Social stigmas against victims of sexual abuse keep families silent on the issue. Credit: Al Jazeera English/CC-BY-SA-2.0

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Sep 25 2012 (IPS)

A thirty-four-year-old Bahraini teacher, whose son was abused five years ago, has hitherto refused to tell anyone the story, afraid that she will be blamed for failing to protect her child who is now eight years old.

“He was sitting with the maid outside the house. She left him alone for a moment to fetch some milk and some teenagers took him to a building under construction in the area,” the teacher told IPS, requesting anonymity.

“When she found him missing, she searched for him and found him being harassed by those boys.”

“I couldn’t report the case as they (the boys) are my neighbours and I don’t want people to blame me or to a shame my son when he grows up,” she said, expressing the sentiment of countless families.

The teacher didn’t take the child to a physician and stopped his counseling when she was advised to take legal action against the perpetrators.

Sexual abuse of children in Bahrain is increasingly sneaking under the radar, as families anxious to avoid ‘disgracing’ themselves in the conservative society keep silent about the issue.

Others keep the matter top secret out of fear of legal action against abusers, who are very often family relations.

Former head of the state-run Children Protection Centre (CPC), Dr. Fakhriya Dairi, told IPS, “As a government organisation we receive calls from neighbours or close relatives who report abuse cases with anonymity.

“In some cases we manage to prove the abuse but other times parents succeed in hiding the truth,” she said.

Activists and lawyers, however, criticise lenient punishments and the lack of special legislation to tackle child abuse.

Legal protections needed

Dr. Sharifa Swar, head of Batelco Care Centre for Family Violence Cases, has noticed an increase in sexual abuse cases with an average of three reported to the centre every week.

The centre registered 408 abuse cases in 2011, including cases of violence against women. To date, Bahrain has not conducted a comprehensive study on child abuse, so very few official statistics exist.

Swar told the press earlier this month that the increase in reported cases does not mean the end of social misconceptions and stigmas. In fact, she is convinced that the reported cases conceal a much larger number of victims, who are simply too afraid to speak up.

“We need tough legislation to protect children as the current (laws) are outdated and could help abusers escape punishment,” she said in a statement published earlier this month.

Under existing legislation, an adult who sexually abuses a child below 12 years of age is punished with up to fifteen years’ imprisonment, or nine years in jail if the victim is older.

But social activist and lawyer Fawziya Janahi pointed out that many abusers escape such punishment. She cited a recent case in which a court sentenced a 25-year-old man to a single year in jail for raping Janahi’s 16-year-old female client, by convincing the court that the girl agreed to have sex with him.

“I’m still battling another case of a 14-year-old girl who got pregnant after she was raped by four men. Only one confessed and he, too, might escape penalty for agreeing to marry her,” Janahi told IPS. “(Faulty) laws and social misconceptions turn the agony of sexual abuse into a lifetime of suffering.”

According to Janahi, Bahrain needs tougher punishments for child abusers, which could be put in place through an amendment of the penal code.

“The domestic violence draft law that is being reviewed by legislators could protect the rights of abused children, as parents who hide cases could be held responsible for neglect and maltreatment,” she said.

Additionally, the Be-Free Centre, dedicated to ensuring a safe living environment for children, has drafted a code of ethics to promote child rights.

This document enables government agencies, non-governmental organisations, the media, telecommunications establishments and many others to consider children’s safety when designing their strategies and services.

Members of civil society are currently holding negotiations with parliamentarians, in an effort to grant the draft code legal power.

The president of Be-Free Centre, Rana Al Sairafi, told IPS that 50 to 60 percent of all types of abuse against children go unreported.

“To reach out to families with abused children who don’t want their cases to be reported by NGOs or government organisations, we have launched a hotline that offers free counseling in anonymity,” Al Sairafi added.

The centre also offers workshops to children of different age groups to train them on self-protection against abuse and exploitation.

