[Excerpt: Al Tabtabaei also defended Salafist MP and Justice Minister Ahmad Baquer for his stance against granting political rights to women, saying the minister believes it is not in the public interest to give women the right to contest elections although they should be given the right to vote in accordance with religious controls.]
http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/RegionNF.asp?ArticleID=154394 Published: 3/3/2005, 08:15 (UAE) Islamist MPs call rights for Kuwaiti women a disgrace By Nirmala Janssen, Correspondent Kuwait City: Some hardcore Islamists and their supporters have come out strongly against enfranchising Kuwaiti women, calling it a disgrace and a Western idea to damage local norms. "Those who want women to enter politics aim at fragmenting society and spreading Western ideas to destroy our society," MP Waleed Al Tabtabaei announced late Tuesday at the diwaniyah of MP Daifullah Bu Ramiah held to protest against granting political rights to women. A number of prominent personalities participated in the meeting titled "Under Islamic Sharia Women Have No Political Rights". Al Tabtabaei, who is also the chief of the Human Rights Committee in parliament, was the main speaker. Bu Ramiah reaffirmed his earlier stand that granting political rights to women is a stigma. "It is a shame to grant women political rights while we deprive Kuwaiti citizens who are already 18 years of age the same," Bu Ramiah said. A day before the meeting, the MP installed about 60 signs across the country telling the public their attendance will be equal to defending Islamic law. Al Tabtabaei also defended Salafist MP and Justice Minister Ahmad Baquer for his stance against granting political rights to women, saying the minister believes it is not in the public interest to give women the right to contest elections although they should be given the right to vote in accordance with religious controls. He also called on women's rights activists to respect the views of others who oppose it. Bu Ramiah's earlier remark that Islamic scholars who support the women's rights movement are "preachers of the state" faced a strong denouncement by other Islamists like the Hizb Al Ummah party and the Shiite ulema who have called for granting full political rights to women. Bu Ramiah believed that these Islamists were especially hired by the government to endorse the draft law. Some Islamist scholars have also asked the government to pass a law prohibiting various Islamist sects from issuing fatwas and exploiting religious sensitivities for political benefit. Head of the Shiite Congregation Syed Mohammad Al Muhri appealed to the government to form a committee which will take the responsibility of issuing religious edicts. He also said, "There is nothing in Islam that prohibits women from actively participating in politics. Some prominent women have proved to be better than men at what they do." Dr Mohammad Al Tabtabaei, Dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, supported the 1991 edict issued by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and said, "The Kuwaiti Constitution rejects the establishment of political parties, therefore support for the bill by these parties should not be considered." Abdul Latif Al Duaij, a prominent Kuwaiti writer and political analyst, however, said, "Any suggestion that the government's seriousness to grant Kuwaiti women their rights comes from foreign pressure is baseless." enditem ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
