Friday, October 31, 2008

Kuwait: Women seek more judicial empowerment

Kuwaiti women representatives on Wednesday called for more judicial empowerment pursuant to the policy of their involvement in national development next to male peers.

The call was made by participants in the women's conference "Reality and Future," which wound up in Kuwait on Tuesday evening.

In its recommendations, the conference affirmed an opinion that women's judicial rights do not run counter to Islam, and that women proved themselves as judges in several Arab countries, including Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Yemen.

It recommended balanced representation for men and women in all apparatuses as long as they are equally efficient, urging mass media to favorably deal with such women rights in a bid to rectify misconceptions and misunderstanding on women issues.

Women should be entitled to the right of formulating and devising public policies so that they could become active in decision-making in all legislative and executive agencies.

A culture of about-turn and awareness is needed, legal illiteracy should be obliterated, and a cultural and knowledge atmosphere must be created for supporting women, the conferees said.

The conferees also called for setting up a shelter center for women who suffer domestic violence.

Professor of literature and criticism at the Kuwait University Dr. Seham Al-Fraih opined that comprehensive development cannot be achieved unless women are involved in the process.

She called for setting legal frameworks for protecting and safeguarding women and children's rights and for establishing rehabilitation centers for women and children who are victims of violence.

The Kuwaiti professor made the call during the final session of the conference, which touched upon political Islam and violence against women.

Writer Dr. Fatima Al-Ali addressed the session on women's experience in culture and literature, along with obstacles and barriers denying them access to the world of thought and culture, including political despotism, misconceptions, and more.

A congenial atmosphere ought to be provided for creating a generation of well-educated women intellectuals through efforts by cultural institutions and centers and by mass media, she said.

For his part, member of the National Assembly Saleh Al-Mulla called for distinguishing between Islam as a religion and political Islam as political thought advocated by some people.

He believed that political Islam challenged women's dignity and rights, slimmed their political role, and even failed to adopt plans targeting support for women.

The meeting, which kicked off earlier on Monday, was held under the aegis of First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.

By Kawthar Al-Ghanim (With photos) KUWAIT, Oct 29 (KUNA)

Saudi Arabia: Women Politicians Meet President Bush

President George W. Bush emphasized that he maintains a good relationship with King Abdullah, and considers him as a close friend, adding that he also has a good relationships with number of Arab leaders.

During his meeting with 44 women, including eight Saudis, from nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa, President Bush said that “Today, there is no existence for the “Great State of Israel”, stressing that the Palestinian State will be established. He also considered that the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue as one of his presidential term’s achievements.

President Bush also criticized the accusations that were made against him during his presidency regarding his position “against Muslims”, stressing that such accusations were “wrong.” He underlined that the US took necessary procedures following 9/11 to protect the Americans from future attacks.

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue, President Bush noted that before his presidency, the relation between the two sides (Israeli-Palestinian) hit the rock bottom and there was no real dialogue between them. However, he promoted dialogue and negotiations and each side now has a genuine aspiration for peace. He added “Today, the State of Great Israel does not exist, but there will be a Palestinian state.”

President Bush mentioned that a number of Arab countries supporting the peace process, including Saudi Arabia.

President Bush praised the role of Arab women, saying she will play a significant role in the future.

The Arab Women's delegation went to the United States upon the invitation of the State Department to examine the US presidential elections.

The delegation met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice responded to the delegation’s questions, however, some of participants in the delegation expressed their dissatisfaction over Rice's refusal to answer questions related with the US policy in the Middle East.

-- Manal Al Sharif, Al Madina News

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Middle East: Mideast women seek more clout

A group visits Maine under a program to help women achieve gains in Middle Eastern politics.



Mona Abdulrahman Al-Anbari will head back to Qatar next month, energized to work for a particular candidate for the national legislature -- partly because of what she saw in Maine.

Al-Anbari, a journalist who is thinking of trying for a local office herself, said seeing women run for some of Maine's highest political offices, including the U.S. Senate and House, has convinced her that women in Qatar need to take on a bigger role in that country's political process.

"When I get home, I will certainly be pushing for (more) women to participate in elections," she said through an interpreter. She plans to back one woman candidate who wants a quota to make sure that women make up a sizable portion of the Qatar legislature.


Al-Anbari, visiting Maine as part of the State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative, said she was particularly impressed to see Maine women forcefully advocate positions, both as political workers and as candidates themselves.

The group that visited Maine consisted of 10 women from the Middle East -- politicians, party workers, activists, educators and journalists -- along with translators and State Department officials. While here since Sunday, they received briefings on Maine government and politics; met with officials from Emerge Maine, which runs a political training program for Democratic women; went to the campaign office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; met with state Sen. Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, president of the Maine Senate; and met with Cape Elizabeth High School social studies classes and the student World Affairs Council.

