Six Algerian associations came together Sunday in a community that has adopted a charter denouncing violence against women and promoting the struggle for “equal civil laws in all areas,” in the text sent to the press.
The charter of the Algerian associations against violence practised on women said that the inferiority of women institutionalized by the Family Code aggravates violence.
In addition, the education system leads to “alienation of society and women in particular” and “reproduce, often by the latter, backward social patterns”.
The violence can be “institutional, by the Family Code” or “physical, psychological, political, sexual and economic”, within the “family, society and workplace,” says the charter.
It lists “beatings, sexual abuse, confinement, forced marriages, psychological harassment, economic violence and sexual harassment at work and in schools.” It denounced the employment of little girls “no, or little, paid girls” called “trafficking”.
The associations call to fight for the adoption of egalitarian civil laws in all areas, an improvement of the criminal code regarding sexual harassment at work or the assumption by the state for victims of violence.
The charter also requires “the lifting of all reservations to international treaties and conventions against discrimination against women.”
The six associations: SOS Women in Distress, the Network Wassila, the women of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights, Djazaïrouna, Tharwa n'fatma N'soumer Women and the Committee of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) finally put in place procedures to work to make a real difference in society.
Adopted in 1984 and amended in 2005, the Family Code is often denounced by associations as being below the Constitution, which proclaims equality of each and all. The woman needs, for example, to marry, the presence of a tutor, from or out of her family.
Ennahar online/ M. O.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Tunisia: Feminist university launched
TUNIS (AFP) — A rights group in Tunisia announced Saturday the opening of a "feminist university" to promote women's causes in the north African country where at least one in five women have been beaten.
Launched on the eve of International Women's Day, the non-academic university will be open to young people of both sexes to learn about universal human rights, values of equality and non-discrimination against women.
It will be "a place for getting involved in women's causes," said Sana Ben Achour, president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD).
Named Ilhem Marzouki University after the leading Tunisian feminist, it will offer a feminist approach to training young people in the fields of justice, health, economy, education, media and human rights, she said.
Founded 25 years ago, ATFD opened the first support centre for battered women in Tunisia.
The non-profit organisation has received a human rights award in France and some 15,000 euros (19,000 dollars) to help its work against all forms of violence and discrimination towards women.
Official figures show about 20 percent of women in Tunisia have been battered, roughly one million out of a population of six million, though experts say this underestimates the problem.
In November, the country's women's affairs ministry started a free hotline for victims of domestic violence to provide support and report incidents.
Launched on the eve of International Women's Day, the non-academic university will be open to young people of both sexes to learn about universal human rights, values of equality and non-discrimination against women.
It will be "a place for getting involved in women's causes," said Sana Ben Achour, president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD).
Named Ilhem Marzouki University after the leading Tunisian feminist, it will offer a feminist approach to training young people in the fields of justice, health, economy, education, media and human rights, she said.
Founded 25 years ago, ATFD opened the first support centre for battered women in Tunisia.
The non-profit organisation has received a human rights award in France and some 15,000 euros (19,000 dollars) to help its work against all forms of violence and discrimination towards women.
Official figures show about 20 percent of women in Tunisia have been battered, roughly one million out of a population of six million, though experts say this underestimates the problem.
In November, the country's women's affairs ministry started a free hotline for victims of domestic violence to provide support and report incidents.
Morocco: Women progress but 'could do better': activist
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AFP) — It was backed by the king and finally passed, a hotly disputed reform to empower women, cast off their vulnerability and set a trend in Muslim North Africa -- Morocco's landmark 2004 family law.
Five years later, the reform of "Mudawana", as it is called, is "positive overall" but still falls short of expectations, according to the rights' activist and outspoken head of Morocco's Democratic League for Women's Rights (LDDP), Fouzia Assouli.
Moroccans today have "embraced the idea of women's rights but we are still behind in terms of society's expectations," she told AFP in an interview ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.
Her group was created in 1993 and today counts 13,000 members in this North African country that, much like Turkey, often acts as a link between the Arab and Western world.
"There is no longer the same sort of opposition as before," Assouli conceded, "but it's time to make changes to the family code to restrict and clarify the power of the judges."
The 2004 reforms gave women the right to divorce their husbands and to own assets and property obtained during marriage, and clamped down sharply on a man's ability to repudiate his wife.
But Assouli said two other points are crying out for more change: the marriage of minors and the practice of polygamy, which are still allowed under a judge's discretion in this country of 34.3 million where an estimated 31 percent of the population is under 14.
Today, 10 percent of all marriages in Morocco involve minors and the LDDF has documented a dramatic increase -- more than 50 percent between 2006 and 2007 -- in unions involving underage girls in rural areas, Assouli said.
"Initially, Mudawana had a dissuasive effect ... but people quickly realised that it was not difficult to obtain dispensations," she said.
"We have therefore proposed recommendations that the legal age of marriage, 18-years-old, be respected and that dispensations be the exception, not the rule," she said.
She railed against one provision in the penal code that still allows a man accused with rape to avoid punishment if he marries his victim.
"It is high time to reform that because it is tantamount to a double rape: the first by the man, the second by society in legitimising the crime," she said.
On the sensitive issue of polygamy in a country where the religion once allowed a man to have up to four wives, she applauded the fact that it was now sharply limited but deplored what she said were too many exceptions.
"We see judgements in which a husband can maintain two families if the (first) wife gives her permission." But, asks Assouli, "if this woman has no other resources and is financially dependent on her husband, what choice does she have?"
She cited similar "contradictions" concerning the guardianship of children.
The Mudawana "placed the family under the authority of both parents but it is the father who is the chief. The woman comes second. To enroll children in school, you need the father's permission. The same goes if you want to change their school," she said.
Likewise, Assouli says the laws on inheritance need revamping. "It's unreasonable today, if your only heirs are daughters, to require that they share their inheritance with an uncle or (male) cousin.
"This is no longer acceptable; times have changed and women must have the same rights as men," she said.
The reforms to Mudawana, which is based on Islamic Sharia law, were pushed through by King Mohammed VI -- who is also the religious authority in this constitutional monarchy -- but only after a first failed attempt three years earlier.
Bitter opposition from conservative Muslims saw the government back down. That's when Mohammed VI, who has forged a reputation as a moderniser, stepped in.
Like his late father Hassan II, who maintained an iron grip over politics, he is keen to maintain the image of this former French protectorate as a bulwark of stability in a region stalked by religious extremism. Morocco is not only a NATO ally hailed by Washington for its role in the US-led war on terrorism but has aspirations to join the European Union, its main trading partner, where a backward role for women would not be welcome.
At the time, the king told parliament the reforms would "respond to concerns that the iniquities hanging over women be lifted", in a speech that was roundly applauded by the press. "History will remember that he presided over a major social change," the independent weekly Le Journal wrote afterwards.
But even Moroccan feminists concede the issue, at times, means walking a thin line in a country where religion still holds sway .
When asked about the interior ministry's recent refusal to allow a French feminist group, "Ni Putes, Ni Soumises" (Neither Whores Nor Submissive), to open a branch in Morocco, Assouli understood.
"The name of this group is very provocative," she said. "It would never work in Morocco, society would refuse it, women wouldn't join... I wouldn't even dare to translate the name into Arabic."
But Assouli also saw a religious dimension. The ministry, she said, "was maybe also acting out of fear of giving ammunition to extremists or Islamists, who might use this for false campaigns or to harm women."
Five years later, the reform of "Mudawana", as it is called, is "positive overall" but still falls short of expectations, according to the rights' activist and outspoken head of Morocco's Democratic League for Women's Rights (LDDP), Fouzia Assouli.
Moroccans today have "embraced the idea of women's rights but we are still behind in terms of society's expectations," she told AFP in an interview ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.
Her group was created in 1993 and today counts 13,000 members in this North African country that, much like Turkey, often acts as a link between the Arab and Western world.
"There is no longer the same sort of opposition as before," Assouli conceded, "but it's time to make changes to the family code to restrict and clarify the power of the judges."
The 2004 reforms gave women the right to divorce their husbands and to own assets and property obtained during marriage, and clamped down sharply on a man's ability to repudiate his wife.
But Assouli said two other points are crying out for more change: the marriage of minors and the practice of polygamy, which are still allowed under a judge's discretion in this country of 34.3 million where an estimated 31 percent of the population is under 14.
Today, 10 percent of all marriages in Morocco involve minors and the LDDF has documented a dramatic increase -- more than 50 percent between 2006 and 2007 -- in unions involving underage girls in rural areas, Assouli said.
"Initially, Mudawana had a dissuasive effect ... but people quickly realised that it was not difficult to obtain dispensations," she said.
"We have therefore proposed recommendations that the legal age of marriage, 18-years-old, be respected and that dispensations be the exception, not the rule," she said.
She railed against one provision in the penal code that still allows a man accused with rape to avoid punishment if he marries his victim.
"It is high time to reform that because it is tantamount to a double rape: the first by the man, the second by society in legitimising the crime," she said.
On the sensitive issue of polygamy in a country where the religion once allowed a man to have up to four wives, she applauded the fact that it was now sharply limited but deplored what she said were too many exceptions.
"We see judgements in which a husband can maintain two families if the (first) wife gives her permission." But, asks Assouli, "if this woman has no other resources and is financially dependent on her husband, what choice does she have?"
She cited similar "contradictions" concerning the guardianship of children.
The Mudawana "placed the family under the authority of both parents but it is the father who is the chief. The woman comes second. To enroll children in school, you need the father's permission. The same goes if you want to change their school," she said.
Likewise, Assouli says the laws on inheritance need revamping. "It's unreasonable today, if your only heirs are daughters, to require that they share their inheritance with an uncle or (male) cousin.
"This is no longer acceptable; times have changed and women must have the same rights as men," she said.
The reforms to Mudawana, which is based on Islamic Sharia law, were pushed through by King Mohammed VI -- who is also the religious authority in this constitutional monarchy -- but only after a first failed attempt three years earlier.
Bitter opposition from conservative Muslims saw the government back down. That's when Mohammed VI, who has forged a reputation as a moderniser, stepped in.
Like his late father Hassan II, who maintained an iron grip over politics, he is keen to maintain the image of this former French protectorate as a bulwark of stability in a region stalked by religious extremism. Morocco is not only a NATO ally hailed by Washington for its role in the US-led war on terrorism but has aspirations to join the European Union, its main trading partner, where a backward role for women would not be welcome.
At the time, the king told parliament the reforms would "respond to concerns that the iniquities hanging over women be lifted", in a speech that was roundly applauded by the press. "History will remember that he presided over a major social change," the independent weekly Le Journal wrote afterwards.
But even Moroccan feminists concede the issue, at times, means walking a thin line in a country where religion still holds sway .
When asked about the interior ministry's recent refusal to allow a French feminist group, "Ni Putes, Ni Soumises" (Neither Whores Nor Submissive), to open a branch in Morocco, Assouli understood.
"The name of this group is very provocative," she said. "It would never work in Morocco, society would refuse it, women wouldn't join... I wouldn't even dare to translate the name into Arabic."
But Assouli also saw a religious dimension. The ministry, she said, "was maybe also acting out of fear of giving ammunition to extremists or Islamists, who might use this for false campaigns or to harm women."
UAE: Profile of Sheikha Bint Khalid Al Qasimi
The Face of Power in the UAE is a Woman and Her Name is Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi
In celebration of International Women's Month I want to be selfish and talk about women who redefine what it is to be a woman in charge and in control. These women are murdering stereotypes leading on their own terms for the greater good of society. These women are bold. They have brass ovaries. They are brainy, beautiful and possess a bandwidth of power that demands attention. The first woman I am going to profile is Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade for the United Arab Emirates.
I first heard about Sheikha Lubna during the Dubai Ports Crisis in February of 2006.
The issue was over the sale of port management businesses in six major U.S. seaports to a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There was concern of whether this sale would compromise port security. I remember how American citizens became very vocal raising serious concerns about how and why the United States would do such a thing since Americans were still suffering from the sting and psychological impact of 9/11 and were also very confused and frankly racist about Arab people.
While then President George W. Bush fought hard to keep the sale alive, he did not have the political capital to stop Congress from ultimately delaying the sale.
During the crisis in came IT specialist Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, then Minister of Economy. One of Forbes' 100 most powerful women, she was the first woman to be appointed cabinet Minister for the UAE in 2004, this petite woman with expressive eyes and proudly wearing her signature designer silk scarves, intimidated CNN's Wolf Blitzer during his visit to Dubai to see what he could sniff out about this controversy. Blitzer under estimated her, and he immediately discovered that the Sheikha was nothing to shake -- with quick responses, wit and perfect elocution she was a force to be reckoned with.
Wolf Blitzer: What do you know that you can share with American public that will reassure the US public, 60% plus who oppose.
Sheikha Lubna: This is a business deal. There is an impact on employment that will be positive. This is not the first port that DPW will manage. It is a world class port operator.
Wolf Blitzer: UAE recognized the Taliban. Two 9/11 hijackers came from here. Nuclear materials from AQ Khan's network were shipped through here. Money laundering for terrorists before and after 9/11 has been traced here. How do you reply to these objections?
Sheikha Lubna: We, the UAE, did not share the Taliban's ideology as evidenced by the fact that I, a woman, am the Economics Minister. We later broke relations with them. Two hijackers did come from here. Terrorists are really multi-national. Two don't make the UAE....
At that time, Sheikha Lubna had the toughest job in the cabinet. She was the face of the entire UAE handling a public relations nightmare. But, as we say in America's hood, "She handled her business." She handled it so well that Sheikha Lubna received a number of key recognitions, awards and received a major bump up being named Minister of Foreign Trade in early 2008. Her appointments paved the way for three other women cabinet Ministers as well as a growing host of young highly talented woman Ambassadors with considerable clout and power in their own right. She is the forerunner of the women's empowerment in the UAE; influencing positive change in the entire Muslim and Arab world.
Sheikha Lubna represents the 21st Century woman; not just as an Arab who would be ignorantly deemed by the West as an anomaly. She is cutting through veils of discrimination with serious substance, style and a smile. Recently at a private luncheon in Hartford, Connecticut, she told an intimate room of 40 guests that when she first received the call and offered the job of Minister of Economy, she instinctively replied, "I have to ask my mother first." When she mentions her mother, her face softens. For a split second, she becomes a little girl again, but she snaps right back to Minister in an instant.
While in Hartford, Her Excellency received another first becoming the first woman to become an honorary member of the Syracuse 8 -- "Eight African-American athletes at Syracuse University boycotted the 1970 football season in a collective effort to demand change and promote racial equality within the University football program....." After 36 years of protest, another woman of power Chancellor Nancy Cantor officially apologized for SU's history of racism awarding these men the Chancellor's Medal of Honor.
Sheikha Lubna is a blue blooded Princess -- the Qasimi family heads two Emirates in Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah. She does not do any of dainty stepping however. She is always thinking and busy on her blackberry sending and receiving messages to and from leaders around the globe, she knows in her position she has fully replaced a size 10 man's shoe with a pair of pumps.
During the world's economic turmoil; her job has become even more paramount to the UAE. In Davos in January, she took part in an economic forum and held court in her suite having high level meetings. Literally nearly every week of her life, she has major engagements with world leaders such as Medvedev and Putin of Russia as well as her counterparts such as Lord Digby Jones, the UK Government's Minister of State for Trade. Having studied in the United States during her undergraduate years, she has a special love for the United States. She has been a great Diplomatic bridge between the two nations.
Because she wears a Hijab and is from an Islamic Federation with hereditary male rulers; a lot of us in the West actually search for where her power might be limited, but we are limited. The fact is this woman knows her own power and flies with the flag of the United Arab Emirates as her cape.
-- Huffington Post Blog
In celebration of International Women's Month I want to be selfish and talk about women who redefine what it is to be a woman in charge and in control. These women are murdering stereotypes leading on their own terms for the greater good of society. These women are bold. They have brass ovaries. They are brainy, beautiful and possess a bandwidth of power that demands attention. The first woman I am going to profile is Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade for the United Arab Emirates.
I first heard about Sheikha Lubna during the Dubai Ports Crisis in February of 2006.
The issue was over the sale of port management businesses in six major U.S. seaports to a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There was concern of whether this sale would compromise port security. I remember how American citizens became very vocal raising serious concerns about how and why the United States would do such a thing since Americans were still suffering from the sting and psychological impact of 9/11 and were also very confused and frankly racist about Arab people.
While then President George W. Bush fought hard to keep the sale alive, he did not have the political capital to stop Congress from ultimately delaying the sale.
During the crisis in came IT specialist Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, then Minister of Economy. One of Forbes' 100 most powerful women, she was the first woman to be appointed cabinet Minister for the UAE in 2004, this petite woman with expressive eyes and proudly wearing her signature designer silk scarves, intimidated CNN's Wolf Blitzer during his visit to Dubai to see what he could sniff out about this controversy. Blitzer under estimated her, and he immediately discovered that the Sheikha was nothing to shake -- with quick responses, wit and perfect elocution she was a force to be reckoned with.
Wolf Blitzer: What do you know that you can share with American public that will reassure the US public, 60% plus who oppose.
Sheikha Lubna: This is a business deal. There is an impact on employment that will be positive. This is not the first port that DPW will manage. It is a world class port operator.
Wolf Blitzer: UAE recognized the Taliban. Two 9/11 hijackers came from here. Nuclear materials from AQ Khan's network were shipped through here. Money laundering for terrorists before and after 9/11 has been traced here. How do you reply to these objections?