Experts believe the issue has far-reaching social effects, which need to be tackled at a systemic level.

Swar said that males who were sexually abused in their childhood and didn’t receive proper therapy often lack concentration and suffer from short tempers.

“Sexually abused children hate to go to school and are emotionally unstable and shy,” she added.

Dairi, who recently started her own counseling centre, now receives fewer cases, which she attributes to financial constraints that prevent poor families from seeking therapy and psychological support.

The private counseling clinics charge an average of 50 dollars per session and the therapy could take more than one year.

This is often unaffordable for the 14,000 families who live below the poverty line, earning a monthly income of less than 370 Bahraini dinars (roughly 1,000 dollars).

Bahrain endorsed a child protection law this August, which forms a general framework for all aspects of child protection.

(END)

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jul 4 2011 (IPS)

Women activists in Bahrain have acknowledged their poor showing in the recent unrest as well as in efforts to fight sectarianism, and blamed it on rifts within their organisations.

Many have accused Bahraini women – with their long history of struggle and victory – of failing to leave their mark in the recent uprising in the country.

Shortly after sectarian tensions broke out in Manama in February, women activists and their societies launched at least three initiatives to bring their advocacies to the people and help improve the plight of women.

But the political agenda of other groups got mixed up with women’s causes. “Most of our societies were forced to stop all activities either because women-oriented programmes weren’t suitable then or because some members tried pushing their political agendas,” a human rights activist and founder of one of Bahrain’s oldest women’s societies told IPS on condition of anonymity.

“In my own experience, we had many female members who wanted to misuse the society and its programmes in pushing for the agendas of their own political societies, which isn’t something we wanted to happen. So we froze almost all activities to protect our neutrality,” she said, stressing that the same problem occurred in other groups.

An example was the Women for Bahrain project, which had a grand launch last March but started to fade in less than a month.

“Women for Bahrain was lucky to have a strong start, but received a deadly end when its Facebook page turned into a war zone between youth from different sects,” she said, explaining that the group’s presence in the social networking site became a battleground for opposing views. “All efforts to control the activities of the page and bar angry youth failed, hence the organisers decided to shelve the project.”

Abdulnabi Al Ekri, president of the Bahrain Transparency Society, told IPS that women’s participation across all political parties did not exceed 25 percent of all activities during and after the unrest.

Women took part in rallies and processions organised by opposition and pro-government groups, but their involvement was mainly as participants and not as leaders or speakers.

“Political societies have female members but they aren’t in leading positions, hence their roles were overshadowed by top male members,” Al Ekri says.

He urges female activists to end their silence and grab the golden opportunity for greater women empowerment offered by the national dialogue to commence on Jul. 1 with the participation of all segments of society.

Bahrain Women’s Union led the way when it submitted on Jun. 23 the points it thought should be included in the general agenda for the talks. The Union, with 12 women’s societies as members, demanded an amendment to the outdated nationality law to give females the right to pass their nationality on to their children, just as men married to foreigners are able to. It also asked for the implementation of the second part of the Family Law to cover Shiite Shariah Court under the legislation. The current law covers only Sunni Shariah Court.

“We have submitted our views and they are supported by almost all women’s societies, but we have no idea if they will be given priority,” said Mariam Al Ruwai, president of the Bahrain Women’s Union. But she noted that the talks would focus on “correcting the political situation and creating political changes,” and that gender equality needs to play a key role.

Writer Saeed Al Hamad said women’s voices have been hijacked and are no longer as loud as they were during the 1960s when Bahrain was fighting for independence from British rule.

“The backwardness of the Arab world in the last 30 years turned women in the region into followers and not leaders,” Al Hamad told a recent seminar by the state-run Supreme Council for Women. “Bahraini women felt the pain of unrest more than males, so they have to have a bigger role in the future by having greater participation in society. The upcoming by-election in September could be a good start,” he said.