Access to politics and public office varies widely across the Middle East. In some countries, such as Lebanon, women are mostly welcomed as equals in the political world, said May Tony Akl.

Akl is an official with the Free Patriotic Movement, which was one of the political groups active in the "Cedar Revolution" of 2005, which resulted in the ouster of Syrian forces from Lebanon. The country only recently revamped its election laws, getting rid of a system under which the Syrians controlled voting and effectively named the winners, Akl said.

Akl said Lebanese political parties now face many of the same issues parties in the United States have, grappling with how many paid staffers should be hired, encouraging volunteers and figuring out fundraising.

Lebanon has six or seven major parties, often set up along religious lines, said Maya Sukar, who works for the Christian-based Lebanese Forces Party.

Sukar said many Lebanese women don't like politics, so she hopes telling them about how involved women are in the U.S. might lead to a change of heart and encourage more to become candidates or work for a party.

Al-Anbari said things are improving in politics for women in her country. She said the law was only recently changed to allow women to run for the national legislature, providing an opportunity for women like the one who wants to institute a quota.

"I am ambitious now and want to offer her help," Al-Anbari said.

The law was also only recently changed to allow women to run for office in the United Arab Emirates, said Suaad Zaayed Ibrahim Al Oraimi. She said half of the legislature is elected popularly and half selected by the government. In the most recent election, one woman won a seat and eight were appointed, giving women nine of 40 seats.

"It's good. I am happy with that," said Al Oraimi, a professor.

Al Oraimi said getting UAE residents interested in politics and government can be difficult. With oil revenue, the country provides free housing, health care and education and is responsible for creating most of the jobs that are available.

With that amount of government support, she said, many residents just want to make sure the services keep coming.

"They are comfortable and don't feel the need to fight for everything," she said.

The program began Oct. 14 in Washington with a series of seminars on the U.S. political system and then visits to states. After wrapping up the visit to Portland today, the group will head to Seattle to observe the last days of political races there and watch the results of the voting Tuesday.

-- Portland Press Herald

Egypt: Microfinance empowering Egyptian women

By Iman Bibars

CAIRO: The Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW) embarked on its operations over 20 years ago in Mainsheet Nasser, at that time one of the largest unrecognized illegal settlements in Egypt.

Field experience and academic research indicated that it was particularly difficult for women who head their own households to access credit and employment, and research conducted by ADEW showed that there were no lending programs that considered the conditions of these women.

Within the microfinance framework, women are afforded the opportunity to start small businesses in and around their homes so they are not compelled to leave their children at home alone. Examples of such businesses include selling vegetables, other groceries, self-made clothing items or accessories. Women are thus able to provide sustenance, education and medical care for their children, providing them with the opportunity for improved social and professional standing.

In Egypt, microfinance loans are offered to groups of at least five women without the need for collateral or guarantees, provided that each of the women has committed to working on a specific project.

In order to obtain loans, women should have either an existing business or ideas for an intended one. Field research is then carried out by specialized researchers depending on the nature of each project to ensure they are profitable and suitable for the area in which they are established.

Quite well known in the world of microfinance globally but less so outside it, the loan repayment rate among women who are recipients of these loans is stunningly high — 99 percent in the case of Egypt.

This is so even though interest rates in microfinance are unusually high compared with those of conventional loans, as recipients typically have no credit history or even bank accounts. Furthermore, women who receive loans often succeed in establishing and expanding private projects.

Unfortunately, however, there are obstacles facing the microfinance sector in Egypt. For example, there are no specific microfinance laws in Egypt comparable to other countries in the Middle East, such as Morocco, which institutionalized legal frameworks for microfinancing NGOs within which they could operate.

There is also a lack of information about the program and as a result, about 80 percent of the Egyptian population is not aware of the lending processes currently in place, or the opportunities available to them.

A gender quota is much needed because these loan programs, while aimed at both genders, are granted mostly to men because many women lack identity cards or other official documents.

In addition, there is very little collaboration between NGOs or other institutions regarding loans. For Egypt to overcome these obstacles and ensure that microfinancing is made available to more people in need, institutional coordination is required. Commercial banks with no microfinance divisions might consider providing NGOs with special loans that would allow these NGOs to identify microfinance customers themselves, broadening the reach of credit to the poor while also increasing the margins of lending institutions.

Diversification of microfinance services to include group loans, training, technical support and feasibility studies, and lifting restrictions on lending activities beyond conventional loans, could also increase the scope and benefit of initial microfinance successes.

The establishment of a specialized information centre to document borrowers’ credit history, and holding training courses for those working in microfinance programs, would also help improve the system.

For example, ADEW is calling for coordination among practitioners and the Social Fund for Development, a joint initiative between the Egyptian government and the United Nations Development Program, which designs development programs and provides funding for various development initiatives.

Lending is not a function of banks alone. NGOs working in microfinance are already playing a principal role in the development process in Egypt through their extensive knowledge of remote and marginalized areas not targeted by the commercial banking sector.

