Kuwaiti minister urges action to refute misconceptions about women in Islam

NEW YORK: Kuwaiti Minister of State for Women and Childhood Affairs Mai Al-Baghli called on Wednesday for a collective Muslim action to spruce up the tarnished image of women in Islam and correct the misconceptions about their status and rights. Speaking at the Women in Islam conference held on the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, Al-Baghli underlined the need for political and media efforts to refute misconceptions about Muslim women and promote the true image of women in Islam.

Baghli, also minister of social affairs and community development, affirmed that Islam protects women rights to life, decent living, education, dignity and humanity. “Islam honors women and protects their rights as mothers, wives, sisters or daughters. It guarantees effective and essential roles for women in the family and society,” she said. She stressed that Islam is the religion of tolerance, moderation and humanity and that Muslim countries should promote the values of peaceful coexistence among civilizations. The Kuwaiti minister called for standing against extremism and violence and spreading noble principles of moderation. She expressed Kuwait’s great gratitude for Pakistan’s initiative to hold this conference in coincidence with the International Women’s Day.

Equal partner

Meanwhile, Baghli said that Kuwait plays a role in empowering women and activating their role as an “equal partner” for boosting full-scale and sustainable development. She further indicated that this approach is designed to achieve progress at various levels, namely in technological innovation. Baghli, who was addressing the 67th session on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), noted that it was held at a crucial time, with only seven years ahead of the deadline for attaining objectives of global sustainable development, set at 2030.

The fifth goal, outlined in the international strategy, calls for attaining gender equality, empowering women and girls, minister Baghli added. The world is currently facing social, political, economic and health challenges, namely epidemics and pandemics, threatening to compromise achievements made in the past years at the level of women empowering, she warned, urging for collective efforts at various levels to maintain these accomplishments.

In her lengthy address, Baghli has affirmed that Kuwait abides by international treaties against all forms of indiscrimination against the women. “I have come from a country where the woman has played crucial roles throughout history for its development, maintaining it in peace and war and the Kuwaiti woman has proven that she is capable to face challenges and difficulties, turning into an effective and prime factor for building modern Kuwait,” she said.

Constitution guarantees equality

On paper, the State of Kuwait Constitution guarantees gender equality, and in practice, the Kuwaiti woman has demonstrated perseverance, determination and ambition for making achievements at various levels. In addition to recognizing women rights, as enshrined in the Kuwait Constitution and a series of relevant legislations, Kuwait has adhered to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) since joining it in 1994. The Kuwaiti women accomplishments have been steadily mounting since 2005, when their struggle bore fruits, earning the franchise.

Minister Baghli added that she was proud of participating in the panel works not only as minister of social affairs but also as state minister for women and childhood affairs, a ministerial post recently established for the first time, mirroring the Kuwaiti political leadership keenness on enabling the women and boosting their rights. As tangible examples how the Kuwaiti female citizens have been taking strides, minister Baghli noted that the females account to 59 percent of the national work force, higher than the aspired global standard, 39 percent, and 21 percent of the leaders.

Therefore, they have become a key force for attaining the national development strategy, Kuwaiti vision 2035.At the scientific level, proportion of the female students in medical and engineering colleges, has reached 75 percent, and 100 percent in medical sciences and pharmaceuticals’ faculties. Proportion of the women working at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) has reached 47 percent, she said, concluding that many active Kuwaiti women have earned high-privileged awards.

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