But religious lecturer Fatima Bosoundel refuses to accept that Bahraini women played a minor role in recent political events. “Females had great roles at home by keeping children calm and unaffected when things were out of control in the streets. They cannot be underestimated for being the strongest element in the house,” she tells IPS.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jun 8 2011 (IPS)

A national dialogue with no preconditions could bring the situation in Bahrain back to normal after a military crackdown that followed months of unrest.

Three opposition groups – the Democratic Nationalist Rally, the Democratic Progressive Tribune and the National Democratic Action Society (Waad) – have welcomed the dialogue slated to start Jul. 1. The Al Wefaq National Islamic Society that led protests in February and March before the declaration of a three-month state of emergency also hinted that it approved of the talks.

In a statement issued early this month, Al Wefaq welcomed a comprehensive dialogue based on a national consensus to achieve the demands and aspirations of Bahrainis. The group hinted that its engagement in the talks would depend on the involvement of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who suggested the idea at the height of the unrest in February.

The protests in Bahrain, inspired by the political movements in Egypt and Tunisia, started on Feb. 14 with calls for better housing services and living conditions, and escalated to demand the overthrow of the regime.

The unrest has affected people’s lives and the economy. One example was the postponement of the Formula One race that had been scheduled for March. The announcement of the dialogue might have influenced the FIA Grand Prix’s decision to agree to hold the games in October.

A probe by a parliamentary committee found that the Bahrain Petroleum Company lost six million Bahraini dinars (almost 16 million dollars) because of a strike called by the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions in March. The investigation looked into irregularities in the company, which generates around 70 percent of the state’s revenues.

The strike that continued for one week in March led to the loss of some 2,000 jobs in both the private and public sectors, said the opposition newspaper Al Wasat. The Ministry of Labour has promised to work with companies to re-hire workers who were fired to keep the unemployment rate below the usual upper limit of four percent.

“I say yes to the dialogue to remove Bahrain from what it is going through right now,” business journalist Hana Buhiji told IPS. “There are many announced demands and for a successful dialogue, ideas should be reviewed to organise those demands according to their priorities for the nation and citizens before putting them on the negotiating table,” she said.

Buhiji also called for proper channels for all parties in the talks to reach a middle ground. “If the dialogue wouldn’t do that or would try to reduce demands, then it is going to be a waste of time. This would affect economic, political and social lives in Bahrain,” she said.

“All segments of society should be involved in the dialogue, especially those who are representing all Bahrainis. It should be precise and just, so that our real demands can reach the negotiating table,” she urged, while highlighting the importance of flexibility and the acceptance of different viewpoints.

Violence and clashes during the unrest led to the death of 13 protesters, four policemen and seven civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Interior. Figures presented to parliament showed that 391 police officers and 56 innocent citizens and residents sustained injuries. The opposition, however, said the number of casualties among protesters is much higher than the official figure.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa assigned legislative and executive authorities to call for the dialogue and ensure proper procedures for smooth and open deliberations.

The King invited everyone to take part in the initiative to further push for reforms and meet citizens’ expectations for peace, justice and stability. The outcome of the dialogue is to be referred to the King for implementation according to constitutional principles.

Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa said the dialogue would include everyone, with no exceptions.

“The approval of the four opposition societies was welcomed by ordinary citizens,” said Ubaidly Al- Ubaidly, Al Wasat columnist and editor-in-chief. He added that people feared those societies might hinder the dialogue by setting conditions that are hard to achieve, and that this could throw Bahrain back into dark times again.

“Citizens look to the dialogue not for major political benefits, but for things that touch their lives directly, such as better living conditions and stability,” he said while urging the opposition societies to unite to negotiate for the best for the country and the people. He said all those involved in the talks should genuinely work to make them a success and push for fruitful results.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Apr 22 2011 (IPS)

Women in Bahrain have launched new initiatives to tackle sectarian tensions that emerged as the fallout of widespread unrest sweeping the country since Feb. 14.