NGOs like ADEW are therefore in a unique position to reach marginalized beneficiaries and promote awareness about lending processes to individuals otherwise out of reach. The close relationship with marginalized communities as well as the cooperation with bilateral and multilateral donors makes NGOs a natural actor in lending processes.

While these loans will not alleviate Egypt’s poverty completely, or bring about imminent economic development, they are an innovative means of survival and sustainable employment for many Egyptians and can play an important role in Egypt’s overall development.

Daily News Egypt

Dr Iman Bibars is chairperson of the Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women (ADEW, www.adew.org/adew) and an international gender and development expert. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Saudi Arabia: Groundbreaking for Women’s University today

JEDDAH: The Riyadh Women’s University, which is designed to become the world’s largest institution of higher learning exclusively for women, will have 13 colleges, including those for medicine, dentistry, nursing, naturopathy and pharmacology and a 700-bed hospital. The project will be completed by 2010.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will lay the foundation stone today for the university’s new campus.

“After we received instructions from higher authorities to establish a full-fledged university, we have consulted international engineering houses for the purpose of designing a world-class campus that can accommodate 40,000 students,” said Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. “It will be the largest specialized campus for women in the world,” he added.

“King Abdullah has shown special interest in the project and has been following up every development related to this university,” the minister said. “The buildings of the campus will be completed within the next two years,” he said.

He said the university would play a big role in promoting women’s education in the Kingdom. “The project also aims at improving the condition of Saudi women and enabling them to participate in the country’s development process efficiently.”

Princess Al-Jowhara bint Fahd, president of the university, praised King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan for their tremendous support to Riyadh Women’s University, which she said will usher in a new era in higher education for women in Saudi Arabia. “We want to make it a leading international institution,” she said.

She disclosed plans about tie-ups with prominent universities inside and outside the Kingdom to promote research. The Women’s University, along with its affiliated colleges, has so far enrolled 17,000 students, she added.

Al-Jowhara spoke about the university’s plan to focus on educational programs that are essential to meet the Kingdom’s job market requirements. “We have devised its educational programs after consulting different ministries, including the ministries of labor, commerce and industry, and economy and planning,” she said.

Speaking about the new campus, Al-Jowhara said it would be spread over an area of eight million square meters along Airport Road in northern Riyadh. The new campus will double the university’s capacity. King Abdullah has instructed the university’s officials to do their best to improve the condition of women.

“The new colleges will accommodate 1,500 students this year,” the princess said, adding that existing colleges would be restructured in line with job market needs. The university and its affiliated colleges have given admission to 61 percent of secondary school graduates in the Riyadh province.

-- Arab News

Saudi Arabia: 3 women among 44 candidates running in RCCI board elections

RIYADH: Three businesswomen and 41 businessmen have filed nominations for the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) elections on Nov. 11 and 12. Eighteen seats on the RCCI’s board of directors are up for grabs, with elections being held for 12 seats.

The three women — Amal Badruldeen, owner and managing director of Al-Areebah Clinics and Establishment for Health Education, Huda Al-Jeraisy, owner of Al-Areebah Age Center for Training and Development, and Basima Al-Qashmah, owner of Kinda for Commercial Advertising — submitted their nominations a day before the closing date.

The women hope to gain places by winning votes. They also hope some of them would be picked up for the six seats to be filled by appointment by the minister of commerce.

As part of their election manifesto, the three businesswomen wish to present the voice of Saudi businesswomen. Their goals include developing the private education sector, raising health awareness and easing the acquisition of business licenses.

“I believe actions speak louder than words,” said Badruldeen, who is optimistic of winning the election. She added that successful businesswomen need the support of businessmen who understand women’s need. “Even if I do not win, and that is all in the hands of God, I will be proud to have paved the path for others,” she added.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Al-Qashmah said she is looking forward to joining the RCCI board to contribute in improving the private educational system, something that is at the top of her manifesto.

Al-Jeraisy, who is also the chairperson of the executive board of the RCCI women’s branch, said she is concerned for the interests of both businessmen and businesswomen. She added that she wishes to see women awarded business licenses without any restrictions.

Meanwhile, many businesswomen say they were unable to file their nominations on time. Others said they were reluctant as they also have family commitments in addition to their normal business commitments.

-- Arab News

Bahrain: Report Seeks More Rights for Bahraini Women

MANAMA - Five issues challenging gender equality in Bahrain will be raised in a report to be reviewed at the 42nd session of the Panel of the Convention of Elimination of Discriminations Against Women (CEDAW) to take place in November.

The report was drafted by 21 women organisations that demanded the withdrawal of all the reservations on CEDAW and ratifying the Optional Protocol.

The absence of family law, violence against women, nationality law, political participation, domestic workers and human trafficking are the five issues need to be solved for better empowerment of Bahraini women, according to the report.