Sheikha Lubna: We, the UAE, did not share the Taliban's ideology as evidenced by the fact that I, a woman, am the Economics Minister. We later broke relations with them. Two hijackers did come from here. Terrorists are really multi-national. Two don't make the UAE....
At that time, Sheikha Lubna had the toughest job in the cabinet. She was the face of the entire UAE handling a public relations nightmare. But, as we say in America's hood, "She handled her business." She handled it so well that Sheikha Lubna received a number of key recognitions, awards and received a major bump up being named Minister of Foreign Trade in early 2008. Her appointments paved the way for three other women cabinet Ministers as well as a growing host of young highly talented woman Ambassadors with considerable clout and power in their own right. She is the forerunner of the women's empowerment in the UAE; influencing positive change in the entire Muslim and Arab world.
Sheikha Lubna represents the 21st Century woman; not just as an Arab who would be ignorantly deemed by the West as an anomaly. She is cutting through veils of discrimination with serious substance, style and a smile. Recently at a private luncheon in Hartford, Connecticut, she told an intimate room of 40 guests that when she first received the call and offered the job of Minister of Economy, she instinctively replied, "I have to ask my mother first." When she mentions her mother, her face softens. For a split second, she becomes a little girl again, but she snaps right back to Minister in an instant.
While in Hartford, Her Excellency received another first becoming the first woman to become an honorary member of the Syracuse 8 -- "Eight African-American athletes at Syracuse University boycotted the 1970 football season in a collective effort to demand change and promote racial equality within the University football program....." After 36 years of protest, another woman of power Chancellor Nancy Cantor officially apologized for SU's history of racism awarding these men the Chancellor's Medal of Honor.
Sheikha Lubna is a blue blooded Princess -- the Qasimi family heads two Emirates in Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah. She does not do any of dainty stepping however. She is always thinking and busy on her blackberry sending and receiving messages to and from leaders around the globe, she knows in her position she has fully replaced a size 10 man's shoe with a pair of pumps.
During the world's economic turmoil; her job has become even more paramount to the UAE. In Davos in January, she took part in an economic forum and held court in her suite having high level meetings. Literally nearly every week of her life, she has major engagements with world leaders such as Medvedev and Putin of Russia as well as her counterparts such as Lord Digby Jones, the UK Government's Minister of State for Trade. Having studied in the United States during her undergraduate years, she has a special love for the United States. She has been a great Diplomatic bridge between the two nations.
Because she wears a Hijab and is from an Islamic Federation with hereditary male rulers; a lot of us in the West actually search for where her power might be limited, but we are limited. The fact is this woman knows her own power and flies with the flag of the United Arab Emirates as her cape.
-- Huffington Post Blog
Friday, March 6, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Women savour glimmer of freedoms
RIYADH - It is not exactly Riyadh Spring, but Saudi Arabia's first female minister and the free mixing of the sexes at a recent conference are giving Saudi women hope that some of the world's tightest restrictions on their gender may be easing.
In a sweeping government shakeup last month, King Abdullah named Norah al-Fayez deputy education minister in charge of women's education, the first time a woman has been given a ministerial post in the country.
Also last month, a princess called publicly for women to be able to drive their own cars.
And at a regional conference on child abuse in a Riyadh hotel, with Abdullah's daughter Princess Adela presiding, there was virtually no barrier to prevent the more than 1,000 men and women present from mixing.
"That was a very very big step for the leaders," said Fouziyah al-Ayoumi, who campaigns against violence against women in the eastern city of Dharan.
In other countries such moves would be minor, but in Saudi Arabia, where arch-conservative clerics set the tone of law and policy -- especially regarding women -- they are being hailed as revolutionary.
Saudi women activists speak hopefully and see King Abdullah's hand opening the door for them while simultaneously holding back the clerics.
"I have the feeling that King Abdullah wants this change," said Ayoumi.
But success is not a given, activists say. In his shakeup, the king targeted the clerics' power base in the justice and education systems.
But some doubt that the new progressive ministers will be able to overcome the entrenched bureaucracy as well as general Saudi male opposition to giving women more freedoms and putting them in positions of power.
According to French researcher Amelie Le Renard, the women's movement in Saudi Arabia has two very divergent tracks.
Some leading activists aim to break down barriers between the sexes.
But Le Renard said that others, including many young educated women, prefer the expanding equal-but-separate structure, where women have their own parallel structures to men -- a distinctly "Islamic women's rights" view.
This includes women-only bank branches, hotels and shopping centres, and strict women's sections taking care of women's affairs in government departments and corporate offices.
"In general young women in Riyadh really want to work," she said. "Segregation is not their main problem... Some of them are really for segregation," said Le Renard, a PhD candidate at Sciences Po in Paris.
In addition, for some women's rights supporters, the king's changes did not go far enough and leave the effort for more women's freedoms vulnerable.
Abdulaziz al-Sowayegh, a former member of the consultative Majlis al-Shura council, pointed out that in his shakeup, the king did not name any women to the 150-member council. Instead, six women have observer and consultant status.
"It's like avoiding putting women in the majlis. They are not full members, they don't have a vote. They will only be consulted on women's issues like feeding babies," he said.
- Middle East Online
In a sweeping government shakeup last month, King Abdullah named Norah al-Fayez deputy education minister in charge of women's education, the first time a woman has been given a ministerial post in the country.
Also last month, a princess called publicly for women to be able to drive their own cars.
And at a regional conference on child abuse in a Riyadh hotel, with Abdullah's daughter Princess Adela presiding, there was virtually no barrier to prevent the more than 1,000 men and women present from mixing.
"That was a very very big step for the leaders," said Fouziyah al-Ayoumi, who campaigns against violence against women in the eastern city of Dharan.
In other countries such moves would be minor, but in Saudi Arabia, where arch-conservative clerics set the tone of law and policy -- especially regarding women -- they are being hailed as revolutionary.
Saudi women activists speak hopefully and see King Abdullah's hand opening the door for them while simultaneously holding back the clerics.
"I have the feeling that King Abdullah wants this change," said Ayoumi.
But success is not a given, activists say. In his shakeup, the king targeted the clerics' power base in the justice and education systems.
But some doubt that the new progressive ministers will be able to overcome the entrenched bureaucracy as well as general Saudi male opposition to giving women more freedoms and putting them in positions of power.
According to French researcher Amelie Le Renard, the women's movement in Saudi Arabia has two very divergent tracks.
Some leading activists aim to break down barriers between the sexes.
But Le Renard said that others, including many young educated women, prefer the expanding equal-but-separate structure, where women have their own parallel structures to men -- a distinctly "Islamic women's rights" view.
This includes women-only bank branches, hotels and shopping centres, and strict women's sections taking care of women's affairs in government departments and corporate offices.
"In general young women in Riyadh really want to work," she said. "Segregation is not their main problem... Some of them are really for segregation," said Le Renard, a PhD candidate at Sciences Po in Paris.
In addition, for some women's rights supporters, the king's changes did not go far enough and leave the effort for more women's freedoms vulnerable.
Abdulaziz al-Sowayegh, a former member of the consultative Majlis al-Shura council, pointed out that in his shakeup, the king did not name any women to the 150-member council. Instead, six women have observer and consultant status.
"It's like avoiding putting women in the majlis. They are not full members, they don't have a vote. They will only be consulted on women's issues like feeding babies," he said.
- Middle East Online
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Jordan: Community Radio Station Tackles Issues Affecting Women and Youth
Internews
(March 5, 2009) Farah Al Nas, a Internews-founded community radio station in Jordan that focuses on women and youth issues, is tackling topics that are usually taboo on the airwaves.
Based in Amman, the station recently held a week-long campaign dealing with violence against women that featured the voices of women affected by violence. It was a rare moment to hear women talking openly on the air about their experiences of rape and domestic violence.
In January, when a six-year old child was killed by a truck in the residential area of Abu Alanda, community members grew upset at how many children had been injured or killed by trucks passing through that neighborhood. Working with all affected parties, Farah Al Nas held a successful campaign to ban trucks from entering the area.
“I am very happy with what we have achieved so far at Farah Al Nas,” said Haitham Atoom, the station manager. “Our programs are out there, people are listening and we are responsive to their requests. I have great expectations for Farah Al Nas.”
Internews trains and supports young people ages 10 to 24 to operate the radio station. The young journalists learn the technical and journalistic skills needed to operate a community radio station.
Run by and for the local community, Farah Al Nas produces three main programs dealing with women, youth and social issues:
“Woman Today,” broadcast twice weekly, deals with issues such as women’s right to education, a career, and life and discrimination against women whether judicial or societal. It also stresses the importance of empowering women financially and intellectually . Some topics of discussion are: Jordanian women’s right to give their nationality to their children; the right to get promoted based on qualifications rather than gender; the right to all vacations as per the labor law; and injustice to women due to the what so called “honor crimes” and sexual harassment.
“Youth” deals with the concerns and aspirations of young people and is aired three times weekly.
Min Qalb El Nass (“From the Heart of the People”) deals with people’s daily concerns
Farah Al Nas began broadcasting in May of 2008 and was established by Internews Network, the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) through a grant from the US Department of State.
(March 5, 2009) Farah Al Nas, a Internews-founded community radio station in Jordan that focuses on women and youth issues, is tackling topics that are usually taboo on the airwaves.
Based in Amman, the station recently held a week-long campaign dealing with violence against women that featured the voices of women affected by violence. It was a rare moment to hear women talking openly on the air about their experiences of rape and domestic violence.
In January, when a six-year old child was killed by a truck in the residential area of Abu Alanda, community members grew upset at how many children had been injured or killed by trucks passing through that neighborhood. Working with all affected parties, Farah Al Nas held a successful campaign to ban trucks from entering the area.
“I am very happy with what we have achieved so far at Farah Al Nas,” said Haitham Atoom, the station manager. “Our programs are out there, people are listening and we are responsive to their requests. I have great expectations for Farah Al Nas.”
Internews trains and supports young people ages 10 to 24 to operate the radio station. The young journalists learn the technical and journalistic skills needed to operate a community radio station.
Run by and for the local community, Farah Al Nas produces three main programs dealing with women, youth and social issues:
“Woman Today,” broadcast twice weekly, deals with issues such as women’s right to education, a career, and life and discrimination against women whether judicial or societal. It also stresses the importance of empowering women financially and intellectually . Some topics of discussion are: Jordanian women’s right to give their nationality to their children; the right to get promoted based on qualifications rather than gender; the right to all vacations as per the labor law; and injustice to women due to the what so called “honor crimes” and sexual harassment.
“Youth” deals with the concerns and aspirations of young people and is aired three times weekly.
Min Qalb El Nass (“From the Heart of the People”) deals with people’s daily concerns
Farah Al Nas began broadcasting in May of 2008 and was established by Internews Network, the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) through a grant from the US Department of State.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
West Bank: Two Palestinian women become judges in Islamic court
RAMALLAH (West Bank): The Islamic courts were among the last male-only bastions in Palestinian society, where women have been presidential candidates, police officers and even suicide bombers.
Now two stern-looking women in Muslim head scarves and long black robes have smashed through the thick glass ceiling.
Khuloud Faqih, 34, and Asmahan Wuheidi, 31, made history in February when they became the first female Islamic judges in the Palestinian territories.
Across the Arab world, only Sudan has had women judges in Islamic courts, West Bank-based academic experts on Islamic affairs said.
Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, all relatively progressive states in the region on women's rights, do not.
"I compare us to other Arab Muslim women, and I think we've done well," said Faqih, wearing a sash in the colours of the Palestinian flag across her robe. "I think I've opened a door for myself and other women."
She spoke between meetings with petitioners in her modest courtroom -- an office with a few couches, a desk and a coffee table with plastic flowers.
Muslim courts in the Palestinian Authority rule over family affairs like marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody, relying on Islamic jurisprudence rather than secular rules.
-- Associated Press
Now two stern-looking women in Muslim head scarves and long black robes have smashed through the thick glass ceiling.
Khuloud Faqih, 34, and Asmahan Wuheidi, 31, made history in February when they became the first female Islamic judges in the Palestinian territories.
Across the Arab world, only Sudan has had women judges in Islamic courts, West Bank-based academic experts on Islamic affairs said.
Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, all relatively progressive states in the region on women's rights, do not.
"I compare us to other Arab Muslim women, and I think we've done well," said Faqih, wearing a sash in the colours of the Palestinian flag across her robe. "I think I've opened a door for myself and other women."
She spoke between meetings with petitioners in her modest courtroom -- an office with a few couches, a desk and a coffee table with plastic flowers.
Muslim courts in the Palestinian Authority rule over family affairs like marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody, relying on Islamic jurisprudence rather than secular rules.
-- Associated Press
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Jordan: Women make waves in Jordan Valley
By Suha Philip Ma’ayeh, Foreign Correspondent for The National
AMMAN // For the past year, Muneera Shatti and Asma Raja, two young women from the Jordan Valley, have broadcast a weekly radio show that tackles the issues faced by their impoverished community, from a lack of buses and the theft of water, to boys using mobile phones to take photos of schoolgirls.
The work is not without challenges as the tribal-dominated valley on which they report is staunchly conservative and one of 20 pockets of poverty where the average income is about US$1,800 (Dh6,624) per year.
“At first there were men who refused to be interviewed by us. They would say, ‘You are women’. But they got used to us. Just last week I interviewed young men in a cafe to gauge their views regarding public services,” Ms Shatti said. “Interviewing men is something I would have never imagined myself doing before I became a correspondent for the radio.”
In one programme, Ms Shatti reported on the lack of buses connecting her town with a nearby village. Within a week, the Jordan Valley Authority responded and provided the needed bus.
“That was encouraging even though later the bus was taken away as other bus drivers protested that it was affecting their business.”
In another broadcast, Ms Raja, 24, reported on water theft.
“Farmers were stealing water from the main pipes, depriving residents of drinking water. I talked to a senior water official who promised to provide citizens with another source of water while the government closed some of the pipes to try to stop those from stealing. Since then, water theft has declined.”
Because the women do not have a licence to broadcast in their community, Radio Al Balad, an Amman-based community radio, produces and hosts their show, called the Voice of the Valley.
The women take three buses to get to Amman to broadcast the show, but for them, the trip is worth it.
Radio Al Balad has been pushing hard to get a licence to launch the first all-women community radio in Jordan.
But last month, the government turned down the licence application without giving a reason. The country’s laws do not oblige the government to explain why it rejects applications.
The decision, however, has frustrated Daoud Kuttab, the founder of Radio Al Balad, who has been trying to launch Zaharat Alghor, the Flower of the Valley, which would not broadcast news or political programmes.
“We were excited. It is a station run by women. It was supposed to be a women empowerment station. We were already seeing success in the one-hour programme,” he said. “If the government did not want to give us a licence, then why entertain our application in the first place? It took us a year and a half to fulfil the requirements of the application, including paying $15,000 for the initiation licence fee. We rented offices [in the Jordan Valley], too.”
In 2002, Jordan liberalised its airwaves and a year later created an audiovisual commission tasked with licensing independent satellite and radio stations. Since then, 26 independent stations have been granted licences, most of whom provide music, entertainment and social programmes. Seven have licences for news and political programmes.
It is 50 per cent more expensive to get a licence for a news and political broadcast because, according to insiders, the AVC believes the latter generates more advertisements, while sceptics see it as another restriction on media freedom.
It is the second time in two years that the government has rejected an application by Mr Kuttab for a community radio licence, raising some speculation that the decision was motivated by personal reasons.
Conservative officials are concerned that community radio in a traditional society could create problems among tribes and upset their social and cultural values.
Mr Kuttab has also been criticised for allowing Palestinian refugees from Gaza to make their plea for citizenship on his radio programmes. Jordan sees such a policy as serving the interest of Israel because the refugees would then no longer be able to apply to return to Israel.
Because Radio Al Balad is licensed to broadcast only in Amman, residents in the Jordan Valley can only hear the programme by tuning into Al Qamr radio station in Jericho, a West Bank city on the other side of the Jordan Valley.
Mr Kuttab had signed an agreement with Al Qamr to rebroadcast the show until he was able to obtain a licence. The programme can also be heard online, but only 16 per cent of Jordanian households have internet access.
Mr Kuttab has made it clear in editorials and blogs that he is not happy with the AVC’s decision. But Hussein Bani Hani, the AVC head, argued the government had acted in the interest of investors.
“The government wants to give a chance for every investor. We want to give equal opportunities to all,” he said. “All the governorates are covered with radio stations, and we have community stations in several universities that also provide training for university students on media broadcasting.
“The stations tackle different subjects in different communities and broadcast social programmes which vary from women and child issues to youth issues. They are funded by organisations involved in media development.”
Although the community radio stations have been welcomed in most areas, there are some criticism that they are not completely independent.
Ms Shatti and Ms Raja were discouraged at first by the government’s decision not to grant them a licence. They closed the offices that Radio Al Balad had rented for them last week. But the women said they will continue to broadcast from Amman.
“I will not let the licence get me down. I will continue to work to make the voices of people in remote areas heard,” Ms Raja said.
AMMAN // For the past year, Muneera Shatti and Asma Raja, two young women from the Jordan Valley, have broadcast a weekly radio show that tackles the issues faced by their impoverished community, from a lack of buses and the theft of water, to boys using mobile phones to take photos of schoolgirls.
The work is not without challenges as the tribal-dominated valley on which they report is staunchly conservative and one of 20 pockets of poverty where the average income is about US$1,800 (Dh6,624) per year.
