Kuwaiti Islamists launch campaign to enlist support of women

The Islamic Constitutional Movement has initiated a campaign to recruit women to create a strong base at all electoral constituencies, according to a leader of the movement.

The movement's current rank of female members will be used extensively during the campaign, said Dr Mohammad Al Basiri, a prominent leader of Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) and an MP.

"The new law allowing women to exercise their political rights and other laws like lowering the age limit for voters and allowing military personnel to vote along with amendments in the number of constituencies will surely change the political structure and have a dramatic effect on the performance of Parliament," he said.

Speaking on ICM's earlier opposition to granting women their political rights and refusing to favour bills in this regard, Al Basiri said, "We have already closed this chapter and are looking forward to have women's active participation in political life but according to the limits and laws given by our religion."

"ICM is thinking seriously about future issues, including ways to ensure society's maximum participation in electoral system and currently we are targeting women votebank. We aim to launch political awareness programmes directed mainly at women to attract their votes," he added.

He said the Islamic Bloc has already prepared an agenda of Islamic laws to present in Parliament's next session and will insist on implementing Islamic laws.

He said the government has failed to adopt any of the Islamic laws presented by the Implementing Islamic Sharia Committee in the past 15 years.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Jasem Al Khorafi yesterday called for allowing the establishment of political parties in Kuwait to complete the democratic process, but said such a measure was not of a pressing nature now.

"Kuwaiti democracy cannot continue without a political system based on political parties as the government suffers most because of the absence of such parties," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Kuna news agency while talking to the editors-in-chief of local dailies.

"Timing, however, may not be appropriate now, but the issue must be settled in the near future because there is no government in the world that does not depend on its strength in parliament except in Kuwait."

Al Khorafi has in the past called for constitutional and legislative changes to make room for the establishment of political parties.

The writer is a journalist based in Kuwait.