It highlighted that despite the demand of Bahraini women organisations and other NGOs to issue a family law since 1982, such law has not been issued yet.

The absence of the law has created legislative gap because of the different and contradicting interpretations of Shariah by the Sunni and Shia judges.

The absence of such law is considered great discrimination against Bahraini women and violation of her human rights in accessing justice, assurance and security.

The report demands the introduction of anti-abuse law to protect women from all types of violence, impose stronger punishment for rape crimes and educate the concerned authorities on how to deal with violence cases and construct a shelter for violently abused women.

The report also demands immediate amendments to be carried out to the outdated nationality law to give equal citizenship rights to female and male Bahrainis. Women, who are married to non Bahrainis, are deprived from giving their nationality to their children.

These children are abandoned all their citizenship rights, of which healthcare, land ownership, political participation, high education and employment. The situation gets worse when the women get divorced or abandoned or when the husbands expire.

The report reveals that the percentage of Bahraini women in political participation is almost negligible.

-- Khaleej Times

Bahrain: 'Safe haven' like jail say women

A GOVERNMENT shelter that is supposed to protect women and children from abuse is allegedly mistreating those in its care.

Several victims at the Dar Al Aman shelter have told the GDN that they have been treated like prisoners.

They claim they are not allowed out of the shelter without permission and only for official engagements such as visiting the courts or their lawyer.

The women allege that they are confined to their rooms at night and told when they should sleep and wake up.

In addition, they allege the shelter withholds their meals if they fail to comply with the 'rules' and when they do receive food it is a small portion and of poor quality and is sometimes even stale.

The shelter has further been accused of failing to provide adequate supplies of basic necessities such as blankets, toiletries, nappies and toilet rolls.

The women claim the shelter gives them no privacy and their personal stories are shared freely and they are made to feel small and of low class.

One of the victims, who didn't want to be named, claimed that her and her four daughters were given insufficient food and toiletries and treated like slaves.

"It's a prison without bars," she told the GDN.

"The house is beautiful, but inside is terrible, there is no humanity.

"There is no privacy, they examine every step you take.

"It's horrible, my self-esteem is very bad, I want to cry but I have to be strong for my daughters.

"We came for help and now we need help."

Another victim at the shelter claimed the managers speak to her in a rude manner as if she was a "street woman".

The woman, who wants to remain unnamed, alleged she was stopped from leaving the shelter and all her movements were dictated.

"I feel like I'm in a prison, I'm only allowed to go out during my court hearing," she said.

"I'm not even allowed to go to the cold store to buy things for my children.

"During Eid I was even banned from leaving the shelter to go for a celebration at my embassy.

"They are constantly yelling, they wake us up at 9am, but some of us don't sleep at night because we have young children who stay up late."

One victim at the shelter claimed the managers threatened to throw her out on the streets and call her husband to take her children.

"One of the officials is constantly yelling. She is inconsiderate and doesn't respect us," said the women, who wanted to remain anonymous.

"Me and my roommate were banned from breakfast because we didn't go to bed at 10pm."

Another resident at the shelter claimed the problems at the shelter began when the administration changed earlier this year.

She said punishments for not obeying management orders included confiscating all mobile phones for 14 days, withholding meals and confining them to the shelter.

"We are only allowed to leave with an escort to the court, Public Prosecution or our lawyers, in addition to other important errands, it's as if we are prisoners of war," said the woman.

"When we complained, saying each case is different and we are adults and mothers, we got no response.

"We complained about the food, the restaurant contracted brings the worse meals and repeatedly offers the same food and the cost doesn't exceed BD2."

She said most of the women don't have money to buy extra food for their children and that during Ramadan everyone, including children, was forced to fast because meals weren't served during the day.

"We were banned from Suhoor (last meal before fasting) for two days because we ate our iftar in the main hall instead of the kitchen because there are so many cockroaches," she explained.

"When we complained about the kitchen's condition, they used normal bug spray and the situation continues until this day.

"We are confined to our rooms by 12 midnight, making us feel we are prisoners and it is difficult when we are all going through hardships and if we stay up late we are not given breakfast."

The shelter was established in 2006 by the Social Development Ministry and since May this year has been managed by the Bahrain Sociologists Society. Shelter consultant Huda Al Mahmood told the GDN that she was aware of the allegations that had been made by some of the women and there would be a Press conference organised by the ministry to discuss the issues.

She said the shelter was a new facility in Bahrain and it was still learning how best to serve the women.

"We are open to criticism," she told the GDN.

"The women are subjects of violence and we are open to improve our services to them."

Ms Al Mahmood didn't comment on the allegations. However, she said the shelter was providing an important service that had only recently been available in Bahrain.

"No matter what shortage there is, we are still providing a service," she said. "There will be shortages and will work them out and improve."

-- Gulf Daily News

Bahrain: Women seek better deal

TEN Bahraini women caught up in divorce wrangles and other domestic disputes demonstrated outside parliament yesterday, asking MPs to intervene and protect women's rights in Sharia courts.

