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April 3, 2007
Kuwait: Islamists Irate At Minister Without Headscarf
News from the BBC, Reuters, Kuwait Times:
A row has broken out in Kuwait, as Islamists have condemned the attire of the new Education Minister in the 16-seat cabinet, which was formed in March. The first cabinet session took place on Monday (April 2) while the controversy raged. The woman minister, Nouria al-Sbeih, is the second woman to be a member of the cabinet. When she took the oath to stand as Education Minister, other MPs booed her, as she was not wearing the hijab or Muslim headscarf.
SInce May 2005, women have been allowed to vote and hold political office in Kuwait, and Nouria al-Sbeih joined parliament as an MP in 2005. There was no controversy then, as she usually wears the hijab in public.
The objections came mainly from two Islamist tribal MPs, Dhaifallah Buramia (also spelled Bhuramyah) and Khaled Al-Adwah. Buraima claimed: "She should not be allowed to take the oath because she does not comply with Islamic regulations. Why don't you implement laws? Is this the government that wants to carry out reforms?"
Ms Sbeih (also spelled Subeeh) ignored Buraima and continued to swear the oath. When she finished, women in the public gallery applauded her. On Sunday, other Islamist MPs had threatened to join in the protest, but were silent on the day of the inauguration of the cabinet in the National Assembly. Buraima had warned Ms Sbeih that she was breaking the Islamic codoes which he said were laid out in the constitution. However, constitutional expert Dr Mohammad Al-Meqati stated that though women election candidates must wear the hijab, the law does not extend to include the attire of women inside the National Assembly.
Islamists in the National Assembly belong to a six-man bloc, with Abdullah Okash as its official spokesman.
The National Assembly had been suspended for 40 days until Monday, on account of claims that the predecessor cabinet had been weak and ineffective.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 3, 2007 3:45 PM
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