Women's political rights in Bahrain
Encyclopedia
Women’s political rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad with for the first time women being given the right to vote and stand as candidates in national elections
after the constitution was amended in 2002. The extension of equal political rights has been accompanied by a self-conscious drive to promote women to positions of authority within government.
The move to give women the vote in 2002 was part of a wide ranging political reforms that have seen the establishment of a democratically elected parliament and the release of political prisoners. Before 2002, women had no political rights and could neither vote in elections or stand as candidates.
There was though some ambiguity towards the extension of political rights from sections of Bahraini society, not least from women themselves with 60% of Bahraini women in 2001 opposed to extending the vote to women.
Although many women stood as candidates in both municipal and parliamentary elections in 2002 none were elected to office. Women candidates were conspicuous by their absence in the lists of Islamist parties such as Al Wefaq
, Al-Menbar Islamic Society
and Asalah.
Following the poor performance of women candidates in the parliamentary elections, six women including one Christian, were appointed to the upper chamber of parliament, the Shura Council. In 2004, Bahrain appointed its first female minister, Dr Nada Haffadh to the position of Health Minister, and in 2005, Dr Fatima Albalooshi, the second woman minister was appointed to the cabinet. In April 2005, Shura member Alees Samaan
became the first woman to chair a parliamentary session in the Arab world when she chaired the Shura Council. The head of the main women's organisation, the Supreme Council for Women
, Ms Lulwa Al Awadhi
, has been given the title of 'honorary cabinet minister'.
In June 2006, Bahrain was elected head of the United Nations General Assembly
, and used the honour to appoint Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa
as the Assembly's President
, making her the first Middle Eastern woman and only the third woman in history to take over the post. Sheikha Haya is a leading Bahraini lawyer and women's rights advocate who will take over the post at a time of change for the world body. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
said of her, "I met her yesterday and I found her quite impressive. All the member states are determined to work with her and to support her, and I think she's going to bring a new dimension to the work here."http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/6/9/apworld/20060609085540&sec=apworld
Several women's rights activists have become political personalities in Bahrain in their own right, or even gain international recognition, such as Ghada Jamsheer, who was named by Forbes magazine
as one of the " ten most powerful and effective women in the Arab world" in May 2006.
Ghada Jamsheer, the most prominent women's rights activist in Bahrain has called the government's reforms "artificial and marginal". In a statement in December 2006 she said:
Bahrain's move was widely credited with encouraging women's rights activists in the rest of the Persian Gulf to step up demands for equality. In 2005, it was announced that Kuwaiti women
would be granted equal political rights to men.
judges, who have been criticised for a lack of consistency in their judgements. In November 2005, the Supreme Council for Women
in an alliance with other women's rights activists began a campaign for change - organising demonstrations, putting up posters across the island and carrying out a series of media interviews (see Supreme Council's website for full details in Arabic).
However, reform of the law has been resisted by the leading Shia Islamist party, Al Wefaq
, resulting in a major political showdown with women's rights activists. Al Wefaq has stated that neither Chamber of Deputies of Bahrain
elected MPs nor the government have authority to change the law because these institutions could 'misinterpret the word of God'. Instead the right to reform the law is the sole responsibility of religious leaders.
In 9 November 2005, supporters of Al Wefaq claimed to have organised Bahrain's largest ever demonstration with 120,000 protesting against the introduction of the Personal Status Law, and for the maintenance of each religious group having their own divorce and inheritance laws. On the same day an alliance of women's rights organisations held a rally calling for the unified law, but this attracted only 500 supporters.
The issue of the introduction of a unified Personal Status Law has divided civil society into two camps, with women's rights and human rights groups wanting its introduction opposed by Shia Islamist groups in alliance with the wahabbi Asalah:
For:
Against:
, winning by default even before polling after her two opponents in her constituency dropped out of the race. Most of the women are running for Leftist parties or as independents, with no Islamist party being represented by a woman, although salafist party Asalah is the only group to publicly oppose women's candidature in parliamentary elections.
For further information see Bahrain election 2006 women candidates
.
Elections in Bahrain
The National Assembly is bicameral with the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, having 40 members elected in single-seat constituencies for a four year term. The upper house, the Shura Council, has 40 members appointed by the King of Bahrain, with the stated aim of giving a voice to minority...
after the constitution was amended in 2002. The extension of equal political rights has been accompanied by a self-conscious drive to promote women to positions of authority within government.
The move to give women the vote in 2002 was part of a wide ranging political reforms that have seen the establishment of a democratically elected parliament and the release of political prisoners. Before 2002, women had no political rights and could neither vote in elections or stand as candidates.