Campaigner Amal Juma Abdulla led them in the demonstration coinciding with parliament's weekly session.

"We want to be the voice of all Bahraini women facing problems in courts.

"We respect our Islamic laws and our judges, we are only asking for our rights and nothing else."

MPs Hassan Sultan and Hussain Jassim met the women during their hour-and-a-half demonstration and were given a letter from Ms Abdulla.

"Mr Sultan told us he will present the letter at the session. He was very sympathetic about our cases and said these issue were well-known," said Ms Abdulla.

"I think if it is well-known, why don't they fix the law or implement some serious changes that can help us."

The letter highlighted various issues, including delayed hearings and alleged bias in favour of men.

In the letter, the women called for the intervention of the country's leadership.

Ms Abdulla has already met Supreme Judicial Council deputy head and Cassation Court head Shaikh Khalifa bin Rashid Al Khalifa and Justice and Islamic Affairs Ministry assistant under-secretary for court and notary affairs Judge Khaled Agagi to explain the issues they were trying to raise.

By BASMA MOHAMMED, Gulf Daily News

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Middle East: Laura Bush's Bully Pulpit

WASHINGTON -- Women, not men, will save the world.

First lady Laura Bush didn't say those precise words, but her remarks Monday to a small gathering of biographers, historians and journalists implied as much.

If she's right, America's first lady will have played a significant role in that evolution. Women's gains around the world, in places like Kabul and Riyadh, are occurring in no small part because of Laura Bush's quietly feminist maneuvering as wife of the U.S. president.

The purpose of Monday's meeting, which included lunch and a curator-led tour of the second-floor residence, was to allow the first lady's potential chroniclers access to her thoughts and future plans.

Sitting in the Yellow Oval Room that leads to the Truman Balcony, Mrs. Bush said she intends to continue helping women and children through her education and health initiatives. She also hopes to include women's leadership training as part of her husband's planned Freedom Institute at Southern Methodist University.

Fittingly, The Washington Post's front page Monday featured a story about Rwandan women running the show where once they were victims of systematic rape during that country's 1994 genocide. Last month, the Rwandan parliament became the first in the world with a female majority (56 percent), and women hold a third of all Cabinet positions, including Supreme Court chief and police commissioner general.

Inside the paper, Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt wrote about Burma, where Mrs. Bush has played a leading role in pushing for release of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 13 years under house arrest. Hiatt criticized a new International Crisis Group report that urges the West's cooperation with the human rights-abusing Burmese government. The same report also denounces Laura Bush's "megaphone diplomacy."

About that megaphone. Could we possibly get the lady an amplifier?

As one who traveled last October with Mrs. Bush to the Middle East to advance the State Department's breast cancer initiative, I've been privileged to watch her in action, as well as to appreciate the life-saving results of her efforts. Largely because of her, and the breast-cancer-crusading Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, women in that harshly patriarchal part of the world have been given an empowering voice.

More importantly, women are surviving.

Before Mrs. Bush began meeting with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, 80 percent of Middle Eastern breast cancer victims died. Already, those figures are expected to drop as women relieved of shame seek earlier diagnosis and treatment.

As Mrs. Bush noted Monday, health is a freedom issue. To be free, one must first be alive. Then, one must be educated.

The U.N. reports that 774 million people worldwide cannot read or write. Of those, two-thirds are women. Seventy-five million children don't attend school.

The first lady, who is an honorary ambassador for the U.N. Literacy Decade, spoke earlier this month at the U.N. about the importance of closing the gender gap in literacy. "If women are educated, everything across the board improves for their families," she said.

Indeed, it is widely understood among international humanitarian groups that the most effective way to reduce poverty and disease is to educate women.

In Afghanistan, where Laura Bush has traveled three times, impressive strides are being made in education and equality. Today, one-third of the more than 6 million Afghan children in school are girls.

Many readers may be learning these things for the first time and wonder why. In part, it may be because Mrs. Bush's demure librarian-teacher persona has minimized her appeal to the media. But Bush's Texas manners should not be confused with passivity. She is a serious player whose White House tenure provides lessons for the next first lady.

Among them is one Mrs. Bush wishes she had learned sooner -- that the first lady has a bully pulpit and should use it. Although she gave the first-ever radio address by a first lady in 2001, urging support for Afghan women, Bush didn't hit her stride until her husband's second term.

Did she ever. Her mission has been anything but modest: to save women, educate girls, end poverty, reduce disease, expand democracy and promote freedom.

Women may not save the world -- at least not without the help of enlightened men -- but history will judge that one Laura Bush did her part.

Brava.