“At first there were men who refused to be interviewed by us. They would say, ‘You are women’. But they got used to us. Just last week I interviewed young men in a cafe to gauge their views regarding public services,” Ms Shatti said. “Interviewing men is something I would have never imagined myself doing before I became a correspondent for the radio.”
In one programme, Ms Shatti reported on the lack of buses connecting her town with a nearby village. Within a week, the Jordan Valley Authority responded and provided the needed bus.
“That was encouraging even though later the bus was taken away as other bus drivers protested that it was affecting their business.”
In another broadcast, Ms Raja, 24, reported on water theft.
“Farmers were stealing water from the main pipes, depriving residents of drinking water. I talked to a senior water official who promised to provide citizens with another source of water while the government closed some of the pipes to try to stop those from stealing. Since then, water theft has declined.”
Because the women do not have a licence to broadcast in their community, Radio Al Balad, an Amman-based community radio, produces and hosts their show, called the Voice of the Valley.
The women take three buses to get to Amman to broadcast the show, but for them, the trip is worth it.
Radio Al Balad has been pushing hard to get a licence to launch the first all-women community radio in Jordan.
But last month, the government turned down the licence application without giving a reason. The country’s laws do not oblige the government to explain why it rejects applications.
The decision, however, has frustrated Daoud Kuttab, the founder of Radio Al Balad, who has been trying to launch Zaharat Alghor, the Flower of the Valley, which would not broadcast news or political programmes.
“We were excited. It is a station run by women. It was supposed to be a women empowerment station. We were already seeing success in the one-hour programme,” he said. “If the government did not want to give us a licence, then why entertain our application in the first place? It took us a year and a half to fulfil the requirements of the application, including paying $15,000 for the initiation licence fee. We rented offices [in the Jordan Valley], too.”
In 2002, Jordan liberalised its airwaves and a year later created an audiovisual commission tasked with licensing independent satellite and radio stations. Since then, 26 independent stations have been granted licences, most of whom provide music, entertainment and social programmes. Seven have licences for news and political programmes.
It is 50 per cent more expensive to get a licence for a news and political broadcast because, according to insiders, the AVC believes the latter generates more advertisements, while sceptics see it as another restriction on media freedom.
It is the second time in two years that the government has rejected an application by Mr Kuttab for a community radio licence, raising some speculation that the decision was motivated by personal reasons.
Conservative officials are concerned that community radio in a traditional society could create problems among tribes and upset their social and cultural values.
Mr Kuttab has also been criticised for allowing Palestinian refugees from Gaza to make their plea for citizenship on his radio programmes. Jordan sees such a policy as serving the interest of Israel because the refugees would then no longer be able to apply to return to Israel.
Because Radio Al Balad is licensed to broadcast only in Amman, residents in the Jordan Valley can only hear the programme by tuning into Al Qamr radio station in Jericho, a West Bank city on the other side of the Jordan Valley.
Mr Kuttab had signed an agreement with Al Qamr to rebroadcast the show until he was able to obtain a licence. The programme can also be heard online, but only 16 per cent of Jordanian households have internet access.
Mr Kuttab has made it clear in editorials and blogs that he is not happy with the AVC’s decision. But Hussein Bani Hani, the AVC head, argued the government had acted in the interest of investors.
“The government wants to give a chance for every investor. We want to give equal opportunities to all,” he said. “All the governorates are covered with radio stations, and we have community stations in several universities that also provide training for university students on media broadcasting.
“The stations tackle different subjects in different communities and broadcast social programmes which vary from women and child issues to youth issues. They are funded by organisations involved in media development.”
Although the community radio stations have been welcomed in most areas, there are some criticism that they are not completely independent.
Ms Shatti and Ms Raja were discouraged at first by the government’s decision not to grant them a licence. They closed the offices that Radio Al Balad had rented for them last week. But the women said they will continue to broadcast from Amman.
“I will not let the licence get me down. I will continue to work to make the voices of people in remote areas heard,” Ms Raja said.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Looks to Soften Stance on Women, Christians
The Media Line, Written by Joseph Mayton
[Cairo, Egypt] Party politics have always proven illusive for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. As a movement entangled in a tradition based on Islamic Shari’a, and founded as a pro-Palestinian, anti-American organization in the late 1920s, the more traditional factions within the modern structure are apprehensive of change.
But that appears to be changing as the movement’s leaders are currently discussing reforms to its platform that could see changes to the roles of women and Christians.
In October 2007, the banned Islamic group released its platform, surprising many over its conservative overtones, including barring women and Christians from holding the post of president.
At the time, the Brotherhood argued that Christians could not become president or prime minister because both posts have Islamic religious duties, so “non-Muslims are excused from holding this mission,” the 2007 version reads.
It also says the president cannot be a woman because the post's religious and military duties "contradict with her nature, social and other humanitarian roles."
While the document attempts moderation, arguing that there is "equality between men and women in terms of their human dignity," it also warns against "burdening women with duties against their nature or role in the family.”
In February, the Egyptian newspaper Dar El Sharouk published a report that the Brotherhood was expected to announce a number of reforms to the platform, including the controversial issues surrounding women and Christians.
Essam El Arian, a leading member within the Brotherhood, and seen as a moderate, told The Media Line (TML) that a final decision had yet to be taken and “discussions are currently underway.”
He did not say whether there would be changes.
“We are debating these issues right now and it will be some time before conclusions are taken,” he said.
It is a view shared by a senior figure in the brotherhood Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh. "We are still discussing these matters, he said. "The Brotherhood is a democratic institution and we take all care to keep these types of discussions serious in light of our structure. There is debate ongoing and when a concrete decision is made, it will be known to the public. All I can say is that these issues are currently being debated."
The report of alleged changes to the platform has lifted the spirits of the reform-minded Brotherhood bloggers who have long called for their elder leaders to move forward on changing the perception of the movement’s conservative nature.
One blogger, who asked not to be named due to the tension growing between the young bloggers – those young people who have continued to write on their blogs that the Brotherhood must reform itself if it is to create a true democratic movement – and the leadership, says that it is a “victory for the reformers and the bloggers.”
He argues that for the last few years, the blogging movement within the Brotherhood has continually called on its leadership to look at changing the status of women and Christians.
“These issues have always been contentious within the Brotherhood and with the outside community. It only makes sense that this is going to change. I hope that people see that the people calling for reform are doing what they can,” he adds.
Another blogger, Abdel-Rahman Ayyash, 18, writes, "I think that talking about this is a first step for the movement and especially for the young bloggers to know they are making a difference.
"It is hard to call for reform without the older generation getting upset, so we understand that this is a delicate process."
Arian and the moderate factions within the movement are unsure of when a decision will be made public as to the status of women and Christians, but the mood in opposition circles here is that the Brotherhood is recognizing that they need to change.
“It is time for them to look at dealing with these issues. When they first reported the platform, I was disappointed,” says Copt and opposition leader George Ishaq. “I had a great relationship with them [Brotherhood] and since the platform was published we have not been on good terms.”
Khalil Al Anani, a political analyst at the Ahram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo, believes that in the end, it is not necessarily what is written in a platform that is important. Rather, he considers that as a movement, its actual beliefs and views on women and Christians will have a major impact on how Egyptians and the world view the group.
“It is not confirmed yet if they [the Brotherhood] will remove these controversial aspects of the platform,” Anani says, adding that people should look beyond an actual draft platform and into the views of the movement.
“I think the problem is not whether they will remove these articles or not, but more what they actually think about women and Copts. That’s the point.”
The young bloggers have been pushing for real change within the movement in order to spur on democratic reform in the country. Much of the leadership has been strongly against such changes to the movement, but Anani says this is vital to the Brotherhood gaining support within the organization and among the skeptics.
“Regardless of whether they issue a new platform without these two main issues or not, the problem is the Brotherhood is facing a real crisis in understanding democratic values. One of these values is equality. They haven’t developed a progressive vision for equality of people regardless of their religious or ethnic background,” he continues.
Despite the large press that the reformers within the Brotherhood has been receiving of late, the realities within the movement, Anani argues, remain on the fringes of the mainstream debate.
“Unfortunately, the people who are behind this [platform] are the conservatives and the opinion of the reformers is still weak,” Anani adds.
Those within the leadership, such as Arian and deputy Mohamed Habib, may see reform as key to increasing the movement’s democratic appeal, but like many Islamic movements worldwide, the Brotherhood is faced with diverging opinions regarding future strategy.
“We can only hope that these small victories will create a more democratic ideology that will push forward reforms and make the Brotherhood a viable opposition movement for all Egyptians,” the unnamed blogger adds.
[Cairo, Egypt] Party politics have always proven illusive for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. As a movement entangled in a tradition based on Islamic Shari’a, and founded as a pro-Palestinian, anti-American organization in the late 1920s, the more traditional factions within the modern structure are apprehensive of change.
But that appears to be changing as the movement’s leaders are currently discussing reforms to its platform that could see changes to the roles of women and Christians.
In October 2007, the banned Islamic group released its platform, surprising many over its conservative overtones, including barring women and Christians from holding the post of president.
At the time, the Brotherhood argued that Christians could not become president or prime minister because both posts have Islamic religious duties, so “non-Muslims are excused from holding this mission,” the 2007 version reads.
It also says the president cannot be a woman because the post's religious and military duties "contradict with her nature, social and other humanitarian roles."
While the document attempts moderation, arguing that there is "equality between men and women in terms of their human dignity," it also warns against "burdening women with duties against their nature or role in the family.”
In February, the Egyptian newspaper Dar El Sharouk published a report that the Brotherhood was expected to announce a number of reforms to the platform, including the controversial issues surrounding women and Christians.
Essam El Arian, a leading member within the Brotherhood, and seen as a moderate, told The Media Line (TML) that a final decision had yet to be taken and “discussions are currently underway.”
He did not say whether there would be changes.
“We are debating these issues right now and it will be some time before conclusions are taken,” he said.
It is a view shared by a senior figure in the brotherhood Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh. "We are still discussing these matters, he said. "The Brotherhood is a democratic institution and we take all care to keep these types of discussions serious in light of our structure. There is debate ongoing and when a concrete decision is made, it will be known to the public. All I can say is that these issues are currently being debated."
The report of alleged changes to the platform has lifted the spirits of the reform-minded Brotherhood bloggers who have long called for their elder leaders to move forward on changing the perception of the movement’s conservative nature.
One blogger, who asked not to be named due to the tension growing between the young bloggers – those young people who have continued to write on their blogs that the Brotherhood must reform itself if it is to create a true democratic movement – and the leadership, says that it is a “victory for the reformers and the bloggers.”
He argues that for the last few years, the blogging movement within the Brotherhood has continually called on its leadership to look at changing the status of women and Christians.
“These issues have always been contentious within the Brotherhood and with the outside community. It only makes sense that this is going to change. I hope that people see that the people calling for reform are doing what they can,” he adds.
Another blogger, Abdel-Rahman Ayyash, 18, writes, "I think that talking about this is a first step for the movement and especially for the young bloggers to know they are making a difference.
"It is hard to call for reform without the older generation getting upset, so we understand that this is a delicate process."
Arian and the moderate factions within the movement are unsure of when a decision will be made public as to the status of women and Christians, but the mood in opposition circles here is that the Brotherhood is recognizing that they need to change.
“It is time for them to look at dealing with these issues. When they first reported the platform, I was disappointed,” says Copt and opposition leader George Ishaq. “I had a great relationship with them [Brotherhood] and since the platform was published we have not been on good terms.”
Khalil Al Anani, a political analyst at the Ahram Center for Strategic Studies in Cairo, believes that in the end, it is not necessarily what is written in a platform that is important. Rather, he considers that as a movement, its actual beliefs and views on women and Christians will have a major impact on how Egyptians and the world view the group.
“It is not confirmed yet if they [the Brotherhood] will remove these controversial aspects of the platform,” Anani says, adding that people should look beyond an actual draft platform and into the views of the movement.
“I think the problem is not whether they will remove these articles or not, but more what they actually think about women and Copts. That’s the point.”
The young bloggers have been pushing for real change within the movement in order to spur on democratic reform in the country. Much of the leadership has been strongly against such changes to the movement, but Anani says this is vital to the Brotherhood gaining support within the organization and among the skeptics.
“Regardless of whether they issue a new platform without these two main issues or not, the problem is the Brotherhood is facing a real crisis in understanding democratic values. One of these values is equality. They haven’t developed a progressive vision for equality of people regardless of their religious or ethnic background,” he continues.
Despite the large press that the reformers within the Brotherhood has been receiving of late, the realities within the movement, Anani argues, remain on the fringes of the mainstream debate.
“Unfortunately, the people who are behind this [platform] are the conservatives and the opinion of the reformers is still weak,” Anani adds.
Those within the leadership, such as Arian and deputy Mohamed Habib, may see reform as key to increasing the movement’s democratic appeal, but like many Islamic movements worldwide, the Brotherhood is faced with diverging opinions regarding future strategy.
“We can only hope that these small victories will create a more democratic ideology that will push forward reforms and make the Brotherhood a viable opposition movement for all Egyptians,” the unnamed blogger adds.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Businesswomen clearing all hurdles
By Habib Shaikh, Saudi Gazette
The Ministry of Commerce has opened up all fields for women to do business in. “We received intimation from the ministry that now women can participate and get license in all the fields that are open to men,” Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair, Chief Executive Officer of the Sayeda Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), told Saudi Gazette in an exclusive interview recently.
“Earlier, construction, real estate, and services licenses were not given to women. Now they can get these. And as for gender mixing, we are getting more women into the private sector based on their choice. So, lots of changes have been happening,” Omair said.
Again, with apologies to Shakespeare, there is a tide in the affairs of women in Saudi Arabia, which is being taken at the flood so as to create equal opportunities, status, growth and development, because it is almost widely being recognized than omitted, it can only push back the ongoing reforms in the Kingdom in shallows and myriad difficulties.
The road has not been smooth for Saudi women in business. There have been pitfalls, turbulence, pockets of resistance, but the journey has continued and reached a stage that some cynics thought was not possible. But mission is still not fully accomplished.
Women are said to be having nearly SR45 billion in banks in the Kingdom, more than half of it lying idle. They are urged to invest it, but the main hurdle preventing them from doing so is the system of ‘wakil’ (a male representative or guardian).
There have been ongoing efforts to have it removed, but as Omair said, “it is still an issue.” “However,” she added, “it is removed if it is a female only business. If it is going to be a public company she needs a ‘wakil.’ This is why there is a lot of money in the banks, lying idle. The ‘wakil’ gets too much authority, which businesswomen do not like.” According to Princess Loulwa Al-Faisal, daughter of late King Faisal, who has either led or been a member of several businesswomen’s delegations abroad, said throughout history women were always involved and were very astute, good businesswomen. “Business in our region is almost genetic. That’s the way they survived in the desert,” she explained.
She said that a woman who has a business, who knows what she is doing, doesn’t need someone to represent her.
Princess Mashael Bint Faisal Bin Turki Bin Abdul Aziz, president of the Business Women’s Forum of the Eastern Province, and one who is responsible for the establishment of the Gulf Businesswomen’s Committee (GBC), said, “Women are not supposed to see or talk directly to men. How do we allow this guy to run our business?”
She explained that one of the reasons is that there is no open channel between women and decision-makers.
Said Omair, “We are dealing with the issue in two ways. First, we are asking for the removal of the system completely, even if it is not a female only business, and second, we are teaching women how to give a limited ‘wakala’ (authority), which is not complete authority for the man to run her business. We are doing booklets and awareness programs for that.”
She said that the center has changed from a training body to a lobbying one. Following the first women’s forum of its kind last year, the center sent recommendations to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Crown Prince Sultan, and the Shoura Council members and the concerned ministries and authorities.
“We have seen more changes as far as women’s workplace is concerned. Now there is nothing in the labor law that says men and women cannot mix in the work place. All it says is that we should work within the Shariah, which is fine. So now there is more integration of women in the private sector,” she said of the achievements coming out as a result of the recommendations.
“Some of the other recommendations are developing,” she added. Asked what problems women face dealing with high government officials, and middle and lower management, Omair said that the top level “is most helpful, very cooperative,” while the middle management “somewhat, but the lower ones are the ones that sometimes are problematic.” She explained that is mainly because of cultural traditions, resistance to change. “That’s just the way they have always done business, lack of awareness within the ministry, and things like that,” she added.
Dr. Lama Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman, elected JCCI board member, said she would like to see more obstacles to be broken down for businesswomen to be able to trade and to develop easily. “I know a lot of people will tell me those obstacles are there even for businessmen. Yes. But still the obstacles with ministries for businesswomen are twice as much,” she added.
Hanan Al-Madani, fashion designer, in business for the last ten years, said that a problem, which she has to this day as a woman fashion designer, is that she cannot have her own fashion show with media coverage. So, she goes outside of the Kingdom – to Beirut, Rome, England, some of the Gulf countries. On return, she uses the media coverage she gets there for marketing in the Kingdom.
Omair said that according to a research conducted by the center of top companies in the Western Region that have hired women, they saw great results and achievements.
They had issues with some members of the labor ministry, not the ministry as such, but just certain employees, and other agencies that were not very pro-active. “The companies were hesitant in employing more women that is why we did the research. The regulations were not very clear as to how to employ women. So they were hesitant that other people would interfere,” she said, and added, “But as we did more research, we learnt that there is a law passed by the King that no one can interfere in a woman’s workplace. That is up to the Ministry of Labor. Any other agency in the country that has opposition to women getting into the workforce cannot walk into the office and harass the owner of the company. We have passed on that law to the private sector so that it knows it has this legal right.”