The tiny island with oil incomes representing around 70 percent of government revenues was known for years for its peaceful coexistence between its majority Shiite and minority Sunni populations.

The majority of those who participated in demonstrations before the declaration of the three-month state of emergency in March were Shiites. Sunnis were mainly involved in pro-government rallies.

The result: long-time friends have turned enemies. Each sect has issued a list of shops that should be boycotted because Bahrainis of the opposite sect own them. Those lists are circulated through leaflets, email and e-forums.

‘Women for Bahrain’ is an initiative that is working to unite Bahrainis once again. “Through the group we are trying to tell people that religion is for god, and the country is for all of us, and how sectarianism could lead to serious complications,” activist and member of the media committee Fawziya Al Khaja told IPS.

The recently formed women’s group of different walks of life stands against powers in Bahrain backing sectarian tension to promote their agendas, she says.

The group commenced its activities in March, calling for love and tolerance through Internet social networks. A unity petition was launched.

A gathering in the same month followed the call for love and tolerance. It promoted meditation and other exercises.

“The group’s activities wouldn’t have a timeframe and would continue as long as we are needed, we want from the people of Bahrain to respect and accept each other regardless of their differences and to share the love of their country,” Al Khaja says.

The group is also dedicated to spreading the principles of wisdom, justice and freedom to protect the dignity of people. “Through the group we are telling society and the world that the role of Bahraini women shouldn’t be overlooked, as without them the structure of family and community get affected,” she explains.

Internet social networks and Blackberry messenger are now a war zone for Shiite and Sunni youth who pass hate messages back and forth constantly. Those messages criticise the differences among two sects of the same religion, president of the Bahrain Women’s Union Mariam Al Ruwaee, tells IPS.

“Mixed marriages felt the heat of tensions most, since people could shun sectarianism inside their homes, while we are confronting them insides our bedrooms,” Fathiya Ibrahim, a Shiite, told IPS.

Talking about her relationship with her Sunni husband, she said: “We aren’t at ease as we share different opinions. It wasn’t like that before but situations have dragged us to this level.”

Sunni academic, Haisa Al Junaid who is married to a Shiite, has so far attracted 40 women to stand together against what could threaten the stability of their families and the safety of their children – fights that turn violent at schools.

“We want to take legal actions, including filing court cases against well-known figures promoting sectarianism,” Haisa announced during a recent launch of the initiative at her home. “Through the group we want also to highlight that we are in pain from disunity in the community and disturbance of relations.”

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Mar 31 2011 (IPS)

Bahrain is considering slashing or putting on hold levies on businesses to help them cope with the deteriorating economy, with losses topping an estimated 500 million dollars since the beginning of unrest here in February.

Thousands rally in Bahrain. Credit: Suad Hamada/IPS

The protest movement here – which began Feb. 14 with rallies and sit-ins demanding the overthrow of the ruling regime – was inspired by the democratic revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. But now the political crisis could be turning into an open sectarian conflict between the ruling minority Sunnis and Shiites – who account for 70 percent of the population of 525,000 people. So far at least 24 people have been killed during the government’s violent crackdown on protests.

The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has instructed banks to reschedule loans of companies – especially SMEs – to reduce financial pressure. CBB governor Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj also reiterated the readiness of the bank to cooperate with all financial institutions in order to ensure the continuity of banking operations for all economic sectors and individuals which will contribute to Bahrain’s economic growth.

The travel and tourism sector has been badly affected as it was counting on thousands of tourists visiting Bahrain during the Formula One races that were called off along with many international conferences planned for the first half of 2011.

According to the Customs Affairs office 11,185 vehicles and 23,637 travellers entered the country in the first day of last year’s Formula One races, and 12,334 vehicles and 35,548 travellers came in the second day, while on the third day 11,999 vehicles and 24,311 travellers, and on the fourth and final day 9,424 vehicles and 19,229 travellers, arrived.