-- Kathleen Parker, Washington Post

Saudi Arabia: Sexual harassment by supervisor forces woman to resign

By Hassna’a Mokhtar, Arab News

JEDDAH: Lubna Alam, 35, was once a successful banker. She longs for the excitement and independence it brought her. Yet, she recalls the reasons that forced her to quit her job. She became fed up with her supervisor’s sexual harassment.

“My supervisor used to call my mobile late at night for trivial reasons. When I ignored his calls, he’d be rude to me the next day at the office. Whenever we held a meeting, he’d vulgarly comment on my looks or my clothes. It was psychologically and emotionally disturbing, and I didn’t know what to do,” said Lubna, nervously popping her fingers.

Lubna bent a lot of rules to keep working but was tiring of the situation. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when her supervisor gave her two choices: To go out on a date with him or resign.

With the absence of a legislated system that governs the relationship between men and women in the workplace, Lubna’s situation is a common problem.

In February 2008, Arab News reported that the Social, Family and Youth Affairs Committee at the Shoura Council was drafting a legal system to protect women in the workplace. The draft also included sexual-harassment laws. Local newspapers recently reported that the draft law suggests a SR50,000 fine and a prison sentence of up to three years for people found guilty of sexually harassing women in the workplace.

However, even if a law is issued, most sexual harassment cases would go undetected because of the unwillingness of women to report them, said Mazin Balilah, Shoura member at the Cultural and Informational Affairs Committee and the person who proposed the idea of having such laws. This leads to the question why women shy away from reporting harassment?

A recent report in Al-Madinah newspaper stated that women lack awareness, fear society’s reaction, and worry about their reputation and being accused of provoking men’s harassment.

Amani Al-Mohamadi is a 30-year-old saleswoman. Her work does not require direct communication with men. Once she struggled with a problem and had to consult her manager.

“I spoke to my manager. I found him extra nice to me. He asked for my cell phone number and gave me his in return. He said I could call anytime. Then he asked me not to share the number with anyone else. He started sending me text messages with disgusting sexual content,” she said.

Amani confronted her manager. Two weeks later she was transferred to a new branch. Fearing she might lose her job and the only means of financially supporting her family, Amani learned to put up with her manager’s twisted games and avoid confrontation.

“No one supervises the workplace in terms of sexual harassment, especially the private sector. This has contributed to an increase in such incidents,” said Amani.

Suhaila Zainul Abidin, an activist working with the Saudi Society for Human Rights, said that many women prefer remaining silent than reporting cases of harassment as they worry about damaging their reputations. “The harasser is the one to worry. He should be punished and defamed ... this will not happen unless women speak,” she said.

Last week, an Egyptian man was sentenced to three years in jail with hard labor for sexually harassing a woman in Cairo. He was also ordered to pay the woman $895 in damages. In hopes of a safer work environment, women are eager to see the same in the Kingdom. Working women want to be assured that employers and coworkers will not sexually harass them.

Kuwait: Arab delegations in Kuwait discuss women as judges

KUWAIT: Arab delegations participating in a conference held here by the "Organization for Outstanding Parliamentary Performance" discussed the issue of assigning women as judges and Islamic views in this regard. Two sessions, held Sunday evening, were headed by chief of the religious committee at the Egyptian Parliament Dr Ahmad Omar Hashim and Kuwaiti politician Aisha Al-Rshaid.

Lawyer Salma Al-Ajmi said there is no legal or religious reason that bans women from becoming judges in Kuwait, while Sudanese Judge Nahid Atif Ismael pointed out that there is a religious dispute on the issue. Ismael said that there are 60 female judges in Sudan; five in the Supreme Court, 33 at the Court of Appeals, 18 at the Court of First Instance, and four at other courts.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese President's advisor Farida Ibrahim Ahmad said Sudanese women succeeded in holding high posts. Omani prosecution official Maisa Al-Ruqaishiya said Omani women contributed affectively in the field of prosecution, while Qatari prosecution official Marian Al-Jaber said that Qatari women were encouraged to work with the prosecution departments.

Despite the dispute on the issue of the post of judges, participants agreed that Islam granted women equal rights and ensured that they get inheritance, continuous financial support, dowry, housing, education, and the rights to own, buy, and sell property.

Lecturer at Al-Azhar university Dr Suad Saleh said that Islam called for equal rights for women 14 centuries ago. Societies are based on participation of both men and women in all affairs, she highlighted. Lecturer at Al-Azhar university Dr Amna Nasir stressed on the justice of Islam with both men and women, based on verses from the holy Quran and sayings of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him.

The two-day conference, held under the patronage of First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, was inaugurated by Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah.

-- KUNA

Middle East: Cleric says women can beat husbands

CAIRO: Sunni Islam's highest authority has approved a woman's right to fight back if her husband uses violence against her, Egypt's Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported yesterday. The declaration by Sheikh Abdel Hamid Al-Atrash, who heads Al-Azhar University's committee for fatwas or religious rulings, comes after similar rulings by religious leaders in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. "A wife has the legitimate right to hit her husband in order to defend herself," Atrash was quoted as saying. "Everyone has the right to defend themselves, whether they are a man or a woman... because all human beings are equal before God," he said.

