Women in Kuwait protest after cops block yoga retreat
MP said yoga plan was 'alien practice in the Kuwaiti society'
Cairo: Dozens of women gathered in Kuwait to protest what they saw as attempts to limit women’s freedom after a recent female-only yoga event was scrapped.
The protest came in response to calls made by a number of pro-women rights groups in the country. Some men also attended.
Protesters at Monday’s rally raised placards reading “The woman is a partner to the homeland and citizenship” and “The woman’s freedom and equality are constitutional mainstays”.
The protesters also voiced dismay over what they saw as the government’s submission to “foes of freedom” and called for protecting women’s freedom and rights.
They called for openness recreational activities and urged the government not to bow to what they described as radicals.
Last week, Kuwaiti authorities blocked a controversial retreat for women, saying organisers had not obtained the necessary official permits.
The event was due to start last Thursday in a desert area, but it was banned after a lawmaker condemned the plan as an “alien practice in the Kuwaiti society”.
The event’s organiser Eman Al Hussainan, a TV presenter and a yoga instructor, said she had lodged a complaint with public prosecution against the Interior Ministry’s decision to stop the trip.
Critics have condemned prohibition of the event as assault on freedoms in Kuwait.