Kuwait: Enter the misogyny
I read a rather depressing article in Kuwait Times about a draft preparation by Salafist MPs concerning the installation of some rather harsh Islamic laws. Islamist MPs propose these kinds of drafts all over the Gulf, even here in Bahrain, so it isn’t really surprising and it’s highly unlikely that such oppressive laws would be passed anyways. But this part of the article was so absurd that it was practically embarrassing to read:
The law will cover different aspects like enforcing the veil and Islamic dress on women, restricting women’s travel without the approval from father or husband. A special committee will be formed to check if women need to travel at all.
That last sentence in particular is hilarious. 3 years after this great news in Kuwait:
2005 May – Parliament approves a law allowing women to vote and run for parliament. In June the first woman cabinet minister, Massouma al-Mubarak, is appointed.
It was followed with this sad news:
2008 May – Radical Islamists make gains in parliamentary elections, winning more than half of the 50 seats. No women are elected.
And these radical Islamists are already trying their best to implement some horrific changes.
But Kuwaiti women are strong, and will never stand for this idiocy.
Or at least let’s hope…
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One of my all-time favourite quotes is
I have had it with being told that I am a lesser being simply because I apparently lack a penis. Whether it’s in the name of religion, cultural norms, or the opinion of a cleric residing in a remote village, and probably afflicted with oedipus syndrome, women are having this bull crap shoved down their throats. 20 year old females are taught to “obey” their 2 year old brothers. We’re told that we’re irrational beings and cannot take care of ourselves – that we are in constant need of protection.
I will readily admit – I can get extremely irrational when bombarded with such absurd claims. And nothing infuriates me more than when a woman parrots these opinions
“Oh, I cannot invite Umm Saleh over to my home because my husband says she’s a harlot for not covering her face. It’s true that I purchased the house with my own money, but the Prophet says us womenfolk are lacking in mental capacities so I must listen and obey.”
Esraa and Kawthar,
I can not agree more with you. Its time that the voice of women is heard and respected. As they are half of the worlds population. We have for thousands of years tried it living in a mans world, and things are not looking that great. Maybe women can offer us news ways of dealing with old never ending issues.
peace and honor to you!
Esra’a, In her Nobel Prize Acceptance Address, Betty Williams said “The voice of women has a special role and a special soul force in the struggle for a non-violent world.” I think you epitomize that statement – bravo.
Esra’a and Kawthar, what do you think is responsible for such dramatic retreats in women’s rights and freedoms? I know you stated, Esra’a, that it is the “radical Islamists” – well, what they are saying must make sense to enough people for them to be elected to 50% of the Parliament seats.
Why don’t we just round up all the women-hating Salafi toolbags and imprison them?
Sigh, Esra’a, if they enforce all those lwas, then they become like Iran at the moment.
These laws are relatively new in the Middle East aren’t they? Didn’t they originate in pre muslim times and are now reemerging? I mean, this is not really something that is really 100% “muslim” right? Respectfully, I’m asking because I don’t know. I heard a story about how one of Muhammad’s wives decided to wear a veil on her own and the custom just grew from there.
I guess Saudi Arabia’s extremism has been rubbing off on neighboring Gulf countries! it is so distressing to read this article from Kuwait.
Actually.. Kuwait will become more like Saudi Arabia!
What a scary thought, Elinor and Rasha. But I think Kuwaiti women are generally too strong to allow that.
There’s no way they would tolerate such changes. These drafts are all talk, and will eventually inspire some real activism on behalf of women. And then these MPs would wish they never talked.
I know how we in the Middle East love forming committees for just about anything, even to discuss matter-of-fact issues, but a committee to check whether women need to travel?!? Just when you think you’ve heard it all…
If such a committee is formed though, the conclusion would probably be “righteous women remain at home, tending to their husband and children…but Islam is the religion of ease should travel be necessary they may only do so with a mahram … yada, yada, yada”.
Esra’a measures as such, kills the spiritual sirit of people. Naturally they get offended and feel hostile toward the ones who are imposing, when religion becomes imposing it wouldn’t have the same impanct, it wouldn’t have pure-hearted followers who believe and act accordingly. Usually religion is the shelter, and people take refuge there when they have their problems, this imposing of the laws would take this shelter away. It will convert the shelter into a jail. That is not fair. I hope that Kuwaiti women oppose and dont let this happen. Kuwaiti women, as Esra’a has mentioned, have a high- profile of activity seeking their rights.
Unfortunately, the gulf region is sandwhiched between Saudi on one side and Iran on da other. Both of them r religious dictatorships and worse yet, both have da money and influence 2 interfere in gulf affairs—remember, wahabi type gulfeez on one hand and shia gulfeez on da other—-i dont know, but i have a very bad feeling that becuz of da war in iraq, there is a silent tug of war going on in da gulf and that whole region is going to fall either in da wahabi camp (saudi) or da shia camp (irani)—it doesnt matter becuz both r evil becuz of their respective radical versions of islam. i care only about dubai becuz it is one da few open and prosperous cities in da muslim world, both socially and economically—it is also, thank god, a shariah-free zone but im really scared that da few coming yrs may reverse all that especially if there is another war in that region,ie, US vs Iran or something like that.
Jassi, one thing more I want to add to your comment is that the people who think otheriwse, they leave the region. Then it is all left to the extremists to rule and set theri own rules.
Women are too nice, and fail to analyse the nature of the threat. Even right wing leaders such as George Bush cannot grasp the true nature of Salafism.
In the West, stalkers, child molesters, rapists and sadistic sexual murderers of women are the most despised and reviled group in society. The charm and beauty of Aryan women creates intensly strong protective instincts towards them. We want women on top because we know it is the natural order of things.
In contrast, the Salafist model in the Islamic world elevates this despised group into a position of honour and power. Islamicism represents a form of organised, politicised sexual criminality. The trouble with this is that when Westerners see beautiful young women have their teeth and eyes smashed to a pulp during stoning by these politically santioned sadistic sex criminals, they have no problem seeing Palestinian women and children exterminated by Israel. Arab women MUST take up arms and kill these political sex criminals before they spout more poison. Otherwise their whole population will be at risk of collective punishment by the advanced Aryan nations.
Aryans? Women are nice?
What are you on?
Kawthar,
I guess he was talking of women of Arid and semi-Arid terrains. When it comes to Middle East we have no more races, the time that we had the whole West like a peice of cheese in our very large mouths, we made a salad of our race and culture, you can find traces of all the existing races and religions of today and the past within the borders of our Middle East, from the beautiful shores of the Mediterrainian sea to the warmest of tides that belong to the Arabina seas. Murder is in the blood of all human beings, if you read the old scriptures you wll read about how brothers treated one another, tyhose were our forefathers and we are no better, if not worse. The mere fact of ranking a religion, a sex, a race or an innocent child above the other for any reason or cause, this is merely based on ignorance which is a very selling commodity nowadays. Here on this forum I try to talk on behalf of the Middle Eastern woemn, who could be Iranian, Arab, Israeli or Turkish ( Turkey will never be yours, mind that!), Non of us will approve of kids being kid any where inside the region or outside, because these borderlines are stupid, they are conceptual, they do not mean any thing when it comes to limiting human beings as their humanity appleis within these borders and not out of that.
The sickness of men who is mostly merely a biological industry of spermatosoid, will never cease, I guess if we can keep one brand, we can send the rest to the farms to be productive and just let the world have a some peace.