WOMEN MINISTERS SET POSITIVE PRECEDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001179

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2015
TAGS: PINR PGOV KWMN BA
SUBJECT: WOMEN MINISTERS SET POSITIVE PRECEDENT

REF: A. STATE 137596

B. MANAMA 982

C. MANAMA 943

D. MANAMA 165

Classified By: CDA Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) Bahrain's two women ministers are setting a positive
example for women's leadership in Bahrain. Minister of
Health Dr. Nada Abbas Haffadh, who was appointed in April
2004, and Dr. Fatima Al Balooshi, appointed in January 2005,
are the first women to serve in Bahrain's cabinet. End
Summary.

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Minister of Health Dr. Nada Abbas Haffadh
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2. (C) Dr. Nada Abbas Haffadh, the first female member of
Bahrain's cabinet, was appointed Minister of Health on April
21, 2004. Before serving as minister, she was a member of
the appointed upper house of parliament, the Shura Council.
During her time in the Shura, she was one of the more
outspoken and impressive members and was viewed by many as a
natural choice for Minister of Health. A medical doctor,
Haffadh served in the Ministry of Health for a number of
years prior to her appointment as minister and was highly
regarded for her contributions to public health. People who
know Haffadh say she is loyal to the government, but
committed to reform. As Minister, she has made significant
personnel changes within the ministry without regard to sect.
In parliamentary hearings, she is more frank than most
cabinet members and acknowledges deficiencies in the GOB and
in her ministry and the need for reform. Some of the issues
she has addressed before parliament include the effects of
corporate pollution on public health, emergency health
services, and hygiene in beauty salons.


3. (C) Haffadh was born on September 27, 1957 in Manama,
Bahrain. She completed her M.D. and several related degrees
at universities in Europe and the Middle East, including the
American University of Beirut. Haffadh is married with three
children and does not wear the hijab. The Haffadhs are Ajam
Shi'as. (Note: The Ajam Shi'a are of Persian origin and
originally came to Bahrain as merchants. They represent
approximately ten percent of the total population of Bahrain
and are generally more pro-government than Shi'a of Bahraini
origin. End Note.) The GOB includes some Shi'a in the
Cabinet. Non-strategic posts, such as the Ministry of
Health, are often informally reserved for Shi'as, leaving
Sunnis to head the strategic ministries.


4. (C) Haffadh has traveled to the U.S. on numerous
occasions and speaks fluent Arabic and English. According to
her resume, in 2004 she attended a conference in Qatar
entitled Relations of the Islamic World with the U.S. In
2003, she participated in a MEPI-sponsored National
Democratic Institute (NDI) conference on legislative
drafting. Also in 2003, Haffadh traveled to the U.S. in her
capacity as a Shura Council member and met with members of
Congress. She has met informally with the Ambassador and DCM.

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Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Fatima Al Balooshi
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5. (C) Dr. Fatima Mohammed Yousif Al Balooshi was appointed
Minister of Social Affairs on January 14, 2005. In the eight
years prior to her appointment as minister, she was the dean
of Bahrain University's College of Education. In a meeting
with the Ambassador shortly after she was appointed, Al
Balooshi said that she was pleased, but also very surprised,
that the King asked her to serve as Minister. She said she
was quite happy at the university and had not expected to
leave academia. Al Balooshi told the Ambassador she was
eager to implement programs that would help Bahrainis, and
she has already led a number of initiatives to assist persons
with disabilities and other disadvantaged people. Al
Balooshi told the Ambassador in June that she is not as
comfortable dealing with political issues as she is with the
core work of her Ministry (Ref B). Social Affairs is the
body that officially registers and regulates the activities
of civil society organizations and, as such, Al Balooshi is
ultimately responsible for decisions to punish or sanction
these groups. In early July she ordered the Islamic Action
Society closed for 45 days (Ref C) and has dealt with
requests from members of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights
(which was closed and dissolved by her predecessor in
September 2004) to reopen. When it comes to political
issues, contacts complain Al Balooshi is a "yes woman" for
the GOB.


6. (C) Al Balooshi was born in Bahrain on November 19, 1963.
She is from a large Sunni family and is married with several
children. Her brother, Dr. Nasser Al Balooshi, was recently
appointed Bahraini ambassador to the U.S. She speaks fluent
Arabic and English and wears the hijab. Al Balooshi was an
Eisenhower Fellow and received a Masters degree and Ph.D. in
Instructional and Media Technology from Columbia University
in New York. She completed her undergraduate studies at the
University of Concordia in Canada. Al Balooshi, who has met
with the Ambassador on several occasions, has told the
Ambassador that she often reflects on her experiences in the
U.S. when designing social service programs for Bahrain (Ref
D).

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Comment
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7. (C) Bahrain's two women ministers are proving that women
can contribute to the development of the country. When
discussing the participation of women in the 2006 elections,
people from the government and opposition alike often cite
Haffadh and Al Balooshi as examples of women who are highly
capable in leadership roles.

ZIADEH