“We got 100 percent affected by the cancellation of Formula One, in which all our air-tickets, hotel and car rental bookings were cancelled, while incomes coming from [Gulf Cooperation Council] tourists dropped by more than 50 percent,” Abdullah Al Kubaisi, manager of Al Kubaisi Travel, told IPS.

“In such periods we travel agencies generate high incomes as a result of a boom in the sector and the drop wasn’t expected,” he says, highlighting fear of permanent damage to the sector if some regional business offices that are based in Bahrain decide to shift to nearby cities.

Al Kubaisi highlighted that incomes from Saudi tourism have drastically declined. Official statistics reveal that 17 million travellers – 8,046 per day – crossed the King Fahad Causeway linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia last year.

Self-employed citizens have been badly affected by the continuing unrest in Bahrain – taxi drivers are among this group. Saeed Khadem who has been in the taxi business for the last fifteen years is feeling the crunch and is finding it difficult to meet his family’s daily needs. “It isn’t only me but all my colleagues – as the luckiest one of us will earn 50 dollars a day, which is a small amount and most of it will be gone for fuel,” he said.

Saeed works in Juffair and deals mainly with foreigners, tourists and transit passengers.

The hospitality sector has also been hit, with a drop from 90 percent to 25 percent of rooms booked. Executive manager of Gulf Hotels Group, Aqeel Eaees, said: “Our operations have been generally slow, in which hotels closed some of their rooms and suites and reduced the working hours of restaurants.”

International companies have not escaped. Microsoft reports that revenues will be down by the end of the current financial year – ending in June. Regional client official, Badea Esbaee, told the local press that his company couldn’t upgrade systems for companies in Bahrain. “No company has cancelled deals with us, but many have delayed the upgrading of their scheduled IT systems,” he said.

There are no official figures about financial losses due to unrest in Bahrain, but analysts estimate the amounts to be about 500 million dollars. “All sectors in Bahrain have suffered because of the current situations in the country, even the food sector, mainly because regular visitors from Gulf countries have stopped coming,” businessman Abdulrahman Fakhro said. He also predicted the closing of many companies and firing of local and foreign workers if the situation did not improve.

To save Bahrain’s economy from disaster, Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced during a recent visit here, plans to continue investing in Bahrain. He said that his projects would aim to examine further opportunities for additional investment while at the same time supporting the development of banks and companies in Bahrain.

Bahrain was safe from much of the impact of the global financial crisis due to its reserve foreign investment policy. But now the political conflicts are shaking the financial position of the country, as it is the regional hub for many sectors because of its open market policies and flexible legislation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid Al Khalifa during his recent official visit to Turkey announced that currently maintaining security and stability in Bahrain are the regime’s top priority.

(*The story moved 14:47 GMT Mar. 31, 2011 contained an error in the third paragraph.)

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Mar 25 2011 (IPS)

As protests in Bahrain continue, increasingly migrant workers are being victimised in violent hate crimes.

Injured Pakistani migrant worker following an attack in Manama. Credit: Courtesy of Pakistan Embassy to Bahrain

Sharma isn’t considering leaving the country yet, but risks unemployment if the situation deteriorates further.

Eight migrant workers died and approximately 49 sustained various injuries since Mar. 17 when the government with the support of Cooperation Council of the Arab Gulf States (GCC) peninsula shield troops started cracking down on demonstrations blocking roads in Manama – the financial capital of Bahrain. The government has also declared a three-month state of emergency to be enforced by the Bahrain Defence Force.

Most expats are not yet considering leaving the country, hoping for the situation to revert to normal. They fear losing their jobs and not finding new ones back home.

On Mar. 13 before the beginning of the attacks, the Civil Disobedience Support Committee sent a letter to foreign embassies in the country asking diplomatic missions to ask their nationals to leave immediately, while warning that the routes leading to the airport might not be safe. IPS obtained a copy of the letter.

