Salmiya

In the third parliamentary election within only three years, four women have won seats in the Kuwaiti parliament yesterday. Women have fought successfully for their voting rights in 2005. I remember with much sympathy the women of Kuwait demonstrating in front of the parliament when inside lawmakers eventually agreed to give them the right to vote. When I congratulated some of my female Kuwaiti colleagues, open-minded and westernized, well-educated young women, they argued, however, that the right to vote may only strengthen the influence of the Islamists in the country. The paradox may be explained as follows. Very traditional Kuwaiti family fathers have, of course, up to four wives and plenty of grown-up but still unmarried daughters who, in all likelihood, will vote what the householder prefers: one man, several votes. In the following parliamentary election in 2006, and two years later when the parliament had untimely been dissolved by the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah...

As all other countries in the Middle East, Egypt is a typical boys’ country. Women and girls after puberty are rarely seen on the streets, and if, they are more or less veiled. When I strolled through the mayhem of Cairo last week, I identified maximum 10 per cent females in the streets. Boys were everywhere, holding hands, praying in the middle of the alleyway, being active. In the evenings, more women showed. Mothers and their half-grown daughters and little kids went shopping. Downtown and in the Islamic part of Cairo, almost all of them were veiled. In the fancy restaurants on the shores of the Nile or in Al Azhad Park there was, of course, a completely different picture. The fun-loving, young, bold and beautiful celebrated birthday parties and enjoyed life. Young couples (of course not married) met for romantic candle-light dinners. Only some of the girls were wearing more fashionable head scarves, très chic . I talked with many young lads in the little shops of Khan Al Khalili, t...