Tuesday, June 02, 2009

To Veil or Not to Veil?

We’re all used to controversies about the wearing of veils by Muslim women. In numerous Western countries — Sweden, the Netherlands, France, the UK, Denmark, the USA — legal battles have been fought over whether women and girls have the right to veil or obscure their faces in schools, public transportation, banks, and government offices.

But now the same conflict has come to Kuwait — in parliament, of all places. The two women who were recently elected to parliament caused trouble when they showed up for duty without their veils. According to ANSAmed:

MPs Without Veil, Fundamentalists Walk Out

The appeal to “overcome differences and to turn the page for the good of the country” from the Emir of Kuwait to politicians during the inauguration of the new national assembly found its first hurdle after a few minutes, when 14 MPs left Parliament to protest against the two female MPs who were not wearing veils and the government not presenting their economic programme, reports Kuwait Times.
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Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah urged members of both the executive and legislative branch, whose differences have cost the oil-rich country six governments and three elections in the past three years, to “contribute to the new climate of political change”, looking towards globalisation, the only way to “raise Kuwait to the position of a modern country”.

The fundamentalist and tribal MPs, two groups that did not do well in the May 16 elections, walked out of Parliament, protesting against a lack of respect for Koranic laws which state that women must wear veils, and a 5-year delay for a strategic economic plan.

What’s interesting here is the fact that the “fundamentalists” did not do well in the elections, and are a minority in parliament.

Can it really be true — does Kuwait aspire to be a modern country?


Hat tip: Insubria.

8 comments:

cousinarlo said...

"— does Kuwait aspire to be a modern country?"

It could be true- God knows we deserve some good news along these lines.

Zenster said...

Can it really be true — does Kuwait aspire to be a modern country?.

Islam has pegged my cynicism meter far too often to believe anything such thing. Where is Kuwait's outrage regarding typical Muslim barbarity all over the MME (Muslim Middle East)?

Much more likely is that Kuwait seeks some variant on "cafeteria" Islam whereby they may adopt whatever convenient trappings of modernity which obtain for it Western approval but still allows them to beat their wives at home.

EscapeVelocity said...

Sorry to put this here, but your email contact button doesnt work for me.

LoonyLeft1 (UK) 60 Minutes (USA)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoi7wH4StHU

LoonyLeft2 (UK) 60 Minutes (USA)

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYxc4nZBb4E


These people are mainstream now, marched through the institutions, the Establishment, New Labour.

I suggest that you study the Left to see how to counter attack the Left and their Jihad allies. Islam is not a threat to the West, without the Left. The Left is the real powerful and dangerous enemy/threat of the West.

EscapeVelocity said...

Concentrating on

School System
Weeding Out Marxist PC books, for example with citizen councils. Cirricula development, which removes racist bigoted anti Westernism from the classroom. I think systemic changes are necessary as well...namely school choice.

Media penetration, not just alternative bandwidth media, but infiltration of the media itself. The Left used to(still does) promote on ideological grounds. Once they infiltrate the institution and have power to hire and promote, they promote their ideological fellow travellers. There is going to be a shakeout of Lefting media, because of technological factors that increase competition, but the big conglomerates still remaining need to be penetrated and infiltrated.

Courts. Its imperative to get the judges on your side. So that your challenges will win over the enemy Lefts. This was a very successful tactic used by the Left.

Just 3 off the top of my head.

EscapeVelocity said...

One more, kind of in the spirit of your post about how to get involved.

We need to organize professional protestors to get out there in numbers and be heard, to challenge the Left and their Islamist allies in the streets wherever they may be holding rallies, etc.

Confrontation with the false consciousness crowd, is neccessary. There unreality has to be challenged viscerally and actively.

Czechmade said...

The leftists are very good in organizing various festivals and gatherings. Some are not leftist on the surface. "Don´t worry, ask for money" attitude makes them look free.

This side-effect makes them strong.
And their crowd is allowed not to think. You get even more relaxed knowing you are against something (indirecly benefitting of course, being "against" though).

ɱØяñιηg$ʇðя ©™ said...

My spider-senses are tingling. Maybe Kuwait wants good business relations with the west and a nice share of the same tourism as Dubai currently enjoys but fat chance they're gonna dump their paedophet Mo and his jolly butcher books in the foreseeable future.

Jewaira said...

"Can it really be true — does Kuwait aspire to be a modern country?"

Speaking specifically about Kuwait, our constitution only came into being in 1963.

The rate at which sociological and cultural changes take place in a society vary in pace according to external events and the general mindset of the people.

Just as the American people have only just elected a black president (and only half black at that) after so many years of "democracy" and "modernity", I think the election of women into Kuwaiti parliament (from varied backgrounds) reflects the people's desire for change.

Regardless of how "chauvinistic" some of the conservative MP's may have appeared when they walked out of parliament in protest during the swearing in of new members, I do think that it is a healthy expression of their opinion and an acceptable form of exercising their "democratic" rights as any "modern" state should aspire to, no?