Expatriates, mainly migrant workers from Asia, are in high demand for their skills and are valued for their low salaries – essential to prop up sustainable growth in Bahrain. Migrant workers represent almost half of the country’s population of 1.2 million. Migrant labour in the region is a huge source of remittance income in the workers’ home countries – and some embassies here seem to be taking the violent hate crimes against their nationals with a grain of salt.

The Prime Minister of Bahrain, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, has met with Indian, Pilipino, Bangladeshi and acting Pakistani Ambassadors to assure them that the government is interested in the safety of all migrant workers in the country. There have been attacks on nationals of all these countries in the last few days. Al Khalifa said that expatriates are highly needed in Bahrain and their labour rights and safety would be protected.

There have been four deaths and around 40 injuries so far among Pakistanis, many of whom work as riot and security police. Ten Pakistanis are in critical condition.

“In my community that is estimated to have 65,000 Pakistanis, the death of one civilian and three policemen were reported, most of the attacks took place in Manama,” Aurangzeb, of the Pakistan mission to Bahrain told IPS.

After the attacks, most of the Pakistanis residing in Manama were evacuated to safer places in cities such as Isa Town, where they were housed in the Pakistan School and Pakistan Club. They will be shifted again to different accommodations soon, Aurangzeb said. The embassy hasn’t asked its residents to leave Bahrain.

Seven Bangladeshis have been hospitalised, three have died and four are under treatment. The number of victims is small according to the Bangladeshi Embassy when compared with the large number of Bangladeshis living in Bahrain – 100,000.

“Most of our victims were attacked in mid-March and I don’t blame anyone and I think they were assaulted for being caught in the middle of rioting and violence in the wrong time and wrong place,” Bangladeshi Ambassador Ali Akbar told IPS.

To protect the community, he said, the embassy advised Bangladeshi nationals to remain neutral and cautious and to avoid the venues of demonstrations.

The ambassador denied a case of a Sunni Bangladeshi national who is in coma after being attacked by Shiite demonstrators who cut his tongue off to prevent him from reciting Azzan. This case has been reported in almost all the local newspapers along with images of him in the hospital.

Sri Lanka Honorary Consul General P. B. Higgoda confirms that his community members were not asked to go home, however a temporary ban on new recruitment has been imposed by his government for those who want to enter Bahrain. “I don’t know when the ban will be lifted,” Higgoda said. There are approximately 14,000 Sri Lankan residents in Bahrain.

No attacks were reported among the Sri Lankan community, of whom 3,500 are domestic workers. Higgoda says this is because they follow the “laws and orders” of the country.

“Hopefully Indians are much safer now than two weeks back, as we have advised them to be extra careful and stay indoors after dark,” Indian Ambassador Mohan Kumar, told IPS. One Indian died in crossfire, while five have sustained minor injuries.

Indians represent the largest community in Bahrain with 350,000 individuals living in the country – 70 percent of them are labourers and semi-skilled workers. No warnings have been issued for Indians, as until now the country is safe if residents take extra precautions, according to Kumar. “We only advised at the beginning of the crackdown for housewives and children to leave if they fear for their safety,” Kumar said.

Situations are expected to be better with the deployment of security forces in major urban areas, however migrant workers will remain in danger as very poor security will remain in the old neighbourhoods of Manama where they reside.

The U.S. Department of State is urging its citizens to defer travel to Bahrain, and has advised those in the country to consider departing.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Mar 3 2011 (IPS)

Thousands of foreign labourers here are squeezed into houses the government says are uninhabitable, but they are unlikely to get any relief soon, with the non- stop protests in the capital hurting many businesses.

After Tunisia and Egypt, it is Bahrain’s turn to witness protests in the centre of the capital. Seven protesters have died, although there has been no clash between demonstrators and security forces since Feb. 17. Protesters have refused to budge from the Pearl Roundabout, a few kilometres from Bahrain’s Financial Harbor and World Trade Center.