Asked if a study has been done on investment by Saudi businesswomen, she said, “No, but right now we are doing a national study with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group, and SAGIA about businesswomen – National Businesswomen’s Survey – what we call the businesswomen’s DNA, because it will give something like the DNA. How does she find her investments, where does she get her money, is it easy to get finance, how does she expand her business, does she go bankrupt. We are benchmarking it with a study that the World Bank did with five other countries – the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. We are benchmarking to see what is the difference in businesswomen in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries and what are the challenges and obstacles. We are also asking searching questions culturally, our legal system here, what obstacles they find.”
Asked whether it could be possible for Arab businesswomen in general and Saudis in particular to form an economic bloc or umbrella, Omair said, “It is always helpful to work together, to network.”
“We see people buying into the vision of King Abdullah,” she said. In the past three years, there have been fast changes in economy, the integration of women into the workplace, support for women’s issues.
“Things are moving pretty quickly in Saudi Arabia. It is a booming economy although there is an economic crisis in the world but we are not affected here. Women are now more aware that they have to get involved early on into these investments and they now have the choice. What we have done is given them opportunities and removed as many obstacles as we could to give them the choice and opportunity to participate in the sector they like,” said Omair.
Madawi Abdullah Al-Hassoun, JCCI board member, who has been in business for more than two decades, said, “Most of us are highly educated. We have proved ourselves in many sectors, internationally. We have gained recognition from the government, the society that we are capable of shouldering responsibilities.”
“What is happening today is excellent. It is up to them (Saudi women) now to make more efforts to further prove themselves and take their right place in the society,” she added.
JEDDAH – The Sayeda Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen has come out with an English version of its newsletter.
“Based on high demand, it is our honor to send you our first English translated E-Newsletter. We are also in the process of translating our previous newsletters,” Basmah Omair said introducing the welcome venture.
“We hope that you will find the information provided of our lobbying efforts to be of great value in regards to women’s increase in national participation,” she added.
The first issue thanks and congratulates King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holly Mosques, “for the Cabinet changes and for appointing our First Female Deputy in the Ministry of Education.”
It may be pertinent to quote a part of the interview with Omair, wherein she had talked about some recommendations that were forwarded to King Abdullah. One of which was inclusion of women in all decision-making bodies, such as Shoura Council and the Cabinet.
She said that the center has changed from a training body to a lobbying one. Following the first women’s forum of its kind last year, under the theme ‘The Reality of Women’s Participation in National Development,’ the center sent recommendations to King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, the ministries and the Shoura Council members. – SG
The Ministry of Commerce has opened up all fields for women to do business in. “We received intimation from the ministry that now women can participate and get license in all the fields that are open to men,” Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair, Chief Executive Officer of the Sayeda Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), told Saudi Gazette in an exclusive interview recently.
“Earlier, construction, real estate, and services licenses were not given to women. Now they can get these. And as for gender mixing, we are getting more women into the private sector based on their choice. So, lots of changes have been happening,” Omair said.
Again, with apologies to Shakespeare, there is a tide in the affairs of women in Saudi Arabia, which is being taken at the flood so as to create equal opportunities, status, growth and development, because it is almost widely being recognized than omitted, it can only push back the ongoing reforms in the Kingdom in shallows and myriad difficulties.
The road has not been smooth for Saudi women in business. There have been pitfalls, turbulence, pockets of resistance, but the journey has continued and reached a stage that some cynics thought was not possible. But mission is still not fully accomplished.
Women are said to be having nearly SR45 billion in banks in the Kingdom, more than half of it lying idle. They are urged to invest it, but the main hurdle preventing them from doing so is the system of ‘wakil’ (a male representative or guardian).
There have been ongoing efforts to have it removed, but as Omair said, “it is still an issue.” “However,” she added, “it is removed if it is a female only business. If it is going to be a public company she needs a ‘wakil.’ This is why there is a lot of money in the banks, lying idle. The ‘wakil’ gets too much authority, which businesswomen do not like.” According to Princess Loulwa Al-Faisal, daughter of late King Faisal, who has either led or been a member of several businesswomen’s delegations abroad, said throughout history women were always involved and were very astute, good businesswomen. “Business in our region is almost genetic. That’s the way they survived in the desert,” she explained.
She said that a woman who has a business, who knows what she is doing, doesn’t need someone to represent her.
Princess Mashael Bint Faisal Bin Turki Bin Abdul Aziz, president of the Business Women’s Forum of the Eastern Province, and one who is responsible for the establishment of the Gulf Businesswomen’s Committee (GBC), said, “Women are not supposed to see or talk directly to men. How do we allow this guy to run our business?”
She explained that one of the reasons is that there is no open channel between women and decision-makers.
Said Omair, “We are dealing with the issue in two ways. First, we are asking for the removal of the system completely, even if it is not a female only business, and second, we are teaching women how to give a limited ‘wakala’ (authority), which is not complete authority for the man to run her business. We are doing booklets and awareness programs for that.”
She said that the center has changed from a training body to a lobbying one. Following the first women’s forum of its kind last year, the center sent recommendations to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Crown Prince Sultan, and the Shoura Council members and the concerned ministries and authorities.
“We have seen more changes as far as women’s workplace is concerned. Now there is nothing in the labor law that says men and women cannot mix in the work place. All it says is that we should work within the Shariah, which is fine. So now there is more integration of women in the private sector,” she said of the achievements coming out as a result of the recommendations.
“Some of the other recommendations are developing,” she added. Asked what problems women face dealing with high government officials, and middle and lower management, Omair said that the top level “is most helpful, very cooperative,” while the middle management “somewhat, but the lower ones are the ones that sometimes are problematic.” She explained that is mainly because of cultural traditions, resistance to change. “That’s just the way they have always done business, lack of awareness within the ministry, and things like that,” she added.
Dr. Lama Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman, elected JCCI board member, said she would like to see more obstacles to be broken down for businesswomen to be able to trade and to develop easily. “I know a lot of people will tell me those obstacles are there even for businessmen. Yes. But still the obstacles with ministries for businesswomen are twice as much,” she added.
Hanan Al-Madani, fashion designer, in business for the last ten years, said that a problem, which she has to this day as a woman fashion designer, is that she cannot have her own fashion show with media coverage. So, she goes outside of the Kingdom – to Beirut, Rome, England, some of the Gulf countries. On return, she uses the media coverage she gets there for marketing in the Kingdom.
Omair said that according to a research conducted by the center of top companies in the Western Region that have hired women, they saw great results and achievements.
They had issues with some members of the labor ministry, not the ministry as such, but just certain employees, and other agencies that were not very pro-active. “The companies were hesitant in employing more women that is why we did the research. The regulations were not very clear as to how to employ women. So they were hesitant that other people would interfere,” she said, and added, “But as we did more research, we learnt that there is a law passed by the King that no one can interfere in a woman’s workplace. That is up to the Ministry of Labor. Any other agency in the country that has opposition to women getting into the workforce cannot walk into the office and harass the owner of the company. We have passed on that law to the private sector so that it knows it has this legal right.”
Asked if a study has been done on investment by Saudi businesswomen, she said, “No, but right now we are doing a national study with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group, and SAGIA about businesswomen – National Businesswomen’s Survey – what we call the businesswomen’s DNA, because it will give something like the DNA. How does she find her investments, where does she get her money, is it easy to get finance, how does she expand her business, does she go bankrupt. We are benchmarking it with a study that the World Bank did with five other countries – the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. We are benchmarking to see what is the difference in businesswomen in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries and what are the challenges and obstacles. We are also asking searching questions culturally, our legal system here, what obstacles they find.”
Asked whether it could be possible for Arab businesswomen in general and Saudis in particular to form an economic bloc or umbrella, Omair said, “It is always helpful to work together, to network.”
“We see people buying into the vision of King Abdullah,” she said. In the past three years, there have been fast changes in economy, the integration of women into the workplace, support for women’s issues.
“Things are moving pretty quickly in Saudi Arabia. It is a booming economy although there is an economic crisis in the world but we are not affected here. Women are now more aware that they have to get involved early on into these investments and they now have the choice. What we have done is given them opportunities and removed as many obstacles as we could to give them the choice and opportunity to participate in the sector they like,” said Omair.
Madawi Abdullah Al-Hassoun, JCCI board member, who has been in business for more than two decades, said, “Most of us are highly educated. We have proved ourselves in many sectors, internationally. We have gained recognition from the government, the society that we are capable of shouldering responsibilities.”
“What is happening today is excellent. It is up to them (Saudi women) now to make more efforts to further prove themselves and take their right place in the society,” she added.
JEDDAH – The Sayeda Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen has come out with an English version of its newsletter.
“Based on high demand, it is our honor to send you our first English translated E-Newsletter. We are also in the process of translating our previous newsletters,” Basmah Omair said introducing the welcome venture.
“We hope that you will find the information provided of our lobbying efforts to be of great value in regards to women’s increase in national participation,” she added.
The first issue thanks and congratulates King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holly Mosques, “for the Cabinet changes and for appointing our First Female Deputy in the Ministry of Education.”
It may be pertinent to quote a part of the interview with Omair, wherein she had talked about some recommendations that were forwarded to King Abdullah. One of which was inclusion of women in all decision-making bodies, such as Shoura Council and the Cabinet.
She said that the center has changed from a training body to a lobbying one. Following the first women’s forum of its kind last year, under the theme ‘The Reality of Women’s Participation in National Development,’ the center sent recommendations to King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, the ministries and the Shoura Council members. – SG
Saudi Arabia: Cabinet approves measures to increase jobs for women
Saudi Gazette report
RAWDAT KHURAIM – The Cabinet on Monday approved several measures to increase employment of women in suitable fields in public sector.
The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation has been tasked with increasing the absorptive capacity of technical and vocational training in areas that are suitable for women such as computer, office work and occupational activities at women’s detentions and care houses.
Similarly, the authorities concerned shall expand educational health programs for women, intensify such programs and create e-employment that enables women to work from home. The Ministry of Education and other concerned authorities have been directed to adopt administrative and regulatory measures to ensure jobs for women.
RAWDAT KHURAIM – The Cabinet on Monday approved several measures to increase employment of women in suitable fields in public sector.
The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation has been tasked with increasing the absorptive capacity of technical and vocational training in areas that are suitable for women such as computer, office work and occupational activities at women’s detentions and care houses.
Similarly, the authorities concerned shall expand educational health programs for women, intensify such programs and create e-employment that enables women to work from home. The Ministry of Education and other concerned authorities have been directed to adopt administrative and regulatory measures to ensure jobs for women.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Iraq: With Need Dire and Aid Scant, Iraq’s Widows Struggle
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS - NYT
BAGHDAD — Her twin sisters were killed trying to flee Falluja in 2004. Then her husband was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad just after she had become pregnant. When her own twins were 5 months old, one was killed by an explosive planted in a Baghdad market.
Now, Nacham Jaleel Kadim, 23, lives with her remaining daughter in a trailer park for war widows and their families in one of the poorest parts of Iraq’s capital.
That makes her one of the lucky ones. The trailer park, called Al Waffa, or “Park of the Grateful,” is among the few aid programs available for Iraq’s estimated 740,000 widows. It houses 750 people.
As the number of widows has swelled during six years of war, their presence on city streets begging for food or as potential recruits by insurgents has become a vexing symbol of the breakdown of Iraqi self-sufficiency.
Women who lost their husbands had once been looked after by an extended support system of family, neighbors and mosques.
But as the war has ground on, government and social service organizations say the women’s needs have come to exceed available help, posing a threat to the stability of the country’s tenuous social structures.
With the economy limping along, dependent almost entirely on the price of crude oil, and the government preoccupied with rebuilding and quelling sectarian violence, officials acknowledge that little is likely to change soon.
“We can’t help everybody,” said Leila Kadim, a managing director in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. “There are too many.”
Among Iraqi women aged 15 to 80, 1 in 11 are estimated to be widows, though officials admit that figure is hardly more than a guess, given the continuing violence and the displacement of millions of people. A United Nations report estimated that during the height of sectarian violence here in 2006, 90 to 100 women were widowed each day.
In large cities like Baghdad, the presence of war widows is difficult to ignore. Cloaked in black abayas, they wade through columns of cars idling at security checkpoints, asking for money or food. They wait in line outside mosques for free blankets, or sift through mounds of garbage piled along the street. Some live with their children in public parks or inside gas station restrooms.
Officials at social service agencies tell of widows coerced into “temporary marriages” — relationships sanctioned by Shiite tradition, often based on sex, which can last from an hour to years — to get financial help from government, religious or tribal leaders.
Other war widows have become prostitutes, and some have joined the insurgency in exchange for steady pay. The Iraqi military estimates that the number of widows who have become suicide bombers may be in the dozens.
In the past several weeks, even as the government has formed commissions to study the problem, it has begun a campaign to arrest beggars and the homeless, including war widows.
The issue has burst into public view in some unusual ways recently. When an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President Bush in December, he shouted that he was doing so on behalf of the war’s widows and orphans. During the campaign for last month’s provincial elections, political rallies featured heart-rending songs of the suffering of widows.
Those sentiments, though, have yet to translate into political action.
Efforts to increase the government stipend for widows — currently about $50 a month and an additional $12 per child — have stalled. By comparison, the price of a five-liter container of gasoline, used for cars as well as home generators, is about $4.
Still, only about 120,000 widows — roughly one in six — receive any state aid, according to government figures. Widows and their advocates say that to receive benefits they must either have political connections or agree to temporary marriages with the powerful men who control the distribution of government funds.
“It is blackmail,” said Samira al-Mosawi, chairwoman of the women’s affairs committee in Parliament. “We have no law to treat this point. Widows don’t need temporary support, but a permanent solution.”
The latest plan, proposed by Mazin al-Shihan, director of the Baghdad Displacement Committee, a city agency, is to pay men to marry widows. “There is no serious effort by the national government to fix this problem, so I presented my own program,” he said.
When asked why the money should not go directly to the women, Mr. Shihan laughed.
BAGHDAD — Her twin sisters were killed trying to flee Falluja in 2004. Then her husband was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad just after she had become pregnant. When her own twins were 5 months old, one was killed by an explosive planted in a Baghdad market.
Now, Nacham Jaleel Kadim, 23, lives with her remaining daughter in a trailer park for war widows and their families in one of the poorest parts of Iraq’s capital.
That makes her one of the lucky ones. The trailer park, called Al Waffa, or “Park of the Grateful,” is among the few aid programs available for Iraq’s estimated 740,000 widows. It houses 750 people.
As the number of widows has swelled during six years of war, their presence on city streets begging for food or as potential recruits by insurgents has become a vexing symbol of the breakdown of Iraqi self-sufficiency.
Women who lost their husbands had once been looked after by an extended support system of family, neighbors and mosques.
But as the war has ground on, government and social service organizations say the women’s needs have come to exceed available help, posing a threat to the stability of the country’s tenuous social structures.
With the economy limping along, dependent almost entirely on the price of crude oil, and the government preoccupied with rebuilding and quelling sectarian violence, officials acknowledge that little is likely to change soon.
“We can’t help everybody,” said Leila Kadim, a managing director in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. “There are too many.”
Among Iraqi women aged 15 to 80, 1 in 11 are estimated to be widows, though officials admit that figure is hardly more than a guess, given the continuing violence and the displacement of millions of people. A United Nations report estimated that during the height of sectarian violence here in 2006, 90 to 100 women were widowed each day.
In large cities like Baghdad, the presence of war widows is difficult to ignore. Cloaked in black abayas, they wade through columns of cars idling at security checkpoints, asking for money or food. They wait in line outside mosques for free blankets, or sift through mounds of garbage piled along the street. Some live with their children in public parks or inside gas station restrooms.
Officials at social service agencies tell of widows coerced into “temporary marriages” — relationships sanctioned by Shiite tradition, often based on sex, which can last from an hour to years — to get financial help from government, religious or tribal leaders.
Other war widows have become prostitutes, and some have joined the insurgency in exchange for steady pay. The Iraqi military estimates that the number of widows who have become suicide bombers may be in the dozens.
In the past several weeks, even as the government has formed commissions to study the problem, it has begun a campaign to arrest beggars and the homeless, including war widows.
The issue has burst into public view in some unusual ways recently. When an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President Bush in December, he shouted that he was doing so on behalf of the war’s widows and orphans. During the campaign for last month’s provincial elections, political rallies featured heart-rending songs of the suffering of widows.
Those sentiments, though, have yet to translate into political action.
Efforts to increase the government stipend for widows — currently about $50 a month and an additional $12 per child — have stalled. By comparison, the price of a five-liter container of gasoline, used for cars as well as home generators, is about $4.
Still, only about 120,000 widows — roughly one in six — receive any state aid, according to government figures. Widows and their advocates say that to receive benefits they must either have political connections or agree to temporary marriages with the powerful men who control the distribution of government funds.
“It is blackmail,” said Samira al-Mosawi, chairwoman of the women’s affairs committee in Parliament. “We have no law to treat this point. Widows don’t need temporary support, but a permanent solution.”
The latest plan, proposed by Mazin al-Shihan, director of the Baghdad Displacement Committee, a city agency, is to pay men to marry widows. “There is no serious effort by the national government to fix this problem, so I presented my own program,” he said.
When asked why the money should not go directly to the women, Mr. Shihan laughed.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Saudi Arabia: US team briefed on women’s role in chamber
Galal Fakkar | Arab News
JEDDAH: A 16-member delegation of US congressional staff members currently visiting the Kingdom was briefed on the participation of women in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) yesterday.
