FREEDOM AGENDA: CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY BY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000837

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND DRL


E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KWMN PINR KU
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY BY
ENCOURAGING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Ref: A) KUWAIT 760
B) KUWAIT 255
C) KUWAIT 85
D) 05 KUWAIT 2171


1. (U) Attorney and women's activist Najla Al-Naki hosted on March
6 the Kuwaiti Women's Forum in celebration of International Women's
Day. PolAsst attended the event designed to strengthen the
political power and influence of Kuwaiti women. Approximately 50
women from different fields gathered to listen to speeches and poems
supporting women's rights and to support female entrepreneurs who
displayed hand-crafted items.


2. (U) Fatima Al-Ali, a columnist and author, opened the event by
describing the obstacles and difficulties that Kuwaiti women
continue to face in their lives and careers, and commenting that
despite such challenges, Kuwaiti women have persevered. She called
on women to start planning for the 2007 elections and to work
together to change Personal Status Laws which remain a barrier to
women's equality.


3. (U) Aisha Al-Rashaid, one of the first women to announce her
candidacy for the National Assembly, talked about the role of women
in the coming 2007 elections (ref D). Reiterating that women
outnumber men in Kuwait, she said if women supported women and
escaped the control of husbands, fathers, or brothers, women will be
successful in the polls. She encouraged women to make their own
choices for the benefit of their future and the good of Kuwait, and
not to blindly follow the recommendations of men. She further
encouraged women and local NGOs to focus on promoting political
awareness instead of holding social functions. On the subject of
her own campaign, she disagreed with those who discouraged her from
running for election in Keifan because it "belongs" to Islamists or
tribal elements. She said all areas belong to Kuwait, not
particular groups of people.


4. (U) Al-Rashaid went on to describe her visit to a men's
diwaniya (ref C). She said she visited not because she wanted to,
but because she was invited. She was scared that if she did not
perform well, it would reflect poorly on all Kuwaiti women. Upon
arrival, she announced that she would shake hands with anyone who
wanted to, and that those who did not want to could simply refuse to
extend their hands. She was shocked that all of the men gathered
shook her hand, even the "bearded ones," and told her she was like
their sister. (Note: Conservative Muslims in Kuwait do not believe
unrelated men and women should have physical contact, including
handshakes. End Note.) They bombarded her with questions on many
issues. At the end she was glad that they all agreed that Kuwaiti
women are well-educated and can speak for themselves and their
country.


5. (U) Commenting on the Municipal Council campaign of Jenan
Bushihri, Al-Rashaid said it was a test case and encouraged Kuwaiti
women to demonstrate their unity by supporting her candidacy.


6. (U) Ghanima Al-Fahed, a columnist and author, concluded the
event by speaking on the historic role of women in Kuwait, who
sustained themselves and their children while their husbands went
pearl diving for months on end. This theme was echoed in a March 7
International Women's Day article by Shamael Al-Sharikh, a
participant in MEPI-funded political training programs for women.
Her article (text below) became instantly popular and is a new
favorite among Kuwaiti bloggers.

Begin text:

DICHOTOMY

Why I am proud to be a Kuwaiti woman

Tomorrow is International Women's Day. It is a day officially
recognized by the United Nations to mark the achievements of all
women in the world. These achievements can be as grandiose as
ascending to an executive position in politics or as grassroots as
teaching rural women to read and write.

"But why should we care?" they will ask. "Why should women have a
day of their own and not men?" they will reiterate. This would be
the common reaction among most people, men and women. Let's face
it, most men and many women will contest that Kuwaiti women have
plenty of rights, and some might even say that their economic and
social rights exceed those of men. With the National Assembly
finally giving us the right to vote on May 16, 2005, and with Dr.
Maasouma Al-Mubarak becoming minister and thus reaching the highest
position any Kuwaiti citizen can reach in the government, it would
seem that women are no longer permitted to lobby for anymore rights.
Kuwaiti women have it all, it seems. They should be grateful for all
the benefits they have in this generous land of equality and justice
and not demand special treatment like a special day to appreciate

KUWAIT 00000837 002 OF 002


women. They should just be proud to be Kuwaiti women.

I am proud, but for different reasons-for every one of our
grandmothers who economically sustained herself and her children
while her husband went pearl diving for months on end; for every
mother who insisted that her daughter gets an education, even if it
meant that she had to wear an abaya to school; for every mother and
father who permitted their daughters to study in Beirut and
Alexandria while other parents did not even allow their daughters to
visit their neighbors; for every woman who was the first to work in
television or the banking sector or education or medicine; for every
woman who was always passed over for a promotion, because, let's
face it, any young woman will eventually get married and forget
about her career; for every woman who survived the embarrassment of
never getting married, for every woman who dared to love and marry
outside of her social stratum, for every woman who worked hard and
helped her husband to raise a family; for every woman who put up
with an abusive husband for the sake of her children. For every
woman who endured the humiliation of the local divorce and custody
laws and battled her husband for her family; for every woman who
married a non-Kuwaiti and had her children treated as foreigners in
their own land; for every woman who never gave birth to a male
child. For every woman who gave birth to a handicapped child; for
every woman who could not give birth at all; for every woman who was
judged for wearing hijab because it does not conform to the ways of
the Westernised, modern woman; for every woman who was judged for
not wearing hijab because it shows that she does not respect her
faith; for every woman who has to live with the double standards of
a nation whose development has been stifled; for every woman who has
taken a stance against this double standard, despite imminent
ostracizing and rejection by her peers.

For all these women and their accomplishments, I am proud to be a
Kuwaiti woman.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
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LEBARON