Businesses in the area are reporting losses, with customers choosing to stay away. Among those affected is Bahrain’s largest central market, which employs thousands of migrant workers.

The protests have likewise brought the hotel industry to its knees, with numerous room bookings, conferences, exhibitions, and even wedding parties being cancelled, said Anwar Abdulrahman, columnist and editor-in chief of the first Bahrain-based newspaper Akhbar Al Khaleej.

This decline in business means that employers will be unable to afford proper labour camps for their workers.

Businessman Isa Mohammed said the current situation makes it impossible for him to provide proper housing for his workers. Isa owns a barber shop and three mobile phone stores that employ eight workers, all of them renting an old house for less than 150 dollars a month.

“Even before the unrest that badly affected my incomes, I wasn’t able to shift them to a better place, because I’m paying monthly around 25 dollars as a tax for each of them,” Isa said.

A huge number of foreign migrant workers here in Bahrain live in crumbling and unsafe homes, the only kind most of them can afford.

“In 2009, we have issued warnings for 250 home owners to renovate their homes before giving them for rent and got orders from the Public Prosecutor Office to demolish 80 homes in the same city for being unfit for living,” said Minister of Municipalities and Urban Development Dr Juma Al Kaabi. “If all concerned official organisations will apply rules and conditions related to labour camps, then 90 percent of those camps should be evacuated for being unfit for living.”

Official statistics show Bahrain had 290,000 foreign labourers as of 2009. More than two-thirds of them live in Manama and Muharraq, Bahrain’s second largest city. The 2010 Census released in February shows that expatriates have been streaming into Bahrain over the past nine years, and are the reason the population has nearly doubled from 650,000 in 2001 to 1,234,571 in 2010.

Expatriates workers, who make up 54 percent of the population, fill a wide range of occupations, from labourers to company chairpersons. But the majority of them are employed in low paying jobs as construction and factory workers, shopkeepers, tailors and crafters. The majority are poor Asians – Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis – who cannot afford high rent or are unable to get better accommodation from their employers.

Migrant workers’ living conditions caught public attention, after 33-year-old Indian Susheel Kumar was killed when the roof of the bedroom he shared with another Indian collapsed due to heavy rains in January. Kumar’s roommate, Nandhi Kishore Bimal, who was sleeping under a table, survived with leg fractures.

The house in Manama where Kumar died is one of many old houses that are rented out as labour camps. In 2006, 16 Indian workers died when their home, also in the same area, caught fire.

Fire is common in these houses, since most of them are made of wood. Labourers cook in their rooms, because kitchens have usually been converted into additional rooms to take in more occupants, municipal councillor Fatima Salman told IPS.

“Moving those labourers from old houses in residential areas isn’t expected soon, because with the financial problems companies wouldn’t risk paying 20 dinar monthly for the accommodation of each of them in the only ready labour camp built by the government in Muharraq,” municipal councillor Ali Al Muqla told IPS.

“I don’t have another option but to live in old houses and that what I have been doing in the last 15 years I spent in Bahrain,” said Bangladeshi Anwar Mohammed who repairs houses for a living. “My monthly earning is less than 200 dollars and most of it I spend on my family back home, so paying 25 dollars monthly to share a room with other four roommates is affordable to me.”

Anwar doesn’t worry about the risk of living in such old homes. “Throughout the years I lived in Bahrain, I have shifted three homes and all of them were in bad condition but nothing happened to me, so let’s hope luck will continue to be on my side,” he said.

Shortly after the death of 16 Indian labourers in the fire in 2006, the government announced it was building three huge labour camps to accommodate more than 600,000 workers in different cities. So far, only one is ready in the Salman Industrial area, and very few have moved in.

“Labour accommodation far from residential areas couldn’t be a good choice for many of us,” Pakistani workers Iqbal Aslam told IPS. “I’m a self-employed plumber and I have to be close to my customers because I don’t own a car and don’t want to waste my money on transportation.”