There was though some ambiguity towards the extension of political rights from sections of Bahraini society, not least from women themselves with 60% of Bahraini women in 2001 opposed to extending the vote to women.
Although many women stood as candidates in both municipal and parliamentary elections in 2002 none were elected to office. Women candidates were conspicuous by their absence in the lists of Islamist parties such as Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq National Islamic Society , also known as the Islamic National Accord Association, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls...
, Al-Menbar Islamic Society
Al-Menbar Islamic Society
Al Menbar National Islamic Society is the political wing of the Al Eslah Society in Bahrain, associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. A Sunni Islamist party, it is well organised through a network of mosques and seek to promote a conservative social agenda while not directly challenging the...
and Asalah.
Following the poor performance of women candidates in the parliamentary elections, six women including one Christian, were appointed to the upper chamber of parliament, the Shura Council. In 2004, Bahrain appointed its first female minister, Dr Nada Haffadh to the position of Health Minister, and in 2005, Dr Fatima Albalooshi, the second woman minister was appointed to the cabinet. In April 2005, Shura member Alees Samaan
Alees Samaan
Alees Samaan is the first woman to chair a parliament in the Middle East when in April 2005 chaired Bahrain's upper house of parliament, the Consultative Council. Samaan is one of four women to sit in the Consultative Council...
became the first woman to chair a parliamentary session in the Arab world when she chaired the Shura Council. The head of the main women's organisation, the Supreme Council for Women
Supreme Council for Women
The Supreme Council for Women is Bahrain’s advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa...
, Ms Lulwa Al Awadhi
Lulwa Al Awadhi
Lulwa Al Awadhi is a leading Bahrani women's rights advocate and the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women, the main women's organisation in Bahrain...
, has been given the title of 'honorary cabinet minister'.
In June 2006, Bahrain was elected head of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, and used the honour to appoint Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa
Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa is a lawyer and diplomat from Bahrain who was the President of the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly which began on September 12, 2006, and closed on September 17, 2007...
as the Assembly's President
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
, making her the first Middle Eastern woman and only the third woman in history to take over the post. Sheikha Haya is a leading Bahraini lawyer and women's rights advocate who will take over the post at a time of change for the world body. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
said of her, "I met her yesterday and I found her quite impressive. All the member states are determined to work with her and to support her, and I think she's going to bring a new dimension to the work here."http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/6/9/apworld/20060609085540&sec=apworld
Several women's rights activists have become political personalities in Bahrain in their own right, or even gain international recognition, such as Ghada Jamsheer, who was named by Forbes magazine
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
as one of the " ten most powerful and effective women in the Arab world" in May 2006.
Ghada Jamsheer, the most prominent women's rights activist in Bahrain has called the government's reforms "artificial and marginal". In a statement in December 2006 she said:
Bahrain's move was widely credited with encouraging women's rights activists in the rest of the Persian Gulf to step up demands for equality. In 2005, it was announced that Kuwaiti women
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
would be granted equal political rights to men.
Personal Status Law
The most pressing issue for many Bahraini women is the lack of a unified family law or Personal Status Law as it is known, leaving matters of divorce and child custody to the discretion of ShariaSharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
judges, who have been criticised for a lack of consistency in their judgements. In November 2005, the Supreme Council for Women
Supreme Council for Women
The Supreme Council for Women is Bahrain’s advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa...
in an alliance with other women's rights activists began a campaign for change - organising demonstrations, putting up posters across the island and carrying out a series of media interviews (see Supreme Council's website for full details in Arabic).
However, reform of the law has been resisted by the leading Shia Islamist party, Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq National Islamic Society , also known as the Islamic National Accord Association, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls...
, resulting in a major political showdown with women's rights activists. Al Wefaq has stated that neither Chamber of Deputies of Bahrain
Council of Representatives of Bahrain
The Council of Representatives , sometimes translated as the "Chamber of Deputies", is the name given to the lower house of the Bahraini National Assembly, the main legislative body of Bahrain....
elected MPs nor the government have authority to change the law because these institutions could 'misinterpret the word of God'. Instead the right to reform the law is the sole responsibility of religious leaders.
In 9 November 2005, supporters of Al Wefaq claimed to have organised Bahrain's largest ever demonstration with 120,000 protesting against the introduction of the Personal Status Law, and for the maintenance of each religious group having their own divorce and inheritance laws. On the same day an alliance of women's rights organisations held a rally calling for the unified law, but this attracted only 500 supporters.
The issue of the introduction of a unified Personal Status Law has divided civil society into two camps, with women's rights and human rights groups wanting its introduction opposed by Shia Islamist groups in alliance with the wahabbi Asalah:
For:
- Supreme Council for WomenSupreme Council for WomenThe Supreme Council for Women is Bahrain’s advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa...
