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'Hijab controversy a challenge to our way of life' Published Date: October 15, 2009 By Abdullah Al-Qattan, Staff writer KUWAIT: The two unveiled female MPs in the National Assembly expressed dismay over the commotion surrounding the hijab issue in the parliament, saying that the uproar is a challenge to Kuwait's principles and way of life. "The issue before us today is not about the hijab - rather it challenges the way we live," said MP Aseel Al-Awadhi at a seminar that was organized by Kuwait's leading liberal movement, the Democratic Forum, in Nuzha yesterday. Awadhi said that she would be willing to wear hijab "if it means the end of all Kuwait's problems." She added that Islamists are trying to change the country's image by instigating instability. MP Rola Dashti also claimed the furor is "nothing but an attack on the principles of the modern Kuwaiti way of living", adding that "people can advise others, but not enforce restrictions". "Everyone who enters Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem chamber (in the Assembly) should work within the Kuwaiti constitution and respect it," Dashti said. Former lawmaker Mohammed Saqer stated that the people of Kuwait are the ones who voted Dashti and Awadhi to represent them as members of parliament and "as a democratic country, we should have faith in them." He also alleged that the edict by the Fatwa Department on the compulsion of wearing the hijab was "surprisingly obtained by the press before the minister of Islamic affairs had a chance to see it". Political activist Saleh Al-Mulla, who was one of the main speakers at the meet, affirmed that "we should idolize Kuwaiti youth movements such as Nabeha Khamsah (We Want it Five) and Bas (Enough!) for they are an effective way to approach some of the problems facing us at this time". "The battle today is not a battle over the hijab, but it is a failed attempt to change...the constitution," he charged. The seminar was also attended by the Secretary General of the Kuwait National Alliance Khaled Al-Fadhalah. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
