Female Rights in Kuwait
When we read reports by the western media or government agencies, such as the Human Rights Watch of the US Department of State, we note that there is a very high degree of bias against social, legal, and political, and religious practices in Arab countries. This bias is primarily due to the insistance of judging our practices, and culture, according to Western practices and culture and, naturally, there is a tremendous difference between the two. One area of concern in the West is human rights issues in Arab countries, with a strong focus on women's rights. According to the Western perspective, Arab women do not have access to the most basic human rights enjoyed by Western women, are discriminated against by law, and are denied any effective role in their societies. The West incorrectly assumes that such abuse is established by Islam. In fact, the Quran explicitly establishes gender equality, contrary to Western perceptions of it supporting gender discrimination. In Sura 3, Verse 195 it states that "be it man or woman, each of you is equal to the other" ("Gender Equality In Islam" 1). Islamic law, as defined by both the Quran and the Prophet's Hadith, outlines women's economic, political and social rights, further prohibiti
Although, as has been illustrated, Kuwaiti women have access to the majority of their Islamic rights, they are denied the right of political participation. The fact that they do not have the right to vote or run in national political elections, does weaken the status of Kuwaiti women. This abuse, however, is not supported by Islam, as is the general belief in the West ("Civil and Political Rights Violations In Kuwait ..." 3). In fact, the Quran and the Hadith explicitly outlined the female's right to political participation and voting, and Sura 60, Verse 12 says, "O Prophet! Whenever believing women come unto thee to pledge their allegiance to thee ... then accept their pledge of allegiance" (1). In short, Islam gives women the right to vote and political participation, and this deficiency in the Kuwaiti legal system should not be attributed to Islam, but to social attitudes within the country itself. Important to note here is that this direct contraditiction with Islamic principles is not reflected in the National Constitution, which states that "Justice, Liberty and Equality are the pillars of society" (Lombardi 2-3). Thus, denying women their equal rights as citizens is both unconstitutional and unIslamic, and it is precisely according to these two factors that Kuwaiti female activists raised lawsuits demanding that the law be ammended. The lower court ruled that women should be granted this right, and sent the case to the Kuwaiti Constitutional Court for final judgement (Lombardi 2-3). That the objection comes from society itself was clearly illustrated when the all-male parliament voted against female suffarage ("Kuwait Parliament Rejects Vote For Women" 1). This led to the direct interferance of the Kuwait ruler, who made an official statement that it was unconstitutional to deny women political participation, and ordered that all arrangements be made to ensure that the law be ammended by 2003 ("Kuwaiti Court Verdict On Women's Rights in Jan" 1). The most important fact about this issue is that, unlike Western belief that Kuwaiti women do not participate in "public debate," it was due to their loud objections that they are finally going to be granted this right ("Civil and Political Rights Violation In Kuwait ..." 3). The point is that Kuwaiti women do play a role in national affairs, as is illustrated by the fact that their intense efforts to change the voting laws did result in arrangements for their ammendment. As has been argued, Kuwaiti women do play an active role in their country's social and economic affairs. With the exception of issues relating to political rights, the Islamic principle of gender equality is both established, supported, and protected by the legal system. That the overall nature of these rights, or the method of their practice, differs from those enjoyed by Western women does not mean that the Moslem and Arab female is both abused and discriminated against. For example, the law prohibits Moslem women from marrying, or living with non-Moslem males ("Discrimination Against Women" 1). As all Moslems know, this law is determined by the Quran itself, and as Moslem females we appreciate its justification and have no objections to it. Yet, on the basis of this law, for ex
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Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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