- Bahrain Human Rights SocietyBahrain Human Rights SocietyThe Bahrain Human Rights Society was set up in 2002 following wide ranging political reforms by the Bahraini government to allow the functioning of independent human rights groups....
- Bahrain Human Rights Watch SocietyBahrain Human Rights Watch SocietyThe Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, is a Bahraini human rights organization established in November 2004 which claims to protect housemaids, and to fight for women’s rights....
- Bahrain Women's Union
- Women's Petition
- National Democratic ActionNational Democratic ActionThe National Democratic Action Society - Wa'ad is Bahrain's largest leftist political party. It emerged out of the Popular Front, a radical clandestine opposition movement of Maoist, socialist and Arab nationalist orientation...
- Al Sharaka (Bahrain branch of Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
)
Against:
- Bahrain Centre for Human RightsBahrain Centre for Human RightsThe Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is a Bahraini non-profit non-governmental organisation which works to promote human rights in Bahrain, which was founded by a number of Bahraini activist in June 2002...
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/05/10/25/188581.html - Al WefaqAl WefaqAl Wefaq National Islamic Society , also known as the Islamic National Accord Association, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls...
- Asalah
- Islamic Action Party
- Islamic Awareness Society
- Capital Transparency Society
2006 Election
Eighteen female candidates are contesting Bahrain's parliamentary elections on 25 November 2006, with one candidate, Lateefa Al GaoodLateefa Al Gaood
Lateefa Al Gaood is a Bahraini politician. In 2006, she became the first female candidate to be elected to the Council of Representatives of Bahrain. She won by default after the other two candidates in her constituency withdrew from the race in the middle of October before campaigning began...
, winning by default even before polling after her two opponents in her constituency dropped out of the race. Most of the women are running for Leftist parties or as independents, with no Islamist party being represented by a woman, although salafist party Asalah is the only group to publicly oppose women's candidature in parliamentary elections.
For further information see Bahrain election 2006 women candidates
Bahrain election 2006 women candidates
Women candidates of the 2006 Bahrain election, which took place on the November 25, 2006 were reported to have received numerous threats from Islamic salafist and other factions to prevent them taking part...
.
See also
- Women in Arab societiesWomen in Arab societiesWomen in the Arab world, as in other areas of the world, have throughout history experienced discrimination and have been subject to restrictions of their freedoms and rights. Some of these practices are based on religious beliefs, but many of the limitations are cultural and emanate from tradition...
- Supreme Council for WomenSupreme Council for WomenThe Supreme Council for Women is Bahrain’s advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa...
- BahrainBahrain' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
- Politics of BahrainPolitics of BahrainPolitics of Bahrain takes place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy, with an executive appointed by the King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and a bi-cameral legislature, with the Chamber of Deputies elected by universal suffrage, and the Shura Council appointed directly by the king...
- Women's suffrageWomen's suffrageWomen's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
- FeminismFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
- Civil RightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
- Munira FakhroMunira FakhroMunira Fakhro, is a Bahraini academic and was a candidate in Bahrain's 2006 general election for the opposition Waad.Dr Fakhro is Associate Professor at the University of Bahrain, having received her Doctorate in Social Policy, Planning and Administration from Columbia University where she has...
External links
- A guide to Bahrain, Your complete guide to Bahrain, April 2006
- New Dawn for Bahraini Women, Amnesty International, March 2002
- Lifting the veil for women in politics, Gulf Daily News, 6 August 2005
- In the Gulf, women are not women's best friends, Daily Star, 20 June 2005
- Personal law plan rapped, Gulf Daily News, 3 November 2005
- Demonstration against family law reform, AKI, 5 November 2005
- Law rivals in show of strength, Gulf Daily News, 10 November 2005
- Bahraini woman chairs parliament BBC, 19 April 2005
- Women warned of 'dirty' poll fight, Gulf Daily NewsGulf Daily NewsThe Gulf Daily News is an English-language newspaper published in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Al Hilal Group. It is distributed locally in Bahrain. It is owned by the Al Hilal Group, which publishes 13 other newspapers and magazines, including the local Arabic newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej. The paper,...
, 13 October 2005 - 'Clerics biggest obstacle to women's rights in Bahrain' Kuwait Times, 1 April 2006
- Bahrain's first woman diplomat to lead UN assembly Stuff (New Zealand) 6 June 2006
- Societies slammed for not backing women Gulf News 15 June 2006
- 'Achieving prominent positions is a familiar occurrence' Gulf News 27 June 2006
- First female judge
- 'Ghada Jamsheer to UN: are royal reforms for women just token gestures?'
- http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=147951&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29103&date=7-1-2006.