Lama Sulaiman, a woman member of the board of directors of JCCI, explained to the visiting delegation about the JCCI’s Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center, which helps Saudi women with their businesses. The center is named after Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) most enterprising wife. “The center offers immense help to pioneering businesswomen, particularly those who undertake small and medium size ventures,” Sulaiman said.
Sulaiman added that 20 percent of the 250 employees of the chamber are women. “Other chambers in the Kingdom have started giving representation to women in their boards and committees,” she said.
The delegation, which is the first from the US to visit Saudi Arabia after the administration change, was also interested to learn how elections were conducted in the JCCI. The chamber members explained its election process to them.
The delegation is also scheduled to visit the Shoura Council, the Saudi Human Rights Commission and several other organizations.
The delegation also wanted to know about the assistance the chamber offered to entrepreneurs of small and medium establishments.
JEDDAH: A 16-member delegation of US congressional staff members currently visiting the Kingdom was briefed on the participation of women in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) yesterday.
Lama Sulaiman, a woman member of the board of directors of JCCI, explained to the visiting delegation about the JCCI’s Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center, which helps Saudi women with their businesses. The center is named after Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) most enterprising wife. “The center offers immense help to pioneering businesswomen, particularly those who undertake small and medium size ventures,” Sulaiman said.
Sulaiman added that 20 percent of the 250 employees of the chamber are women. “Other chambers in the Kingdom have started giving representation to women in their boards and committees,” she said.
The delegation, which is the first from the US to visit Saudi Arabia after the administration change, was also interested to learn how elections were conducted in the JCCI. The chamber members explained its election process to them.
The delegation is also scheduled to visit the Shoura Council, the Saudi Human Rights Commission and several other organizations.
The delegation also wanted to know about the assistance the chamber offered to entrepreneurs of small and medium establishments.
Saudi Arabia: Tiptoeing towards reform
From The Economist print edition
The king makes some striking changes, but gradualism is still the watchword
REFORM-MINDED Saudis cheered when Abdullah became king four years ago. The avuncular Custodian of the Holy Places, as Saudi monarchs title themselves, had a reputation for probity, tolerance and humility that augured change for the better. Yet few of his tentative reforms have stuck. Initiatives to modernise state schools and courts have stalled in the face of entrenched religious conservatives.
But in a move of rare boldness for the stately kingdom, on February 14th the 86-year-old king decreed sweeping changes in government. His reshuffle affected top posts in education, the courts, the armed forces, the central bank, the health and information ministries, the religious police and the state-appointed religious hierarchy, as well as the royally-appointed, 150-man proto-parliament, the Shura Council.
It was not the scale of the turnover that raised eyebrows; most senior ministers retained their posts. More striking was the injection of reformist blood into the ossified school and court systems. With his background in intelligence, and as a son-in-law of the king, the new minister of education, Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Muhammad, may be better equipped to flush out teachers who are failing to comply with curricula that have been revised to emphasise tolerance in Islam.
The departure of Sheikh Saleh Luhaydan as head of the supreme judicial council, along with several other senior judges, suggests a new push to modernise the courts.
Mr Luhaydan was notorious for rulings such as one that said it would be legal to kill the owners of TV channels broadcasting “immorality”. During his tenure judges faced little pressure to adopt new rules meant to make the kingdom’s unique and often harsh forms of sharia justice more open and consistent. Similarly, the sacking of the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice will be seen as a response to a chorus of demands to curb the morality police, whose puritanical agents have often been accused of harassing law-abiding citizens.
Equally significant, the new appointments are markedly diverse. The 21-man board of senior clerics which issues official religious rulings, or fatwas, now for the first time includes representatives of all four schools of Sunni Islam, so breaking the monopoly, exercised solely in Saudi Arabia, of the arch-traditionalist Hanbali school associated with Wahhabism. The body still excludes Shias, a minority numbering about 10% of Saudis that faces widespread discrimination. But King Abdullah has compensated in part by increasing Shia representation in the Shura Council.
A far bigger slice of the population that has been kept to the margins of society, namely women, also got a boost with the appointment of a female deputy minister, the highest-level government post yet to be filled by a woman. Nora al-Fayez, an American-educated schools administrator, is to run the girls’ section of the ministry of education, a division managed until recently by Wahhabist clerics.
Should such personnel changes give an impetus to the deeper reforms that many Saudis long for, King Abdullah will have secured an important legacy. But a quite different reform, decreed by him three years ago, may bear fruit sooner. Addressing concerns that the line of succession to kingship, which traditionally passes between brothers before reaching their sons, would produce a series of brief reigns by dotards, King Abdullah created a 25-man family council to elect future kings.
The council was to meet only after his own brother had succeeded. But the current crown prince, Sultan, is in his 80s and said to be very ill. In all likelihood, it is the council that will choose Abdullah’s successor, in what might prove to be, even if restricted to a handful of senior princes from the Al Saud family, the first quasi-democratic transition of power in Saudi history. It would be a momentous feat. But it will also set nerves jangling.
The king makes some striking changes, but gradualism is still the watchword
REFORM-MINDED Saudis cheered when Abdullah became king four years ago. The avuncular Custodian of the Holy Places, as Saudi monarchs title themselves, had a reputation for probity, tolerance and humility that augured change for the better. Yet few of his tentative reforms have stuck. Initiatives to modernise state schools and courts have stalled in the face of entrenched religious conservatives.
But in a move of rare boldness for the stately kingdom, on February 14th the 86-year-old king decreed sweeping changes in government. His reshuffle affected top posts in education, the courts, the armed forces, the central bank, the health and information ministries, the religious police and the state-appointed religious hierarchy, as well as the royally-appointed, 150-man proto-parliament, the Shura Council.
It was not the scale of the turnover that raised eyebrows; most senior ministers retained their posts. More striking was the injection of reformist blood into the ossified school and court systems. With his background in intelligence, and as a son-in-law of the king, the new minister of education, Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Muhammad, may be better equipped to flush out teachers who are failing to comply with curricula that have been revised to emphasise tolerance in Islam.
The departure of Sheikh Saleh Luhaydan as head of the supreme judicial council, along with several other senior judges, suggests a new push to modernise the courts.
Mr Luhaydan was notorious for rulings such as one that said it would be legal to kill the owners of TV channels broadcasting “immorality”. During his tenure judges faced little pressure to adopt new rules meant to make the kingdom’s unique and often harsh forms of sharia justice more open and consistent. Similarly, the sacking of the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice will be seen as a response to a chorus of demands to curb the morality police, whose puritanical agents have often been accused of harassing law-abiding citizens.
Equally significant, the new appointments are markedly diverse. The 21-man board of senior clerics which issues official religious rulings, or fatwas, now for the first time includes representatives of all four schools of Sunni Islam, so breaking the monopoly, exercised solely in Saudi Arabia, of the arch-traditionalist Hanbali school associated with Wahhabism. The body still excludes Shias, a minority numbering about 10% of Saudis that faces widespread discrimination. But King Abdullah has compensated in part by increasing Shia representation in the Shura Council.
A far bigger slice of the population that has been kept to the margins of society, namely women, also got a boost with the appointment of a female deputy minister, the highest-level government post yet to be filled by a woman. Nora al-Fayez, an American-educated schools administrator, is to run the girls’ section of the ministry of education, a division managed until recently by Wahhabist clerics.
Should such personnel changes give an impetus to the deeper reforms that many Saudis long for, King Abdullah will have secured an important legacy. But a quite different reform, decreed by him three years ago, may bear fruit sooner. Addressing concerns that the line of succession to kingship, which traditionally passes between brothers before reaching their sons, would produce a series of brief reigns by dotards, King Abdullah created a 25-man family council to elect future kings.
The council was to meet only after his own brother had succeeded. But the current crown prince, Sultan, is in his 80s and said to be very ill. In all likelihood, it is the council that will choose Abdullah’s successor, in what might prove to be, even if restricted to a handful of senior princes from the Al Saud family, the first quasi-democratic transition of power in Saudi history. It would be a momentous feat. But it will also set nerves jangling.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Jordan Women’s participation in Islamist parties on the rise - study
By Taylor Luck, Jordan Times
AMMAN - The Kingdom is witnessing a rise in women’s participation in Islamist parties and organisations, according to a study recently released by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).
Titled, “Women and Politics”, the study reveals that Islamist parties are increasingly relying on women to expand their membership base, and in turn are attempting to address certain issues of concern to women such as education and the right to work.
The party that boasts the highest number of women members among Islamist parties is the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, the study said.
Women represent some 10 per cent of the party’s general assembly and in recent IAF shura council elections they won nine seats in the 120-member body, the highest ever, the study noted.
IAF women have initiated a project with other Islamist women activists to clearly define “Islamic feminism” and “educate and raise the awareness of women of their legitimate rights under sharia,” according to the study.
The proposed Islamist feminism would define women’s liberation within Islam, rejecting Western versions of feminism for “undermining family values”.
The Muslim Brotherhood is not the only Islamist group targeting and gaining the support of women, the study noted.
The Islamist Centrist Party, whose 750 members include 12 women, has five females in its 50-member shura council, but no woman has yet been elected to the party’s political bureau, the study said.
The party’s platform for women is based on eradicating illiteracy among Jordanian women, particularly in rural areas, securing women’s rights as outlined in sharia and ensuring their legitimate right to work.
The 850-strong Duaa Party, meanwhile, boasts 350 female members, according to the study, while its “board of trustees”, or governing council, hosts seven women.
The party has yet to field a female member for Parliament, which Duaa Secretary General Mohammad Abu Bakr is quoted as attributing to a lack of confidence in women being elected under the current one-person, one-vote electoral system.
Also highlighted in the study is growing female membership in professional associations, which tend to be predominately Islamist. The number of women in the associations has risen to 21,000, over 20 per cent of the 100,000 members.
But all Islamist groups, including the IAF, are still struggling to form positions on controversial issues such as khuloe, the right for women to file for divorce, and so-called honour crimes, spurring internal debate on women’s future in Islamist movements, the study said.
Despite disagreements within Islamist groups on how best to incorporate women into activities, Jordanian women are increasingly moving towards political Islam to assert their rights, according to researcher and study author Hassan Abu Hani.
“What we are witnessing in Jordan is recent activism in women, particularly through Islamist movements,” he told The Jordan Times.
“In addition to social work in not-for-profit charities, women are becoming politically active on the ground, particularly through the Muslim Brotherhood, and have become a strong part of the movement’s base,” he said, noting the trend is new to Jordan, despite women’s long-standing participation in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Abu Hani predicted a continued increase in women’s participation in Islamist movements.
“Through political Islam, women are finding ways to enter the political arena they didn’t have before, and as long as there is a discourse in the movement allowing their participation, this trend will continue,” he said.
“Women in Politics”, available both in Arabic and English, is the second in a line of studies on political Islam published by FES, with the third instalment expected later this spring.
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung is a political foundation linked to the German Social Democratic Party which seeks to promote dialogue between decision makers in the region and abroad.
FES activities in the Middle East take place under the umbrella of a cooperation agreement between the organisation and the Arab League, carried out through offices across the region.
AMMAN - The Kingdom is witnessing a rise in women’s participation in Islamist parties and organisations, according to a study recently released by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).
Titled, “Women and Politics”, the study reveals that Islamist parties are increasingly relying on women to expand their membership base, and in turn are attempting to address certain issues of concern to women such as education and the right to work.
The party that boasts the highest number of women members among Islamist parties is the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, the study said.
Women represent some 10 per cent of the party’s general assembly and in recent IAF shura council elections they won nine seats in the 120-member body, the highest ever, the study noted.
IAF women have initiated a project with other Islamist women activists to clearly define “Islamic feminism” and “educate and raise the awareness of women of their legitimate rights under sharia,” according to the study.
The proposed Islamist feminism would define women’s liberation within Islam, rejecting Western versions of feminism for “undermining family values”.
The Muslim Brotherhood is not the only Islamist group targeting and gaining the support of women, the study noted.
The Islamist Centrist Party, whose 750 members include 12 women, has five females in its 50-member shura council, but no woman has yet been elected to the party’s political bureau, the study said.
The party’s platform for women is based on eradicating illiteracy among Jordanian women, particularly in rural areas, securing women’s rights as outlined in sharia and ensuring their legitimate right to work.
The 850-strong Duaa Party, meanwhile, boasts 350 female members, according to the study, while its “board of trustees”, or governing council, hosts seven women.
The party has yet to field a female member for Parliament, which Duaa Secretary General Mohammad Abu Bakr is quoted as attributing to a lack of confidence in women being elected under the current one-person, one-vote electoral system.
Also highlighted in the study is growing female membership in professional associations, which tend to be predominately Islamist. The number of women in the associations has risen to 21,000, over 20 per cent of the 100,000 members.
But all Islamist groups, including the IAF, are still struggling to form positions on controversial issues such as khuloe, the right for women to file for divorce, and so-called honour crimes, spurring internal debate on women’s future in Islamist movements, the study said.
Despite disagreements within Islamist groups on how best to incorporate women into activities, Jordanian women are increasingly moving towards political Islam to assert their rights, according to researcher and study author Hassan Abu Hani.
“What we are witnessing in Jordan is recent activism in women, particularly through Islamist movements,” he told The Jordan Times.
“In addition to social work in not-for-profit charities, women are becoming politically active on the ground, particularly through the Muslim Brotherhood, and have become a strong part of the movement’s base,” he said, noting the trend is new to Jordan, despite women’s long-standing participation in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Abu Hani predicted a continued increase in women’s participation in Islamist movements.
“Through political Islam, women are finding ways to enter the political arena they didn’t have before, and as long as there is a discourse in the movement allowing their participation, this trend will continue,” he said.
“Women in Politics”, available both in Arabic and English, is the second in a line of studies on political Islam published by FES, with the third instalment expected later this spring.
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung is a political foundation linked to the German Social Democratic Party which seeks to promote dialogue between decision makers in the region and abroad.
FES activities in the Middle East take place under the umbrella of a cooperation agreement between the organisation and the Arab League, carried out through offices across the region.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Academics applaud latest reform, but demand more
By Duraid Al Baik, Associate Editor, Gulf News
Dubai: Saudi women on Tuesday praised the reform measures undertaken by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz this week, including the appointment of a female deputy education minister for the first time in the Kingdom.
In what is considered to be the largest government reshuffle in the Kingdom since King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz took charge in August 2005, 180 men and 1 woman were appointed in senior government posts, including 81 new members in the Consultative Assembly (Majlis Al Shura), 4 ministers and heads of the Supreme Judiciary Council, and the Senior Scholars Commission, as well as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (religious police).
Dr Fawziyah Abu Khalid, professor of Social and Political Studies at King Saud University in Riyadh, told Gulf News, that Saudi women, who have been involved in public service for more than 30 years, deserve more than such decorative appointments by the government.
"The appointment of Dr Noora Al Fayez as deputy education minister for women's education department is a small step in the long way to recognise the input of Saudi women in fields of national and private development in the Kingdom," Dr Fawziyah, a poetess and author of several books on social science, stressed.
The outspoken Saudi opinion writer and poetess, said she was disappointed with the naming of just one woman in such a big reshuffle.
"The very fact that the Majlis Al Shura was modernised in November 2000 and continued to function for five legislative chapters with no single woman representation is a matter of concern. The council was expanded four times for no justifiable reasons," she said.
Dr Fawziyah said women are the most under-represented section in the society, in both government as well as private businesses in the Kingdom. "Women were very optimistic with promises of reforms that marked the dawn of the King Abdullah era, but the [optimism] was shortlived," she said.
She said if someone looks at the empty part of the glass, the appointment of a woman in a government post - even though it is not even to the level of a minister - is definitely good, but is not what women in Saudi Arabia are looking for. We have waited too long to take such a small step forward and time is running ahead of us in many aspects.
She said women should not be looked down when they go out in public. "They need to feel they steer their lives by themselves. This is not happening in Saudi Arabia and the reason is not what the government blames on social norms. Many people in the society have no objection to women assuming leading roles in public life, but it is the government that always comes up with unfounded excuses to delay such an interaction.
Dr Hatoon Jawad Al Fassi, professor of History of Women at King Saud University, feels society is undergoing major changes and the government ought to keep pace with the changes.
Dubai: Saudi women on Tuesday praised the reform measures undertaken by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz this week, including the appointment of a female deputy education minister for the first time in the Kingdom.
In what is considered to be the largest government reshuffle in the Kingdom since King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz took charge in August 2005, 180 men and 1 woman were appointed in senior government posts, including 81 new members in the Consultative Assembly (Majlis Al Shura), 4 ministers and heads of the Supreme Judiciary Council, and the Senior Scholars Commission, as well as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (religious police).
Dr Fawziyah Abu Khalid, professor of Social and Political Studies at King Saud University in Riyadh, told Gulf News, that Saudi women, who have been involved in public service for more than 30 years, deserve more than such decorative appointments by the government.
"The appointment of Dr Noora Al Fayez as deputy education minister for women's education department is a small step in the long way to recognise the input of Saudi women in fields of national and private development in the Kingdom," Dr Fawziyah, a poetess and author of several books on social science, stressed.
The outspoken Saudi opinion writer and poetess, said she was disappointed with the naming of just one woman in such a big reshuffle.
"The very fact that the Majlis Al Shura was modernised in November 2000 and continued to function for five legislative chapters with no single woman representation is a matter of concern. The council was expanded four times for no justifiable reasons," she said.
Dr Fawziyah said women are the most under-represented section in the society, in both government as well as private businesses in the Kingdom. "Women were very optimistic with promises of reforms that marked the dawn of the King Abdullah era, but the [optimism] was shortlived," she said.