Over the last few days, Saudi Sheikh Abdel Mohsen Al-Abyakan stressed the fact that a wife should resort to "the same kind of violence" as her husband used against her, whether it be with a leather strap or a wire cable, the paper said. Prominent Turkish Muslim preacher and writer Fethullah Gulen went one step further and ruled that a woman should return the violence with interest. "She should give back two blows for each one received," the paper quoted him as saying. Rights groups quoted by Amnesty International say that 35 percent of Egyptian women killed each year die as a result of domestic violence.

Separately, a human rights group in Egypt yesterday slammed police for snooping on couples accused of wife-swapping in the conservative nation and arresting them on prostitution charges. The main accused in the case, a 48-year-old civil servant and his teacher wife, 37, were detained last week for allegedly organizing wife-swapping parties and orgies via a website run by an Iraqi Kurd, local media reported.

The Cairo couple, who have children and used the pseudonyms Magdy and Samira on the website and in emails, could face up to three years in prison if convicted of facilitating prostitution. "The case raises serious concerns about due process and the privacy rights of those arrested, especially in light of press reports about police interception of defendants' electronic correspondence," Hossam Bahgat of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights told AFP. "We're also of course worried that police seem to be still going after many people based on the intercepted emails of the two main defendants.

The couple confessed to having sexual relations with three other couples, although at least 44 couples signed up for Cairo swinging sessions via the website, and several other suspects -including a lawyer - were arrested. Magdy reportedly insisted that couples present a marriage contract before indulging in any activities, fearing that they might be using a temporary, or orfi, Islamic marriage certificate in the pursuit of pleasure.

I refused couples who had an orfi marriage because they're completely different. One of them could tear up the marriage contract and file a complaint with the authorities," Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted Magdy as saying during questioning. Magdy told prosecutors that he had convinced his wife of the idea of "a swinger lifestyle as a form of physical recreation between consenting married couples," the English-language Egyptian Gazette said.

Through the website, the couple chatted with married Egyptian contacts who were all up for wife swapping, but the man rejected most of them because they were either "not sexy enough" or "not funny", Al-Masry Al-Youm said. Bahgat criticized the 1961 law that could be used to prosecute the suspects as it defines certain sexual acts as prostitution even if no money changes hands. "The way (the law) has been interpreted for decades is based on the idea that for prostitution to take place... someone has to have sex with different people, without distinction, within three years," Bahgat said.

Magdy, who has been charged with inciting debauchery, prostitution and immoral advertising, reportedly said he was particularly excited when he saw a stranger with his wife, Al-Masry Al-Youm said. "The case raises privacy concerns, whether with regard to the interception of private correspondence and (telephone) conversations or prosecuting people for consensual sexual acts between adults," said Bahgat.

- AFP

Monday, October 27, 2008

Yemen: Women’s National Committee calls for raising minimum age for marriage

By: Almigdad Mojalli

SANA'A, Oct. 27 — With the release of the sixth periodic report on achieving the goals of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Women’s National Committee (WNC) has appealed to the Yemeni government to set the minimum age for marriage to 18 years old.

Deputy of the WNC Huria Mashhour said that this suggestion had already been presented to the parliament in 2000, but that it still had not been discussed.

According to Mashhour, the current personal status law sets the minimum age for marriage at 15 years old, but an amendment made to the law in 1999 has left it up to the parents to decide when their child is ready.

In its appeal, the commission also suggested to include a punishment of one year in prison and a fine of USD 500 for those who violate the law.

Mashhour indicated in a press conference last Sunday that the report had been presented by the WNC to the 41st session of CEDAW at the UN headquarters in New York this past July.

The CEDAW committee indicated that Yemen had not yet fully implemented the CEDAW although it signed the convention 24 years ago.

The CEDAW committee inquired about the situation of woman in Yemen in terms of national strategies, policies and legislation, violence against women and children as well as the situations of imprisoned women. It also asked about women’s quota.

Member of Parliament Abdul Moamen Shuja'a Al-Deen stressed that signatories of CEDAW are obliged to apply the items that they have signed. He explained that the parliament has endorsed some items while others were still being discussed by the parliament.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and signed by Yemen in 1984, is often described as an international bill of rights for women.

-- Yemen Times

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Middle East: Bush still hoping for two-state solution

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush reaffirmed his commitment for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue and called on Saudi Arabia and other Middle East nations to work for a final resolution to the long-standing problem.
He made the remarks on Thursday at a White House reception for a group of more than 40 women from the Middle East and North Africa visiting the United States.

Bush told the delegation that he has moved Israel closer to accepting a two-state solution during his time in office.

“I believe there needs to be a Palestinian state, and I stand by it,” Bush said.
“More than six years ago, I became the first American president to call for the creation of a Palestinian state.”

