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April 10, 2006

Bahrain: Women Protest Islamist Abuses

News today from Middle East Onine reports that women have been protesting against the inferior treatment allotted to them in the small archipelago of Bahrain, comprised of 35 islands off Saudi Arabia's eastern coast. Bahrain has a population of 650,000, and is ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty.

The problem in Bahrain lies with its implementation of Sharia Law. Any issue connected with the family, such as marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance is dealt with entirely by Sharia. And this leads to oppression of women.

Currently there is a campaign, led by fiery feminist Ghada Jamshir (pictured), to reform the current system, and introduce a "personal status law". The campaign is backed by Bahrain's first lady, Sheikha Sabika al-Khalifa, who is chair of the supreme women's council. The Sheikha has sponsored a personal status law, even though it would still be governed by the precepts of Sharia.

The proposed law is nonetheless opposed by Shiite clerics, who have brought thousands onto the streets to protest the proposed law.

Currently, rulings by Sharia courts can be disastrous for women. One 32 year old woman, whose marriage was annulled, had her children taken away and was sent back to her family home on the orders of a Sharia court.

Afaf al-Jamri, a Shiite from the main oppostion party, the Islamic National Accord Association, said: "This code is a necessity and a fundamental demand for women. The situation of many Bahraini women is tragic. Each neighbourhood has an average of four women that were thrown on the street by their husbands after, say, 30 years of marriage just because they wanted to have younger wives."

Of course, men are allowed up to four wives under Sharia. Jamri states: "Judges delay cases for years and years leaving many women without alimony. And then after years of suffering they receive 30 dinars (11 dollars) per child," she said.

There are both Sunni and Shiite strands of Islam, but Shiites pressed to have their own particular customs addressed separately under Islamic family law. They attempted to have these powers enshrined in the constitution.

Ghada Jamshir said that Shiite divorced mothers lose custody of their sons at the age of seven, and their daughters when these reach nine. Sunni mothers in similar situations get custody of their daughters until they become married, and retain custody of their sons until they reach the age of majority.

Ghada Jamshir is no stranger to controversy. Last May she was charged with "defaming the Islamic judiciary" because she had distributed pamphlets, and she was said to have insulted a judge during a telephone conversation and also in court. She was finally acquitted of these charges on December 28.

In an interview she gave on Al-Arabiya TV, broadcast on December 21, 2005, she attacked fatwas issued by the Sharia courts, which she claimed approved of Mut'ah marriages (contractual marriages for pleasure) and encouraged the sexual abuse of children. A translated transcript of her interview can be found on MEMRI.org.

"If a woman cannot get any protection in her country, cannot get any protection from the courts, cannot get any protection in the marital home - where will she go? Where will she go?" she stated.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 10, 2006 4:24 PM

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Posted by: Christian at April 10, 2006 5:20 PM

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