Kuwait's Islamist Ummah Party announced yesterday total backing for women's full political rights, becoming the first Sunni Muslim group in the emirate to support women's suffrage.
| "Oh, yass! Certainly! See? We're not involved with the guys in the shootouts!" |
The party "approved by a majority the principle of women's political participation in voting and candidacy," said a statement issued after a meeting to discuss women's rights. "The party calls on the national assembly and the government to approve women's political participation and to comply with Shariah regulations and social practices," the statement added. The party has three supporters in the 50-seat parliament but it was not immediately known whether those MPs will abide by its decision.
The Ummah Party was launched last month by a group of Salafi Islamists to become the first political party in the Gulf Arab region. The government has not recognized its establishment and summoned its 15-member office bearers for interrogation at a police station. They were, however, released without pressing any charges against them. The statement also called for broadening political participation in Kuwait by enfranchising servicemen and lowering the voting age to 18 years from the current 21. |