Bush said he sympathized with the plight of the Palestinian people.

“I said that Palestinians should not have to live in poverty and occupation and I laid out a new vision for the future — two democratic states, Israel and Palestine — living side by side in peace and security.”

He praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah as both a great friend and ally and hoped that other nations would unite with America to seek an equitable solution.

“I have worked hard to change the terrible condition of Palestinians, and I ask for the support of Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to achieve this,” Bush said.

Bush dismissed notions of Islamophobia behind America's current stance in the Middle East and Iraq and spoke of his respect for Islam and Muslims.

“Muslims and Christians pray to the same God,” Bush said, vehemently denying reports that portray him as a person against Islam and Muslims.

Bush portrayed himself as a friend and an ally of Arab governments who support peace.

At the end of the meeting, he told the delegation he would be meeting with the mothers of American soldiers killed in Iraq, saying he has a duty to console them and “stand by their side.”

The delegation, consisting of women from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Qatar, is part of an exchange program to promote economic and educational reform in their home countries.

Samar Fatany | Arab News

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Lebanon: Women's forum in Beirut gets off to awkward start

Audience questions unanswered, interrupted
By Ghenwa Yehia
Special to The Daily Star

BEIRUT: The second annual New Arab Women's Forum (NAWF) began the first half of its panel discussions on Thursday at the InterContinental Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut. The purpose of NAWF is to create an open and honest environment in which to discuss the political, economical, social and cultural situations of the Arab woman in today's changing world. The forum brought together a select group of high-profile speakers and participants to share ideas and opinions on these issues, which were separated into several panel discussions. The topics for Thursday included: the Leadership Mystique; Women in Business; Women, Education and Technology; and Women in Politics.

Master of ceremonies George Kordahi, a celebrated TV presenter, was quick to start off the day on a positive note.

"It is high time that we start discussing the issues facing the Arab woman today in our changing world," he told the 200-plus members of the audience and journalists covering the event. "We can no longer ignore the situation ... so it's important that we start developing plans and strategies that enable women to improve their position in our societies in the future."

The opening ceremony included speeches by Nadine Abou Zaki, editor-in-chief of Al-Hasnaa magazine and NAWF executive officer; Hanna Sorour, director of the Department of Women's Affairs, at the Arab League; and Tammam Salam, Lebanon's Minister of Culture.

"Women are the crux of society," Salam said. "We are calling for the restoration of women's rights based on basic human's rights. We need equal rights in all areas."

An award ceremony honouring Education Minister Bahia Hariri, Princess Nouf bint Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, and Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi followed. Hariri and Ashrawi, who were in attendance, were met with thunderous applause when they accepted their awards.

"Equality and freedom are not gifts from men," Ashwari said after accepting her award. "They are a right of women to her from her society."

The spectacle of optimism and hopefulness ended with the opening ceremony.

The panel discussions began with noticeably smaller numbers of participants. And what was supposed to be an open forum often seemed more like a closed discussion between the experts in attendance. When it did come time for audience participation, participants were rushed due to a time shortage, and sometimes even cut off. Many audience questions were often answered vaguely or were left completely unanswered.

At one point, a Lebanese woman stood up and declared that the panelists were simply swapping their own personal success stories instead of "suggesting the types of requests and rights women need to make for their own improvement."

A Saudi woman followed, describing her own situation in her home country. "What is my solution?" she asked?

When solutions were offered or the discussion turned interesting, it was often hard to hear over various people talking on cell phones or to their neighbors.

At one point, an audience member turned around to confront noisemakers in the back of the room, only to find that the people in question were connected to a major sponsor.

Despite this, Abou Zaki said the fact that the forum was taking place, especially in Beirut, was a step in the right direction.

"Compared to other countries, Lebanon has achieved a lot concerning the issues of women's rights," she argued. "It is a country moving forward on the right track. But Lebanon, as well as all Arab countries, all have areas they need to improve."

The main point Abou Zaki stressed was that change and improvement would not happen overnight. "The forum acts as the beginning of a long-term plan for changing policies and providing solutions for Arab women," she said.

"The forum is an open, honest discussion," she added. "But change should be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Radical change could bring negative consequences. So here we are opening a discussion that hopefully will lead to change. NAWF is a positive first step."

Hanan Saab, founder, owner and managing director of Pharmamed and vice president of the Lebanese League for Women in Business, agrees with Abou Zaki.

She argued that the opportunity that the forum provides for networking is the key to bringing about change in unequal policies women face, such as gender stereotypes in the workforce, the education system and on a personal level at home.

"Collaboration between women in different sectors equals action," she said. "And with action we need commitment. Then we will begin to see the change."

The first forum was held last year in Dubai. This year's version is being held under the patronage of first lady Wafaa Michel Sleiman and sponsored by Al-Iktissad Wal-Amal Group, among many others.