Freedom: Kuwait hastens women's vote bill

[gilliam]

**Kuwait’s parliament has agreed to speed up moves towards a law to grant women the same political rights as men. **

The decision came amid noisy street rallies by women activists, who were also permitted to watch the debate.

But the public gallery was cleared after some activists applauded a speech by one MP in support of their cause. The cabinet has already approved a bill allowing women to vote and stand in elections, but it has been delayed in parliament by the strong Islamist bloc.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4325207.stm

 

[gilliam]

Kuwait
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After years and years of waiting, the Kuwaiti parliament is speeding up legislation for women’s suffrage. About 500 women demonstrated.

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Around 500 Kuwaiti activists, mostly women, have demonstrated outside parliament to demand female suffrage amidst tensions in the Gulf Arab state over a government drive to grant women political rights.

“Women’s rights now,” chanted the crowd, which included women dressed in abayas, or traditional long black cloaks. Some of the demonstrators at Monday’s protest wore veils over their faces.

“Our democracy will only be complete with women,” said a placard written in Arabic. “We are not less, you are not more. We need a balance, open the door,” said one written in English.

The crowd later attended a parliamentary session which approved a state request for a committee to speed up reviewing a bill allowing women to vote and run for parliament.

“In all Muslim countries from Indonesia to Morocco, voting and running for office are among women’s rights but we in Kuwait alone say ‘No’ … Is it possible that 1 billion Muslims are wrong and we in Kuwait are right,” lawmaker Mohammed al-Saqr said to applause from female activists in the public gallery.

But the 50-man assembly, in which Islamists have a powerful bloc, did not set a date to discuss the draft law.

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