She said if someone looks at the empty part of the glass, the appointment of a woman in a government post - even though it is not even to the level of a minister - is definitely good, but is not what women in Saudi Arabia are looking for. We have waited too long to take such a small step forward and time is running ahead of us in many aspects.
She said women should not be looked down when they go out in public. "They need to feel they steer their lives by themselves. This is not happening in Saudi Arabia and the reason is not what the government blames on social norms. Many people in the society have no objection to women assuming leading roles in public life, but it is the government that always comes up with unfounded excuses to delay such an interaction.
Dr Hatoon Jawad Al Fassi, professor of History of Women at King Saud University, feels society is undergoing major changes and the government ought to keep pace with the changes.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Saudi king acts on legal reform
By Abeer Allam in Riyadh, Financial Times
Is stealing sheep a more serious crime than beating your wife to death?” asked Khaled al-Sulaiman, a Saudi columnist writing in Arab News, citing two recent judgments.
In one case, a judge handed down a sentence of two years and 200 lashes to a man who had beaten his wife to death. In the other, a judge sentenced a pair of sheep rustlers to three years in prison and 1,000 lashes.
That Mr Sulaiman had to ask the question reflects growing frustration among Saudis at the pace of a $2bn legal reform initiative proposed by King Abdullah two years ago.
That frustration has reached the top. At the weekend, King Abdullah sacked Saleh al-Lohaidan, head of the supreme judicial council, who has opposed reforms and efforts to codify Islamic law, or Sharia. Last September, Mr Lohaidan issued a fatwa condoning the killing of television station owners who produce or air “immoral content”.
But the problems afflicting Saudi Arabia’s legal system run deeper than one individual. Although every legal system produces anomalous rulings, in most countries lawyers say they can study the reasoning or facts used in a judgment. In Saudi Arabia, where judges rule according to their understanding of Islamic texts, there is no such recourse.
Fearing that judges may be misled by human wisdom, rather than adjudicating directly from religious sources, Saudi Arabia rejects the system of precedent used in common law systems and the extensive civil codes used in civil law systems.
Instead, trial proceedings are generally closed to the public and judicial decisions are not published. Judges can even bar attorneys representing parties from the courtroom if they decide the their presence is unhelpful.
“Transparency is one concern because there are fewer written laws,” says James Dallas, chairman of Denton Wilde Sapte, a law firm in Riyadh. “We try to manage expectations about how quickly things will happen and offer realistic timetables but the situation also forces us to be less dependent on legal remedies.”
Whereas other reforms launched in the kingdom over the past five years have borne fruit, changes to the legal system have moved more slowly. A “Doing Business in the World” report by the World Bank suggests that disputes in Saudi Arabia still require on average 44 procedures and 635 days to resolve.
Experts and diplomats suggest that the powerful and conservative judiciary accounts for the slow pace of change. About 700 judges serve 25m people in a country a fifth the size the US, almost all of them from Bukairiyah, a conservative redoubt in Qassim province.
Mr Lohaidan, for example, had once asserted that adopting civil codes would violate sacred customs that have the same legal authority as other written laws.
It is no surprise that most foreign companies in Saudi Arabia specify that dispute resolution occur in foreign jurisdictions, with a clear preference for London. However, enforcing foreign decisions in Saudi Arabia involves numerous legal procedures and raises the likelihood a judge will change portions of the judgment he deems incompatible with Islamic law, particularly interest penalties – or will start a trial all over again.
King Abdullah has established a supreme court that in theory can reverse judgments and thus rein in more junior judges. But lawyers say that in practice the tribunal has yet to establish its prerogatives.
Last month, Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al al-Sheikh, former justice minister, announced a 30-year strategic plan that includes measures to enhance commercial and intellectual property registration and enforcement.
Mr Al al-Sheikh was moved sideways in the weekend reshuffle. His successor is Mohammed Al-Eissa, previously deputy director of a tribunal to settle commercial disputes, who is described as pro-reform.
Other changes are being tested in pilot phases, and practitioners report new stenographers or computers in use in courts. But lawyers say the time between hearings can still vary from one to three months and, since each matter may involve dozens of hearings, trials can drag on indefinitely. “The situation is much better now than a year ago, but the whole process needs to be streamlined,’’ says Amgad Husein, a partner at Denton Wilde Sapte. “The courts are normally fair but there is a huge lag between decisions and it may take two or more years for a final verdict.”
Abdel Aziz al Qassem, a reformist lawyer, had grown disillusioned about prospects for reform, citing opposition in the judiciary. But following the weekend reshuffle, he is a lot more optimistic.
“This is a huge change,” he says. “They have removed the dams of resistance that halted judicial reform. Now I feel they are speeding up the reform finally after long delays.”
If Mr Qassem is right, Mr Sulaiman of Arab News might find an answer to his question sooner than he imagined.
Is stealing sheep a more serious crime than beating your wife to death?” asked Khaled al-Sulaiman, a Saudi columnist writing in Arab News, citing two recent judgments.
In one case, a judge handed down a sentence of two years and 200 lashes to a man who had beaten his wife to death. In the other, a judge sentenced a pair of sheep rustlers to three years in prison and 1,000 lashes.
That Mr Sulaiman had to ask the question reflects growing frustration among Saudis at the pace of a $2bn legal reform initiative proposed by King Abdullah two years ago.
That frustration has reached the top. At the weekend, King Abdullah sacked Saleh al-Lohaidan, head of the supreme judicial council, who has opposed reforms and efforts to codify Islamic law, or Sharia. Last September, Mr Lohaidan issued a fatwa condoning the killing of television station owners who produce or air “immoral content”.
But the problems afflicting Saudi Arabia’s legal system run deeper than one individual. Although every legal system produces anomalous rulings, in most countries lawyers say they can study the reasoning or facts used in a judgment. In Saudi Arabia, where judges rule according to their understanding of Islamic texts, there is no such recourse.
Fearing that judges may be misled by human wisdom, rather than adjudicating directly from religious sources, Saudi Arabia rejects the system of precedent used in common law systems and the extensive civil codes used in civil law systems.
Instead, trial proceedings are generally closed to the public and judicial decisions are not published. Judges can even bar attorneys representing parties from the courtroom if they decide the their presence is unhelpful.
“Transparency is one concern because there are fewer written laws,” says James Dallas, chairman of Denton Wilde Sapte, a law firm in Riyadh. “We try to manage expectations about how quickly things will happen and offer realistic timetables but the situation also forces us to be less dependent on legal remedies.”
Whereas other reforms launched in the kingdom over the past five years have borne fruit, changes to the legal system have moved more slowly. A “Doing Business in the World” report by the World Bank suggests that disputes in Saudi Arabia still require on average 44 procedures and 635 days to resolve.
Experts and diplomats suggest that the powerful and conservative judiciary accounts for the slow pace of change. About 700 judges serve 25m people in a country a fifth the size the US, almost all of them from Bukairiyah, a conservative redoubt in Qassim province.
Mr Lohaidan, for example, had once asserted that adopting civil codes would violate sacred customs that have the same legal authority as other written laws.
It is no surprise that most foreign companies in Saudi Arabia specify that dispute resolution occur in foreign jurisdictions, with a clear preference for London. However, enforcing foreign decisions in Saudi Arabia involves numerous legal procedures and raises the likelihood a judge will change portions of the judgment he deems incompatible with Islamic law, particularly interest penalties – or will start a trial all over again.
King Abdullah has established a supreme court that in theory can reverse judgments and thus rein in more junior judges. But lawyers say that in practice the tribunal has yet to establish its prerogatives.
Last month, Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al al-Sheikh, former justice minister, announced a 30-year strategic plan that includes measures to enhance commercial and intellectual property registration and enforcement.
Mr Al al-Sheikh was moved sideways in the weekend reshuffle. His successor is Mohammed Al-Eissa, previously deputy director of a tribunal to settle commercial disputes, who is described as pro-reform.
Other changes are being tested in pilot phases, and practitioners report new stenographers or computers in use in courts. But lawyers say the time between hearings can still vary from one to three months and, since each matter may involve dozens of hearings, trials can drag on indefinitely. “The situation is much better now than a year ago, but the whole process needs to be streamlined,’’ says Amgad Husein, a partner at Denton Wilde Sapte. “The courts are normally fair but there is a huge lag between decisions and it may take two or more years for a final verdict.”
Abdel Aziz al Qassem, a reformist lawyer, had grown disillusioned about prospects for reform, citing opposition in the judiciary. But following the weekend reshuffle, he is a lot more optimistic.
“This is a huge change,” he says. “They have removed the dams of resistance that halted judicial reform. Now I feel they are speeding up the reform finally after long delays.”
If Mr Qassem is right, Mr Sulaiman of Arab News might find an answer to his question sooner than he imagined.
Saudi Arabia: Analysis: Female minister just one of Saudi king's steps forward
By Nic Robertson
CNN senior international correspondent
(CNN) -- What could be bigger than the appointment of the first female minister in Saudi Arabia?
Possibly the appointment of a new minister of justice who may actually help her get equal rights with her male counterpart.
Right now, Norah al-Faiz, the new deputy minister for women's education, is bound by the same laws as every other woman in the land. She can do only what her closest male relative permits. For many women of her status and education, that law is interpreted liberally, but for the vast majority, it is not.
Over the weekend, at a single stroke, King Abdullah set Saudi Arabia on what appears to be an irreversible new course, one of modernization.
He replaced the conservative ministers of justice and the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice with people closer to his way of thinking. The king also appointed a new head of the central bank, SAMA -- widely seen by financial experts as a wise move -- and brought in young blood and fresh ideas to the Majlis al Shura, the closest thing the country has to a parliament.
That these changes happened should not be a surprise. Since he took over as king in August 2005, when his ailing half-brother Fahd died, King Abdullah has been working quietly to bring about change. Indeed, al-Faiz used to lead the king's Center for National Dialogue, a sort of talking shop that allowed issues such as women's rights to be debated. The hope was that as discussions about change bubbled up in national and regional arenas, they would also filter out to newspapers and onto television.
It's exactly what's been happening. The king is well into his 80s and inherited many ministers and other top officials almost as old as him. Many had been in their posts for decades, and many, unlike the king, held their conservative upbringings more than half a century ago to be models for the country's future.
So when a judge recently upheld the marriage of a 47-year-old man to an 8-year old-girl, there was a public backlash. Why? Because debate about this issue had percolated into the public arena. And suddenly the judge looked out of step with society.
It's not what made the king decide to replace the minister of justice; it just highlights how his steady behind-the-scenes work has helped him outflank the sizeable conservative segment of Saudi society.
What the king and many of his fellow royals have realized for a long time is that no country is an island, least of all one as rich and prosperous as Saudi Arabia. The kingdom's large and rapidly growing young population watches satellite TV, surfs the Internet and chats on Blackberries with friends in Europe, and it expects a different future than the one currently on offer.
The sweeping changes remove some of the ministers most likely to hold back the next generation. The old Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice commission head, who runs the religious police, is an example. He has been replaced with someone closer to the king's thinking, according to a deputy minister I talked with.
The religious police patrol shopping malls and streets, enforcing religious laws such as ones requiring women to keep their heads covered and refrain from talking to men who aren't their relatives. They rile the youngsters who strain for more freedom. But no one is expecting revolutionary change overnight. Saudi Arabia is not about to become a "permissive society."
Religious law, long-held customs and deep religious principles are not up for negotiation. After all, the Saudi king derives respect and authority from his role as "guardian" of Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. To be less than thoroughly religious would not wash, even with Saudi's moderates.
King Abdullah is calculating that he is making change at a pace people can cope with. On a recent visit to a shopping mall where religious police had taken a back seat for the past year, it seemed to me the octogenarian king is just about keeping up. The religious police were in the background, and among young girls in particular, headscarves were gone and lipstick was in bright abundance.
CNN senior international correspondent
(CNN) -- What could be bigger than the appointment of the first female minister in Saudi Arabia?
Possibly the appointment of a new minister of justice who may actually help her get equal rights with her male counterpart.
Right now, Norah al-Faiz, the new deputy minister for women's education, is bound by the same laws as every other woman in the land. She can do only what her closest male relative permits. For many women of her status and education, that law is interpreted liberally, but for the vast majority, it is not.
Over the weekend, at a single stroke, King Abdullah set Saudi Arabia on what appears to be an irreversible new course, one of modernization.
He replaced the conservative ministers of justice and the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice with people closer to his way of thinking. The king also appointed a new head of the central bank, SAMA -- widely seen by financial experts as a wise move -- and brought in young blood and fresh ideas to the Majlis al Shura, the closest thing the country has to a parliament.
That these changes happened should not be a surprise. Since he took over as king in August 2005, when his ailing half-brother Fahd died, King Abdullah has been working quietly to bring about change. Indeed, al-Faiz used to lead the king's Center for National Dialogue, a sort of talking shop that allowed issues such as women's rights to be debated. The hope was that as discussions about change bubbled up in national and regional arenas, they would also filter out to newspapers and onto television.
It's exactly what's been happening. The king is well into his 80s and inherited many ministers and other top officials almost as old as him. Many had been in their posts for decades, and many, unlike the king, held their conservative upbringings more than half a century ago to be models for the country's future.
So when a judge recently upheld the marriage of a 47-year-old man to an 8-year old-girl, there was a public backlash. Why? Because debate about this issue had percolated into the public arena. And suddenly the judge looked out of step with society.
It's not what made the king decide to replace the minister of justice; it just highlights how his steady behind-the-scenes work has helped him outflank the sizeable conservative segment of Saudi society.
What the king and many of his fellow royals have realized for a long time is that no country is an island, least of all one as rich and prosperous as Saudi Arabia. The kingdom's large and rapidly growing young population watches satellite TV, surfs the Internet and chats on Blackberries with friends in Europe, and it expects a different future than the one currently on offer.
The sweeping changes remove some of the ministers most likely to hold back the next generation. The old Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice commission head, who runs the religious police, is an example. He has been replaced with someone closer to the king's thinking, according to a deputy minister I talked with.
The religious police patrol shopping malls and streets, enforcing religious laws such as ones requiring women to keep their heads covered and refrain from talking to men who aren't their relatives. They rile the youngsters who strain for more freedom. But no one is expecting revolutionary change overnight. Saudi Arabia is not about to become a "permissive society."
Religious law, long-held customs and deep religious principles are not up for negotiation. After all, the Saudi king derives respect and authority from his role as "guardian" of Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. To be less than thoroughly religious would not wash, even with Saudi's moderates.
King Abdullah is calculating that he is making change at a pace people can cope with. On a recent visit to a shopping mall where religious police had taken a back seat for the past year, it seemed to me the octogenarian king is just about keeping up. The religious police were in the background, and among young girls in particular, headscarves were gone and lipstick was in bright abundance.
Saudi Arabia: Appoints first female minister
Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
The Guardian, Monday 16 February 2009
An expert on girls' education became Saudi Arabia's first woman minister on Saturday as part of a wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle by King Abdullah that swept aside several bastions of ultra-conservatism.
Nora bint Abdullah al-Fayez, a US-educated former teacher, was made deputy education minister in charge of a new department for female students, a significant breakthrough in a country where women are not allowed to drive.
"This is an honour not only for me but for all Saudi women. In the presence of a comprehensive operational team, I believe I'll be able to face challenges and create positive change," she told Arab News. Fayez said she would study the state of girls' education in Saudi Arabia before commenting on the task before her.
In his first reshuffle since assuming the throne in 2005, King Abdullah also replaced two powerful enemies of reform, the chief of the Saudi religious police, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith, and the country's most senior judge, Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan. Ghaith, who runs the commission for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice, known as the mutawa, which enforces bans on alcohol and drugs, has gained a reputation for brutality. Luhaydan ruled last year that it was permissible to kill owners of satellite television channels broadcasting "immoral" programmes. Several other hardline judges were sacked as part of a challenge against the kingdom's hardline religious establishment.
The grand Ulema commission, an influential grouping of religious scholars, will be reconfigured and opened to moderate clerics, breaking the grip of the ultra-conservatives.
King Abdullah also appointed a new head of a 150-seat consultative body, the Shura council, and replaced his ministers of education, health, justice and information.
Abdul Aziz al-Khoja, the new information minister, said: "The most important thing is that the kingdom's voice should reach the entire world, convey the message of peace and stability and portray the kingdom's stance of moderation, tolerance and flexibility."
He told the Saudi Gazette he was open to debate with the country's journalists and intellectuals, adding: "I welcome their opinions and suggestions because they constitute the pillar of the Saudi media and represent the shining face of the country within and outside the kingdom."
The reshuffle was broadly welcomed in the Saudi press, with the Saudi Gazette calling it a "boost for reform" and al-Hayat describing the changes as "bold reform".
Saudi schools have long been criticised as breeding grounds for extremism, and the monarchy's western allies are likely to claim the reshuffle as a sign that the kingdom has the capacity to reform itself.
"This is the true start of the promises of reform," said Jamal Khashoggi, editor of al-Watan newspaper. "They bring not only new blood, but also new ideas."
The Guardian, Monday 16 February 2009
An expert on girls' education became Saudi Arabia's first woman minister on Saturday as part of a wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle by King Abdullah that swept aside several bastions of ultra-conservatism.
Nora bint Abdullah al-Fayez, a US-educated former teacher, was made deputy education minister in charge of a new department for female students, a significant breakthrough in a country where women are not allowed to drive.
