Women's participation in the public sphere
Sleiman encourages greater role for women in politics
Lebanese President Michel Sleiman encouraged women Wednesday to play a greater role in their country’s politics and expressed hope that Arab women would be able to gain their full rights as citizens.
Islamist-led opposition wins majority in Kuwait’s parliamentary vote - no women elected
Kuwait’s Islamist-led opposition won the majority seats in a snap election for the wealthy Gulf state’s fourth parliament in less than six years, while women candidates did not win a single seat, according to official results released on Friday.
She and Elections: Report and Film Documenting the Experience of Women Candidates
Nazra for Feminist Studies (Nazra) released a report about mentoring* women candidates in the 2011-12 People’s Assembly Elections based on its observations of the electoral process and the experience of several women candidates. In connection with the report is also launced a video documentary which presents the women candidates’ experiences of the elections.
Watch segments of the video documentary:
Saudi Arabia to allow women into sports stadiums
Women in Saudi Arabia will have the chance to watch football matches and other sport events directly for the first time in the conservative Moslem Gulf Kingdom when a decision allowing them in is enforced within two years(...), writes emirates247.com.
Kuwait final figures: 23 women out of 286 candidates
For the parliamentary elections due next week on February 2nd, it is now set that 23 out of a total 286 candidates will be women. About 2 weeks ago, the numbers were 24 out of a total of 344. There are 50 seats in the parliament, and the firs women in Kuwaiti history were elected for parliament in 2009.
Humorous response to disappointing Egyptian elections result
As only 8 women made it to the seats of the newly elected Egyptian parliament, discouraged voices are heard across the country. One reaction is this commentary cartoon ‘Welcome to the new Egyptian parliaMENt by Ebtisam Barakat at jadiliyya.com
Watch the drawing at jadaliyya.com
Saudi princess reprimanded over her progressive image
Princess Ameera Al-Taweel, the wife of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, is a highly active, visible and, very avant-garde in terms of her appearance, women’s rights and public participation. And for that she last week received a public reprimand from her highly conservative her brother in-law, Prince Khalid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz. Columnist Anushay Hossain in Forbes magazine comments on the reprimand as an expression of the general Saudi view on women as property and her hopes that the princess will carry on as a role model for Saudi wome.
Premiere: Conference on women and sports in the Middle East
For the first time ever a conference on how to make more girls and women to participate in sport in the Middle Eastern region is held. The event with the title ‘Women and Sport: From Past to Future’ will be held in Qatar at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha from 22-24 January. The conference will have participants from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Syria, UAE and Europe.
Minister promises increased job opportunities for Saudi women
Selling lingerie should not be the only or one of only few options for Saudi women who want to make use of their education and contribute to their society by taking on a paid job. The Saudi Labor Minister Adel Fakeih yesterday announced plans to establish 50 job centers for women across the Kingdom. He mentioned that new jobs suitable for women will be created in the public as well as in the private sector.
Political cartoons deprive Muslim women of agency
In their own way, Muslim women are very often at the same time covered, hyper-sexualized, muted and reduced to a source of objectification and appropriation. This is at least the view of Erren Arruna Cervantes who reflects on the gendered stereotype of Muslim women in political cartoons. Upon her critical commentary, she asks the rhetoric question about the consequences of the stereotyped depiction.