Kuwaiti women demonstrate demanding political rights
Kuwait, Politics, 3/8/2005

Hundreds of Kuwaiti activist women demonstrated outside the Ummah council ( (parliament) demanding their political rights. They raised banners demanding the right of woman to vote and nominated in elections, and stressed that this does not contradict with the Islamic Sharia law.

Lolwa al-Mulla, one of the advocates for women's rights, told journalists in the demonstration that they hope to change the current elections law which deprives weman of their political right.

Several conservative Islamists joined the women march, but just to express their opposition to giving woman the right to vote. Chairman of the Salafeya Islamic coalition in Kuwait threatened to fill the streets with opposers to these rights.

The Islamic parliamentarian Deif Allah Abu Ramia who leads an anti campaign under the title "women have no political right" expressed his regret for the government s adoption of "offering women the right of voting." The Islamic Ummah party which was established recently announced support for the political rights of women, noting that its decision is based on religious fatwa by moderate scholars.

All these movements coincided with the Kuwaiti TV showing a film showing women demonstrating against the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1990 in which Sheikh Sabah appeared commending women's steadfastness.

Worthy mentioning that the Ummah council foiled in 1999 by a small margin a proposal to offer women the right to vote after it was recommended by the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

Previous Stories:
  Kuwait's parliament prepared to discuss woman rights law   (3/7/2005)
  Al-Wattan: Israel is responsible for Hariri's Assassination   (3/5/2005)
  Kuwait agrees to open a Palestinian embassy   (3/4/2005)

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