"This is an honour not only for me but for all Saudi women. In the presence of a comprehensive operational team, I believe I'll be able to face challenges and create positive change," she told Arab News. Fayez said she would study the state of girls' education in Saudi Arabia before commenting on the task before her.
In his first reshuffle since assuming the throne in 2005, King Abdullah also replaced two powerful enemies of reform, the chief of the Saudi religious police, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Ghaith, and the country's most senior judge, Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan. Ghaith, who runs the commission for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice, known as the mutawa, which enforces bans on alcohol and drugs, has gained a reputation for brutality. Luhaydan ruled last year that it was permissible to kill owners of satellite television channels broadcasting "immoral" programmes. Several other hardline judges were sacked as part of a challenge against the kingdom's hardline religious establishment.
The grand Ulema commission, an influential grouping of religious scholars, will be reconfigured and opened to moderate clerics, breaking the grip of the ultra-conservatives.
King Abdullah also appointed a new head of a 150-seat consultative body, the Shura council, and replaced his ministers of education, health, justice and information.
Abdul Aziz al-Khoja, the new information minister, said: "The most important thing is that the kingdom's voice should reach the entire world, convey the message of peace and stability and portray the kingdom's stance of moderation, tolerance and flexibility."
He told the Saudi Gazette he was open to debate with the country's journalists and intellectuals, adding: "I welcome their opinions and suggestions because they constitute the pillar of the Saudi media and represent the shining face of the country within and outside the kingdom."
The reshuffle was broadly welcomed in the Saudi press, with the Saudi Gazette calling it a "boost for reform" and al-Hayat describing the changes as "bold reform".
Saudi schools have long been criticised as breeding grounds for extremism, and the monarchy's western allies are likely to claim the reshuffle as a sign that the kingdom has the capacity to reform itself.
"This is the true start of the promises of reform," said Jamal Khashoggi, editor of al-Watan newspaper. "They bring not only new blood, but also new ideas."
Friday, February 13, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Women graduates leave Kingdom for GCC jobs
By Aysha Afifi, Saudi Gazette
RIYADH – Many Saudi female graduates are being forced to look for jobs in neighboring countries as there are not enough opportunities for them in the Kingdom, Dr. Salwa Al-Khateeb, a King Saud University professor, said here Wednesday.
She said the number of unemployed female Saudi graduates has been increasing every year because of a lack of opportunities for them. This explains, she said, the trend of seeking jobs in neighboring countries. Several women graduates have now taken up teaching assignments in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, she said.
Official statistics, she said, show that 176,000 Saudi women graduates are unemployed which represents an unemployment rate of 26 percent. “Only 500,000 out of five million Saudi women have jobs. This shows that the total workforce of Saudi women in the Kingdom is only 10 percent which is the lowest in the world,” Dr. Al-Khateeb said.
The statistics also show that the majority of Saudi working women are employed by the government and occupy 31.1 percent of all public sector jobs. Most of these women work in the field of education, health and social affairs, she added.
Dr. Al-Khateeb said that Saudi working women are prevented from assuming an effective role in public life by social obstacles, such as, a lack of work culture, discipline, family cooperation and transportation.
She said that there are also professional obstacles facing Saudi working women, such as, the low scientific standard of the graduates and their lack of training and experience.
To overcome these deficiencies, Dr. Al-Khateeb suggested the introduction of new specializations in higher education to meet the requirements of the labor market, as well as establishing rules to protect working women.
She said that the government has always been keen on devoting a large portion of its budget to the development of human resources which is why in the 7th Five-Year Development Plan it allocated 57.1 percent for the development of human resources.
However, there is a need for more attention to be given to women because the high rate of women’s unemployment will definitely affect society’s growth and progress, she added.
She said the issue of women’s work is receiving due attention by researchers specialized in different aspects of human sciences, such as, sociology, education and anthropology, but that there are few studies on the employment of women in the private sector. – SG
RIYADH – Many Saudi female graduates are being forced to look for jobs in neighboring countries as there are not enough opportunities for them in the Kingdom, Dr. Salwa Al-Khateeb, a King Saud University professor, said here Wednesday.
She said the number of unemployed female Saudi graduates has been increasing every year because of a lack of opportunities for them. This explains, she said, the trend of seeking jobs in neighboring countries. Several women graduates have now taken up teaching assignments in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, she said.
Official statistics, she said, show that 176,000 Saudi women graduates are unemployed which represents an unemployment rate of 26 percent. “Only 500,000 out of five million Saudi women have jobs. This shows that the total workforce of Saudi women in the Kingdom is only 10 percent which is the lowest in the world,” Dr. Al-Khateeb said.
The statistics also show that the majority of Saudi working women are employed by the government and occupy 31.1 percent of all public sector jobs. Most of these women work in the field of education, health and social affairs, she added.
Dr. Al-Khateeb said that Saudi working women are prevented from assuming an effective role in public life by social obstacles, such as, a lack of work culture, discipline, family cooperation and transportation.
She said that there are also professional obstacles facing Saudi working women, such as, the low scientific standard of the graduates and their lack of training and experience.
To overcome these deficiencies, Dr. Al-Khateeb suggested the introduction of new specializations in higher education to meet the requirements of the labor market, as well as establishing rules to protect working women.
She said that the government has always been keen on devoting a large portion of its budget to the development of human resources which is why in the 7th Five-Year Development Plan it allocated 57.1 percent for the development of human resources.
However, there is a need for more attention to be given to women because the high rate of women’s unemployment will definitely affect society’s growth and progress, she added.
She said the issue of women’s work is receiving due attention by researchers specialized in different aspects of human sciences, such as, sociology, education and anthropology, but that there are few studies on the employment of women in the private sector. – SG
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Jordan: 52 women seeking legal guidance contact complaint office
By Rana Husseini, Jordan Times
AMMAN - Twenty-eight-year-old Amal is bullied by her alcoholic and drug-addicted husband almost on a daily basis.
The mother of a three-year-old child does not want to break up her family and is only seeking a peaceful solution to her quandary.
She resorted to the Women’s Complaint Office, which started operation in October 2008, but which was officially launched by HRH Princess Basma Wednesday.
Amal, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, is one of 52 women who have already contacted the establishment seeking legal help and advice, according to Juliana Turjman, a social worker at the complaint office which is operated by the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) and supported by Freedom House.
“Amal visited our office seeking help and we are currently examining her case to determine how to solve her problem and refer her to the proper institute for help,” said Turjman in a telephone interview.
Most of the calls or visits focused on the Citizenship Law, domestic abuse and labour matters, such as arbitrary dismissal and gender discrimination, according to Turjman.
Another woman who called the office recently is 30-year-old Shrouq (not her real name), a mother of three who has been married to a Syrian and is struggling to keep her children in school since the law does not recognise them as Jordanian citizens.
“Shrouq is one of many cases that reflect the difficult life faced by most Jordanian women married to foreigners,” Turjman told The Jordan Times.
She said the office is trying to help her and has started compiling data to find out the number of women who seek their help in cases related to the Citizenship Law.
Women calling the hotline for other problems are offered guidance and if their case does not fall within the jurisdiction of the complaint office, they are directed to other NGOs, Turjman added.
“The JNCW’s move in establishing the complaint office is of great importance and value since it represents an institutional commitment to combat many challenges including violence against women,” Princess Basma said at the official launch of the office on Wednesday.
She added that she hoped the complaint office would become a reference and a well-known entity for women to resort to when they are subjected to any form of abuse or discrimination.
“Thanks to this initiative, we can all join hands and take more positive steps towards helping women actively participate in their own society free from violence,” added the Princess, who is chairperson of the JNCW.
Princess Basma also announced that the JNCW will work to open more offices in its 50 branches across the Kingdom “so that women can feel safe, knowing that they can convey their complaints easily”.
The office will also be responsible for collecting national data on violence against women, issuing an annual report with its findings and enhancing women’s ability in solving their problems.
The goal is to formulate a national strategy that would determine what actions should be taken to eliminate violence against women.
In addition, it will work to provide an accurate annual statistics report on violence and discrimination against women and recommend solutions at the national level.
At yesterday’s launch, USAID Mission Director Jay Knott described the complaint office as “a milestone achievement” for women’s advancement in Jordan.
“Women’s issues are the core of development and cut across all sectors, including health, education, economic growth and governance. USAID strives to ensure that these issues are part of all the work we do in Jordan,” said Knott, noting that this has been true for all 60 years of the United States’ partnership with Jordan.
“We at USAID remain committed to continued cooperation with Princess Basma and all of the organisations and people who are working to advance women’s rights,” he added, praising the Princess’ contributions to the “economic, social and political advancement of women in Jordan”.
Freedom House representative Lama Khreis said her office decided to support the project following an evaluation study in 2007, which indicated there is an urgent need for such a service in Jordan.
“The majority of organisations and individuals we interviewed for the evaluation study unanimously agreed that such an office is a national need to help and guide women in need,” she said in her address at the gathering.
Contact info
Women seeking guidance on various issues can call the Women’s Complaint Office toll free number 080022955, send a fax to its landline 5520395 or log onto the website wcbinfo@jncw.jo and send their complaints via e-mail.
The line will initially run for eight hours daily, expanding to 24 hours in the near future.
AMMAN - Twenty-eight-year-old Amal is bullied by her alcoholic and drug-addicted husband almost on a daily basis.
The mother of a three-year-old child does not want to break up her family and is only seeking a peaceful solution to her quandary.
She resorted to the Women’s Complaint Office, which started operation in October 2008, but which was officially launched by HRH Princess Basma Wednesday.
Amal, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, is one of 52 women who have already contacted the establishment seeking legal help and advice, according to Juliana Turjman, a social worker at the complaint office which is operated by the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) and supported by Freedom House.
“Amal visited our office seeking help and we are currently examining her case to determine how to solve her problem and refer her to the proper institute for help,” said Turjman in a telephone interview.
Most of the calls or visits focused on the Citizenship Law, domestic abuse and labour matters, such as arbitrary dismissal and gender discrimination, according to Turjman.
Another woman who called the office recently is 30-year-old Shrouq (not her real name), a mother of three who has been married to a Syrian and is struggling to keep her children in school since the law does not recognise them as Jordanian citizens.
“Shrouq is one of many cases that reflect the difficult life faced by most Jordanian women married to foreigners,” Turjman told The Jordan Times.
She said the office is trying to help her and has started compiling data to find out the number of women who seek their help in cases related to the Citizenship Law.
Women calling the hotline for other problems are offered guidance and if their case does not fall within the jurisdiction of the complaint office, they are directed to other NGOs, Turjman added.
“The JNCW’s move in establishing the complaint office is of great importance and value since it represents an institutional commitment to combat many challenges including violence against women,” Princess Basma said at the official launch of the office on Wednesday.
She added that she hoped the complaint office would become a reference and a well-known entity for women to resort to when they are subjected to any form of abuse or discrimination.
“Thanks to this initiative, we can all join hands and take more positive steps towards helping women actively participate in their own society free from violence,” added the Princess, who is chairperson of the JNCW.
Princess Basma also announced that the JNCW will work to open more offices in its 50 branches across the Kingdom “so that women can feel safe, knowing that they can convey their complaints easily”.
The office will also be responsible for collecting national data on violence against women, issuing an annual report with its findings and enhancing women’s ability in solving their problems.
The goal is to formulate a national strategy that would determine what actions should be taken to eliminate violence against women.
In addition, it will work to provide an accurate annual statistics report on violence and discrimination against women and recommend solutions at the national level.
At yesterday’s launch, USAID Mission Director Jay Knott described the complaint office as “a milestone achievement” for women’s advancement in Jordan.
“Women’s issues are the core of development and cut across all sectors, including health, education, economic growth and governance. USAID strives to ensure that these issues are part of all the work we do in Jordan,” said Knott, noting that this has been true for all 60 years of the United States’ partnership with Jordan.
“We at USAID remain committed to continued cooperation with Princess Basma and all of the organisations and people who are working to advance women’s rights,” he added, praising the Princess’ contributions to the “economic, social and political advancement of women in Jordan”.
Freedom House representative Lama Khreis said her office decided to support the project following an evaluation study in 2007, which indicated there is an urgent need for such a service in Jordan.
“The majority of organisations and individuals we interviewed for the evaluation study unanimously agreed that such an office is a national need to help and guide women in need,” she said in her address at the gathering.
Contact info
Women seeking guidance on various issues can call the Women’s Complaint Office toll free number 080022955, send a fax to its landline 5520395 or log onto the website wcbinfo@jncw.jo and send their complaints via e-mail.
The line will initially run for eight hours daily, expanding to 24 hours in the near future.
Yemen: Minimum age for marriage set at 17
By: Nadia Al-Sakkaf, Yemen Times
SANA’A, Feb. 11 — Nojood, 10, Arwa, 9, and Reem, 13, are three girls who went through traumatizing ordeals after being forced into marriage by their families. The three girls’ stories have been an issue of debate in social sessions, conferences and the media. But most importantly the matter was discussed in Parliament, where members have finally approved setting the minimum age for marriage for both boys and girls at 17 years old.
The new law stipulates:
“No child under seventeen years of age is to be married, unless the marriage is seen in the best interest of the child by the judge. The girl’s guardian who violates this law will be penalized. The judge conducting the marriage has to present the marriage document within one month of the marriage at most to the concerned body and the marriage contract must include related documents such as birth certificate, dowry and identity cards. The guardian of either the wife or husband will be financially penalized if they do not register the marriage certificate within the mentioned period. No marriage is to be carried out at any age without the consent of the woman.”
“It is a grand achievement for both women and men in Yemen,” said Hooria Mashour,deputy chairperson of the Women National Committee.
She excitedly agreed that such legislation will help promote better education and health of the citizen and will contribute to the development of the country as a whole.
“I am grateful to all the courageous people who fight for women’s rights, and I am especially thankful to the men in the parliament that helped pass this law,” she added.
Shaqi Al-Qadhi, Member of Parliament (MP) and strong advocate for women’s rights said that the law amendments is only the beginning.
“Now we need civil society organizations, lawyer syndicates and anyone interested in women’s development to propose procedural steps and a detailed system for implementing this law,” he said.
MP Dr. Abdulbari Al-Doghaish said that there has been a change in the mentality of many MPs and people in general towards the issues of women.
Al-Qadhi agrees with this notion, “I believe that now we can say that Yemeni society understands that women’s rights are a case of humanity and not an imported concept from the West.”
This law comes a few weeks before the fourth annual women’s conference which is organized by the Women National Committee.
“This is the best gift Parliament can give to women on their national day,” says Mashour.
More reasons to celebrate
The law to define the minimum age for marriage is not the only reason for Yemeni women to celebrate.
The parliament passed this amendment among a set of legislations concerning women and children in two laws, civil status law number 14 for the year 2002 and civil status law number 20 for the year 1992.
The amendments include facilitations of pre-marital medical checks regarding genetic faults, dangerous diseases or health risks.
Amendments also conditioned polygamy to the practical ability of a husband being fair and able to support both families. Fairness is included in all aspects, such as time spent with each wife, housing and logistics. The first wife also has to be legally notified of his intention of marrying another to allow them to make future decisions.
Amendments included technicalities in the marriage procedure and contracts which clarify the issue of consent among other issues.
Divorced women also benefit from the new amendments as the law today clearly stipulates women’s right to alimony for her children even if the divorce is permanent.
Custody of children is exclusively granted to the mother for the first twelve years of the children’s life whether boys or girls, unless the judge sees that the best interest of the child lies elsewhere.
A divorced mother with children has the right to a suitable residence to be provided for by the father of the child.
The new amendments also recognizes the mother as the sole guardian of orphaned children if is seen fit to shoulder this responsibility by a judge.
Once orphaned children reach puberty, a judge can test their maturity and entrust their inheritance to them if he considers them responsible enough.
SANA’A, Feb. 11 — Nojood, 10, Arwa, 9, and Reem, 13, are three girls who went through traumatizing ordeals after being forced into marriage by their families. The three girls’ stories have been an issue of debate in social sessions, conferences and the media. But most importantly the matter was discussed in Parliament, where members have finally approved setting the minimum age for marriage for both boys and girls at 17 years old.
The new law stipulates:
“No child under seventeen years of age is to be married, unless the marriage is seen in the best interest of the child by the judge. The girl’s guardian who violates this law will be penalized. The judge conducting the marriage has to present the marriage document within one month of the marriage at most to the concerned body and the marriage contract must include related documents such as birth certificate, dowry and identity cards. The guardian of either the wife or husband will be financially penalized if they do not register the marriage certificate within the mentioned period. No marriage is to be carried out at any age without the consent of the woman.”
“It is a grand achievement for both women and men in Yemen,” said Hooria Mashour,deputy chairperson of the Women National Committee.
She excitedly agreed that such legislation will help promote better education and health of the citizen and will contribute to the development of the country as a whole.
“I am grateful to all the courageous people who fight for women’s rights, and I am especially thankful to the men in the parliament that helped pass this law,” she added.
Shaqi Al-Qadhi, Member of Parliament (MP) and strong advocate for women’s rights said that the law amendments is only the beginning.
“Now we need civil society organizations, lawyer syndicates and anyone interested in women’s development to propose procedural steps and a detailed system for implementing this law,” he said.
MP Dr. Abdulbari Al-Doghaish said that there has been a change in the mentality of many MPs and people in general towards the issues of women.
Al-Qadhi agrees with this notion, “I believe that now we can say that Yemeni society understands that women’s rights are a case of humanity and not an imported concept from the West.”
This law comes a few weeks before the fourth annual women’s conference which is organized by the Women National Committee.
“This is the best gift Parliament can give to women on their national day,” says Mashour.
