KUWAITI VOTING RIGHTS WEEK IN REVIEW: FATWA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 001200

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARPI BERNS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KWMN PHUM KU WOMEN POLITICAL RIGHTS
SUBJECT: KUWAITI VOTING RIGHTS WEEK IN REVIEW: FATWA
REAFFIRMS AMIR'S JURISDICTION, WOMEN LAUNCH GRASSROOTS
PETITION

REF: A. KUWAIT 1091

B. KUWAIT 944

Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. Summary: As the parliamentary review of the draft
legislation granting women political rights moves slowly
forward, Islamist MPs are making their supporting and
opposing views known. The Ambassador continues to hear from
his contacts that the GOK will succeed in efforts to grant
women suffrage. As expected, the fatwa committee reaffirmed
the Amir's rule over voting issues despite opposition from
some religious scholars. In addition, women have begun to
drum up grassroots support from citizens to convince
undecided MPs to vote in favor of extending voting rights.
Meanwhile, a new poll will measure the amount of support
among Kuwaiti women, many of whom remain against or
indifferent to becoming a voting constituency.

Parliamentary Update
--------------


2. (U) The National Assembly Interior and Defense Committee
studying the GOK's draft legislation granting women's
suffrage will reconvene March 26 to discuss the matter as a
precursor to a full parliamentary vote. State Minister for
Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Sharar announced that he would
represent the GOK in the meeting. Committee Chairman MP
Rashed Al-Hubaidah stated that the committee would discuss
the bill along with proposals to extend voting to men in the
security services and those between 18 and 21. Newspapers
report that 13 MPs publicly support women's voting rights
while another 15 are officially undecided.

Islamists on Both Sides of Women's Voting Rights Issue
-------------- --------------


3. (U) Poloff and FSN Political Assistant attended a
student-sponsored seminar at Kuwait University March 20
during which independent Islamist MP Faisal Al-Mussallam, who
opposes women's suffrage, questioned the timing of the voting
rights issue at a time when the legislative agenda is already
full. In his characteristically animated tone, Al-Mussallam
accused the GOK of trying to appease the U.S. before "Bush's
shoe reaches us (the Kuwaitis)." He also claimed that the
U.S. is frustrated that more Kuwaiti women are not
enthusiastically supporting voting rights. According to
Al-Mussallam, 34 MPs oppose women's voting, enough to defeat
the measure. Another Islamist participant, Mohammed Alajami,
a representative of the Nation's Party (Hizb al-Ummah) which
defends women's rights, said, "Nothing will change if women
vote except the number of voters."


4. (U) MP Fahad Al-Khanna, leader of the Parliament's Islamic
Bloc and vehement opponent of women's political rights,
warned the GOK that continued pressure on MPs to support
voting rights could jeopardize future cooperation between his
group and the Government. During a Bloc meeting March 21, He
criticized the Government's use of state media outlets to
campaign for women's rights since official media represents
all Kuwaitis, many of whom oppose women's rights.

Insights from Ambassador's Contacts
--------------


5. (SBU) During a March 22 meeting with the Ambassador, MFA
Director of International Organizations Ambassador Abdullah
Al-Murad, who just returned from meetings in Italy and
Jordan, commented, "Everywhere I go people ask me why Kuwaiti
women can't vote." He was somewhat surprised by the
international attention the issue has attracted, but like
most GOK officials, predicted the bill would pass before the
end of April. Likewise, he suggested the U.S. maintain a
low-profile on the matter.


6. (C) A prominent Kuwaiti businessman told Ambassador that
he recommended to the Prime Minister that he fire a cabinet
minister and appoint two new ones to ensure that the GOK has
enough votes to pass the women's rights legislation. (Note:
The Minister of Information position is currently vacant. End
note.) The businessman recounted that the PM dismissed his
plan outright, assuring him that the Government already has
the votes to succeed. With regard to cabinet shuffle rumors,
a former minister and current advisor to the PM, Yousef
Al-Ibrahim, told the Ambassador that Finance Minister Mahmud
Al-Nuri inevitably will resign for health reasons so there
will be some cabinet shift, but he did not predict timing or
link to the women's political rights bill.

Fatwa Reflects Societal Split
--------------


7. (U) As anticipated (ref A),the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf
and Islamic Affairs released a fatwa March 19 which
reaffirmed that the Amir is entrusted to rule on the subject
of women's political rights. The nine religious scholars who
composed the fatwa panel split into three camps, which
reflects the complexity of the voting rights issue. The first
group believed Kuwaiti women are entitled to full political
rights whereas another supported a woman's right to vote, but
not seek elected office. The third group opposed women's
participation in the political process. The GOK repeatedly
has declared its support for nothing short of full political
rights for women.


8. (U) Scientific Salafi MP Dr. Waleed Al-Tabtabaie requested
that the fatwa panel interpret the five Sharia conditions
accompanying the edict. The conditions, derived from Dr.
Iqbal Al-Mutawa's book, "Understanding Politics in the Light
of Qu'ran and Sunna," stipulate that women participating in
Parliament: wear a hijab, may not be in closed meetings only
with men, must not travel unless accompanied by a relative,
must not allow political responsibilities to prevent them
from performing familial duties, and should adhere to Islamic
morals.

Women Organize to Garner Grassroots Support
--------------


9. (U) National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi urged
women to organize their efforts to succeed in gaining
political rights. At a March 16 women's gathering at the
Assembly, Al-Khorafi criticized the March 7 pro-rights rally
(ref B) as poorly coordinated. According to an
English-language daily, he regretted ordering the removal of
all visitors from the Parliament's public gallery after
spectators applauded remarks from MP Mohammed Al-Saqer.
Al-Khorafi claimed he was only maintaining the dignity of
parliamentary procedures.


10. (U) Whether organizers heeded Al-Khorafi's call or
recognized the need themselves, pro-rights activists, led by
Dr. Rola Dashti of the Kuwait Economic Society, launched a
door-to-door campaign March 21 to collect signatures of
citizen supporters of women's rights in an attempt to sway
the opinion of undecided MPs. The petition declares support
for women to vote and run for political office. She told a
local newspaper that the women's rights legislation needs two
or three more votes to pass.

New Poll to Measure Women's Viewpoint
--------------


11. (U) In order to gauge Kuwaiti women's true stance on the
voting issue, the Kuwait Journalist Association will conduct
a poll March 28 asking Kuwaiti women at least 18 years old
whether or not they support full political rights for women.
Conventional wisdom indicates a largely unenthusiastic female
population either opposes political rights or is
apathetically indifferent.

Macabre Example of Gender Equity
--------------


12. (U) For the first time, Kuwaiti courts have sentenced a
Kuwaiti female to death. Police arrested the woman and four
others for drug offenses after a sting operation. The woman
pleaded innocent to charges of selling narcotics, including
hashish. She and one Egyptian male conspirator were sentenced
to death by hanging, the only form of capital punishment in
Kuwait.


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