has given her hope something positive may develop and unity may become a reality.
When it comes to the role of women in political activism, specifically as representatives of the PLC, Halaykah said the election of 17 women in the West Bank and Gaza was a positive beginning, but she is hoping for more women to be elected in the future.
While Halaykah is working to open the way for more women to be in decision making positions, she is against a quota system that automatically guarantees a certain number of seats to women, simply due to their gender. She doesn’t want to be treated as special; she wants to be in the council because she has worked hard and has earned her position. In other words, “Women must struggle to be elected the normal way.” Halaykah was very emphatic when she said, “I am against the quota since the beginning. I have a right to be there without the quota.”
Sitting in front of a large Palestinian flag, wearing pink-rimmed glasses and a green head scarf, Halaykah discussed the two main areas that must change if women are to take a larger role in the Palestinian political arena. “Women must pursue any chance to be elected, but culture must also change,” she noted. If a man and a woman were both running for office, Halaykah said most would still elect the man because he is seen as stronger and able to discuss the issues more knowledgeably and persuasively. This is why Halaykah stressed the need for more advocacy and education among men and women in Palestine. Secondly, Halaykah said political parties have a responsibility to make changes as well. It is necessary to appoint more women within each party to positions of leadership and responsibility to demonstrate that women belong anywhere.
Sawsan Zama’ra, a young woman in her early 20s working for the Palestinian Psychologists Union in Hebron, echoed similar sentiments regarding the changes necessary for women to become more involved and accepted in positions of authority within Palestinian society. She stressed the importance of education for women, forcefully saying that “without education, you can’t understand your rights,”
Halaykah also had critical words for the international community concerning its general attitude toward Palestinian women. She criticized NGOs which receive money with the contention that Palestinian women are weak and need support. “From the beginning, women have been involved in the struggles,” related Halaykah. “Because of the Israeli occupation, women have had many responsibilities as farmers and teachers, and women have spent time in prison and participated in political work. The women in Palestine are not as weak as NGOs portray them to be. As Palestinian women, our first mission is to survive.”
---Alternative Information Center (AIC)
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