More reasons to celebrate
The law to define the minimum age for marriage is not the only reason for Yemeni women to celebrate.
The parliament passed this amendment among a set of legislations concerning women and children in two laws, civil status law number 14 for the year 2002 and civil status law number 20 for the year 1992.
The amendments include facilitations of pre-marital medical checks regarding genetic faults, dangerous diseases or health risks.
Amendments also conditioned polygamy to the practical ability of a husband being fair and able to support both families. Fairness is included in all aspects, such as time spent with each wife, housing and logistics. The first wife also has to be legally notified of his intention of marrying another to allow them to make future decisions.
Amendments included technicalities in the marriage procedure and contracts which clarify the issue of consent among other issues.
Divorced women also benefit from the new amendments as the law today clearly stipulates women’s right to alimony for her children even if the divorce is permanent.
Custody of children is exclusively granted to the mother for the first twelve years of the children’s life whether boys or girls, unless the judge sees that the best interest of the child lies elsewhere.
A divorced mother with children has the right to a suitable residence to be provided for by the father of the child.
The new amendments also recognizes the mother as the sole guardian of orphaned children if is seen fit to shoulder this responsibility by a judge.
Once orphaned children reach puberty, a judge can test their maturity and entrust their inheritance to them if he considers them responsible enough.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Yemen: WNC appeals parties to nominate women in upcoming parliamentary elections
SANA'A, Feb. 11 (Saba)- The Women National Committee appealed on Wednesday all political parties and organizations in Yemen to support women issues at all levels, coming on top the political empowerment of women and their right to be nominated for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
In a statement issued by the WNC, the committed thanked all heads and secretary generals of all political parties and organizations for their efforts exerted in support for women issues.
"Since the unification of Yemen, there has been a great interest by the parties at the local level to improve women issues and ensure their rights are fulfilled," the statement reads.
The committee affirmed in the statement its commitment by the quota system and presented a proposal within procedures to ensure a proportion of no less than 15% in the Parliament as women representatives.
Saba News
In a statement issued by the WNC, the committed thanked all heads and secretary generals of all political parties and organizations for their efforts exerted in support for women issues.
"Since the unification of Yemen, there has been a great interest by the parties at the local level to improve women issues and ensure their rights are fulfilled," the statement reads.
The committee affirmed in the statement its commitment by the quota system and presented a proposal within procedures to ensure a proportion of no less than 15% in the Parliament as women representatives.
Saba News
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Yemen: Women should be guaranteed 21 Parliamentary seats, Minister
Raghda Gamal, Yemen Observer
In the coming elections, Yemeni women should be guaranteed 21 seats in parliament, said the Minister of Human Rights Huda al-Ban, explaining the quota system. Al-Ban made her announcement during a press conference held to launch the training program, titled “Journalists for Human Rights” (JHR), which is being organized by the Media Women Forum, in cooperation with the MEPI.
During her address, she said there was a high expectation among many journalists who participated in this program, either in the field of human rights, or in support of women in the coming elections. She also added that the problems facing Yemeni women are not related to the political leadership or Yemeni law, but rather to the community, who fails to accept women in specific areas of political life. She confirmed that the Ministry of Human Rights welcomes any partnership with civil society organizations, and the media in dealing with information about human rights cases, and women’s issues in particular. She called on journalists to familiarize themselves with the system of human rights, and the principle of freedom of expression.
Wedad al-Badawi the Vice-Chairwoman of (MWF) said that the program hoped to form a group of qualified journalists, who would support human rights issues in Yemen by teaching these journalists the basics of international human rights and local laws. Al-Badawi thanked al-Ban for her continued support, and confirmed that this program came out of a need to create local community awareness surrounding women’s issues and human rights. The program also aimed to present a clearer picture about the kinds of social, local laws and international conventions surrounding women’s issues. The project will work over the whole year with 30 journalists from eight different provinces, with the aim of training participants. The MWF has invited individual’s active in Yemeni civil society and experienced journalists in the field of human rights.
The journalist Nebras Ammer discusses the problems facing her as a Yemeni journalist, especially from some Yemeni men who take important decisions while chewing Qat, an environment from which women are excluded. In related news, the MWF organized, during the same day, a fourth activity to enhance the strategic development of the forum over the next three years. This was achieved though the establishment of a workshop to discuss the aspirations of Yemen’s media women, and what they hoped to gain from the media and the Forum. The meeting was attended by a number of journalists.
In the coming elections, Yemeni women should be guaranteed 21 seats in parliament, said the Minister of Human Rights Huda al-Ban, explaining the quota system. Al-Ban made her announcement during a press conference held to launch the training program, titled “Journalists for Human Rights” (JHR), which is being organized by the Media Women Forum, in cooperation with the MEPI.
During her address, she said there was a high expectation among many journalists who participated in this program, either in the field of human rights, or in support of women in the coming elections. She also added that the problems facing Yemeni women are not related to the political leadership or Yemeni law, but rather to the community, who fails to accept women in specific areas of political life. She confirmed that the Ministry of Human Rights welcomes any partnership with civil society organizations, and the media in dealing with information about human rights cases, and women’s issues in particular. She called on journalists to familiarize themselves with the system of human rights, and the principle of freedom of expression.
Wedad al-Badawi the Vice-Chairwoman of (MWF) said that the program hoped to form a group of qualified journalists, who would support human rights issues in Yemen by teaching these journalists the basics of international human rights and local laws. Al-Badawi thanked al-Ban for her continued support, and confirmed that this program came out of a need to create local community awareness surrounding women’s issues and human rights. The program also aimed to present a clearer picture about the kinds of social, local laws and international conventions surrounding women’s issues. The project will work over the whole year with 30 journalists from eight different provinces, with the aim of training participants. The MWF has invited individual’s active in Yemeni civil society and experienced journalists in the field of human rights.
The journalist Nebras Ammer discusses the problems facing her as a Yemeni journalist, especially from some Yemeni men who take important decisions while chewing Qat, an environment from which women are excluded. In related news, the MWF organized, during the same day, a fourth activity to enhance the strategic development of the forum over the next three years. This was achieved though the establishment of a workshop to discuss the aspirations of Yemen’s media women, and what they hoped to gain from the media and the Forum. The meeting was attended by a number of journalists.
Jordan: Government lifts reservations on guaranteeing women’s freedoms
The Cabinet has decided to lift its reservations on paragraph four of Article 15 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), related to women’s mobility. Lifting the reservation was a demand women activists have strongly advocated for, and called on the government to lift the two remaining reservations. In July 1992, the Kingdom signed the convention, which was ratified and published in the Official Gazette in August 2007, with three reservations related to the citizenship, housing and women’s mobility clauses.
- Jordan Times
- Jordan Times
Monday, February 9, 2009
Jordan: Projects seeking to ensure women’s welfare in the pipeline
AMMAN (JT) - Several projects will be implemented across the Kingdom to protect the welfare of women under a memorandum of understanding signed between the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) and UNFPA Sunday. NCFA Secretary General Muna Idris said the memo entails cooperation in the field of protecting families from violence and safeguarding women’s rights, according to an NCFA statement. Established in 2001, the NCFA is a civil society organisation chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania that seeks to support, coordinate and facilitates the work institutions involved in the field of family affairs.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Egypt: Women break new ground at the mosque
CAIRO, Egypt -- Amira Khairy is mobbed by housewives kissing her cheeks in greeting as she arrives to give a lesson on reciting the Quran to women at the Al-Sedeeq mosque in a Cairo suburb. Students set up chairs for the class, and soon the hum of chanting female voices fills one of the building's larger chambers.
Up to a 1,000 women may show up for the Quran lessons or twice-weekly religious lectures by women. On any given day, several hundred women buzz around the mosque, organizing clothing drives, cooking meals for the poor or teaching women to read. Al-Sedeeq also has medical clinics and a day care center for children of women who do volunteer work at the mosque.
All the activities are organized by women _ not the mosque's male administrators. On one recent day, the only men seen in the building were workers doing renovations and worshippers who popped in to perform one of the five daily prayers required by Islam.
It's a startling sight in Egypt, where mosques have long been a man's realm. The few Egyptian women who appeared at mosques in the past had come to pray _ usually in small, partitioned-off corners _ or to make appeals at the shrines of holy figures, hoping for marriage, pregnancy or good grades for their children.
While men often socialize in mosques, women have traditionally been encouraged to practice their religion at home, where they can care for their children and husband.
"When I was young, we wouldn't even go to pray in the mosque," said Khairy, the teacher. "It was a place for us to tour on holidays, like visitors."
Now, with religiosity increasing in Egypt overall, more women want to engage in public prayer, increase their knowledge of Islam and do volunteer work in the community. Many Egyptian women already have had to balance their traditional place in the home with public roles at universities and jobs, so they tend to ask, "Why not a place in the mosque as well?"
These women aren't Western-style feminists seeking to change the faith's teachings on women. But their presence is challenging assumptions on women's place and turning some mosques into women-friendly social hubs.
While no statistics exist on the increasing number of Egyptian women praying outside the home, several religious scholars in Cairo say there's a clear trend of more women attending mosques and playing a greater religious role.
Khairy is typical of many of the new breed of religious women. She is in her 50s, studied engineering at university but rather than pursue a career, she married and stayed home to care for her children. About 10 years ago, she wanted to deepen her faith, so she and a group of women started meeting in each other's homes to memorize the Quran.
More women joined the study circle, and several years ago they began meeting at the newly built Al-Sedeeq mosque, near Cairo's international airport. They found a woman with an Islamic studies degree who volunteered to give lectures on how to pray and perform other rituals and on why women should wear the hijab, or head scarf.
As hundreds of women from across Cairo joined in, the charity projects multiplied. The women are now so organized that the volunteers wear a uniform _ white scarf and blue dress.
The Al-Sedeeq mosque's administrators expanded its women's section to accommodate the volunteers. But not all are so welcoming.
Egypt is one of the most progressive Middle East nations on the issue of women attending mosques. In the Persian Gulf, many mosques have no space dedicated to women, and more women can be seen at prayers or Friday sermons in Egypt than in many other Arab countries.
Still, Egyptian women are often told, even by some female Islamic thinkers, that they should stay at home.
"The best place for a woman to pray remains her house," said one of them, Souad Saleh, who teaches at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, the pre-eminent Sunni Muslim institution for Islamic studies.
"It is better spiritually and generally more appropriate, since she will always be distracted by her children. There is really no need for women to go to the mosque," Saleh said.
Mosque administrators are universally male and many still are reluctant to allocate greater space to women, saying more men attend prayers. At most mosques, women must enter through side doors, and women's sections are not always air-conditioned or carpeted. Women often face complaints about the noise and distraction their children bring to the mosque.
But Abdel-Moeti Bayoumi, a theology professor at Al-Azhar University, says men must realize times are changing.
"I always tell men that the days of locking up women away from society and useful work or study is backward and dangerous," he said. "It is not permitted in Islam to prevent a woman from praying in the mosque."
Najah Naji, a 22-year-old woman who tries to visit different mosques around Cairo to pray and study, says she is often told the women's prayer section is closed or otherwise unavailable.
"Men feel like the leadership will be taken from underneath them," said Naji, who has memorized the Quran. "Even an educated man is raised with a mother who stayed at home and served his father, so he'd be worried I wouldn't be able to do the same for him. It's going to take a lot of time for that attitude to change."
The Al-Sedeeq mosque is one of the most dramatic examples of women taking a bigger role. More often, small groups of women make forays into modest neighborhood mosques.
At a tiny mosque tucked between apartment buildings near the Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of Greater Cairo, Hana Mohammed sits with a group of 12 older women. They cram into a small room every week to share stories, exchange news of grandchildren, vent about their lives at home and recite the Quran.
"The mosque is a softer place now that women have entered it," said Mohammed. "If a woman in need comes for help she'd never knock on the door if only men were inside."
Mohammed said she has taught women to read and to pray, as well as counseled young women about marriage.
"Women realized there was more to life than just cooking and taking care of a husband," said Mohammed. "Women wanted to understand how her faith really was a way of life _ why did she have to wear hijab, why were men allowed to marry four women."
Members of Mohammed's circle said a woman with several university degrees and a career shouldn't be told she can't enter a mosque. They said it's the education of women _ either in secular or religious studies _ that has emboldened them to demand change.
"Women started to force themselves on the mosque because they realized their faith allowed them to do so," said Mohammed. "It was a religious awakening. We understood we could do it, so we did."
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI
The Associated Press
Up to a 1,000 women may show up for the Quran lessons or twice-weekly religious lectures by women. On any given day, several hundred women buzz around the mosque, organizing clothing drives, cooking meals for the poor or teaching women to read. Al-Sedeeq also has medical clinics and a day care center for children of women who do volunteer work at the mosque.
All the activities are organized by women _ not the mosque's male administrators. On one recent day, the only men seen in the building were workers doing renovations and worshippers who popped in to perform one of the five daily prayers required by Islam.
It's a startling sight in Egypt, where mosques have long been a man's realm. The few Egyptian women who appeared at mosques in the past had come to pray _ usually in small, partitioned-off corners _ or to make appeals at the shrines of holy figures, hoping for marriage, pregnancy or good grades for their children.
While men often socialize in mosques, women have traditionally been encouraged to practice their religion at home, where they can care for their children and husband.
"When I was young, we wouldn't even go to pray in the mosque," said Khairy, the teacher. "It was a place for us to tour on holidays, like visitors."
Now, with religiosity increasing in Egypt overall, more women want to engage in public prayer, increase their knowledge of Islam and do volunteer work in the community. Many Egyptian women already have had to balance their traditional place in the home with public roles at universities and jobs, so they tend to ask, "Why not a place in the mosque as well?"
These women aren't Western-style feminists seeking to change the faith's teachings on women. But their presence is challenging assumptions on women's place and turning some mosques into women-friendly social hubs.
While no statistics exist on the increasing number of Egyptian women praying outside the home, several religious scholars in Cairo say there's a clear trend of more women attending mosques and playing a greater religious role.
Khairy is typical of many of the new breed of religious women. She is in her 50s, studied engineering at university but rather than pursue a career, she married and stayed home to care for her children. About 10 years ago, she wanted to deepen her faith, so she and a group of women started meeting in each other's homes to memorize the Quran.
More women joined the study circle, and several years ago they began meeting at the newly built Al-Sedeeq mosque, near Cairo's international airport. They found a woman with an Islamic studies degree who volunteered to give lectures on how to pray and perform other rituals and on why women should wear the hijab, or head scarf.
As hundreds of women from across Cairo joined in, the charity projects multiplied. The women are now so organized that the volunteers wear a uniform _ white scarf and blue dress.
The Al-Sedeeq mosque's administrators expanded its women's section to accommodate the volunteers. But not all are so welcoming.
Egypt is one of the most progressive Middle East nations on the issue of women attending mosques. In the Persian Gulf, many mosques have no space dedicated to women, and more women can be seen at prayers or Friday sermons in Egypt than in many other Arab countries.
Still, Egyptian women are often told, even by some female Islamic thinkers, that they should stay at home.
"The best place for a woman to pray remains her house," said one of them, Souad Saleh, who teaches at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, the pre-eminent Sunni Muslim institution for Islamic studies.
"It is better spiritually and generally more appropriate, since she will always be distracted by her children. There is really no need for women to go to the mosque," Saleh said.
Mosque administrators are universally male and many still are reluctant to allocate greater space to women, saying more men attend prayers. At most mosques, women must enter through side doors, and women's sections are not always air-conditioned or carpeted. Women often face complaints about the noise and distraction their children bring to the mosque.
But Abdel-Moeti Bayoumi, a theology professor at Al-Azhar University, says men must realize times are changing.
"I always tell men that the days of locking up women away from society and useful work or study is backward and dangerous," he said. "It is not permitted in Islam to prevent a woman from praying in the mosque."
Najah Naji, a 22-year-old woman who tries to visit different mosques around Cairo to pray and study, says she is often told the women's prayer section is closed or otherwise unavailable.
"Men feel like the leadership will be taken from underneath them," said Naji, who has memorized the Quran. "Even an educated man is raised with a mother who stayed at home and served his father, so he'd be worried I wouldn't be able to do the same for him. It's going to take a lot of time for that attitude to change."
The Al-Sedeeq mosque is one of the most dramatic examples of women taking a bigger role. More often, small groups of women make forays into modest neighborhood mosques.
At a tiny mosque tucked between apartment buildings near the Giza Pyramids on the outskirts of Greater Cairo, Hana Mohammed sits with a group of 12 older women. They cram into a small room every week to share stories, exchange news of grandchildren, vent about their lives at home and recite the Quran.
"The mosque is a softer place now that women have entered it," said Mohammed. "If a woman in need comes for help she'd never knock on the door if only men were inside."
Mohammed said she has taught women to read and to pray, as well as counseled young women about marriage.
"Women realized there was more to life than just cooking and taking care of a husband," said Mohammed. "Women wanted to understand how her faith really was a way of life _ why did she have to wear hijab, why were men allowed to marry four women."
Members of Mohammed's circle said a woman with several university degrees and a career shouldn't be told she can't enter a mosque. They said it's the education of women _ either in secular or religious studies _ that has emboldened them to demand change.
"Women started to force themselves on the mosque because they realized their faith allowed them to do so," said Mohammed. "It was a religious awakening. We understood we could do it, so we did."
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI
The Associated Press
Friday, January 2, 2009
Middle East: Link to WEF 2008 Gender Gap Report
A link the 2008 World Economic Forum Gender Gap report... here.
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