Salman Mahfoodh, general secretary of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Union, said the government isn’t doing its best to deal with the problem. “There should be proper legislation to deal with labour camps to give the Ministry of Labor the power to inspect all camps, including those being rented by labourers themselves to ensure their safety,” he told IPS. “Without strong legislation, poor labourers will remain at risk.”

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jan 6 2011 (IPS)

Environmentalists are engaged in a nation-wide campaign to protect what is left of the agricultural belt in Bahrain. Seventy percent of farms have been eliminated due to urbanisation, according to environmentalists who are warning of a serious environmental crisis.

The 692 square kilometre island – with a population of 1,234,596 according to preliminary results of the census released in Nov. 2010 – has been involved in massive sea reclamation activities, but has also been turning farms in the Capital City area and the villages of the northern part of the country into residential areas.

“I know we are having serious housing problems as thousands of families are waiting for houses from the government for years,” Khawla Al Muhanadi, president of Bahrain Environment-Friendly Society, told IPS. But turning farms to housing projects cannot be accepted since half of Bahrain is a desert and empty, she says.

Three large farms in Manama were destroyed a few months back for private housing projects, while two others in Sanabis and Burhama are awaiting similar actions, according to the Environment-Friendly Society. “Most of those farms have been there for more than 150 years… they cannot be replaced somewhere else,” Khalwa says, noting that, “most of those lands are owned by the government and inside the agricultural belt.”

She warns that destroying the remaining 30 percent of farms in Bahrain could signal an end to the remaining ground water in the country.

By 2007, actual renewable water resources per capita have plunged to 154.5 cubic meters, according to the World Resources Institute.

Environmentalists are lobbying for lawmakers’ support to activate a law to protect palm trees that was endorsed in 1983 but never enforced. They are also pushing for further legislation to tackle the problem. Khawla notes that the existing palm tree protection law imposes a 500 Bahraini dinar (1,300 dollar) fine for anyone destroying a palm tree – but this law is not implemented.

Bahrain, despite its small size, was once named the country of one million palm trees thanks to its natural water resources that have started disappearing because of high population growth and consumption of sweet water resources.

The Minister of Municipalities and Urban Organisation, Juma Al Kaabi, told the press – while announcing a national agricultural strategy – that his ministry is trying to protect the agriculture sector for better food security. “It isn’t a government’s mistake,” the minister said. “Many changes have affected the sector, such as urbanisation, shortage of natural water and reduction of Bahraini farmers who opted for easier and rewarding jobs.”

Bahrain has 6,400 hectares of agricultural lands, in which only 69 percent are in use – the minister highlighted a plan to make use of the remaining. “The agriculture sector revenues contribute 23 percent to the GDP of around BD16.2 million [40.5 million dollars] annually,” Al Kaabi explained.

The Bahrain farming sector is mainly run by 9,120 expatriates – representing 68 percent of farmers.

Researcher Nader Al Masri feels that creating rewarding job opportunities for locals and increasing investment in the sector could ease the problem. “Farmers could be provided with more assistance to be promoted to continue in their jobs and to adopt modern irrigation methods.”

Bahraini farmer, Hussain Taher, is keeping his job out of his love of farming despite the poor government support and marketing of local vegetables and fruits. “We farmers are facing tough competition from imported fruits and vegetables, so the government should regulate the market to protect our interests,” he told IPS.

“The demands of tomatoes were previously met locally, but after the opening of the King Fahad Causeway – linking Bahrain with Saudi Arabia – most of the demands are now met from importation,” he says.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Nov 3 2010 (IPS)

The recent election of Bahrain’s first female municipal councilor is boosting hopes among women here that they are seeing the beginning of the end to gender-based voting in this country.

Indeed, even the women who failed in their own poll bids – some for the second or third time – are upbeat following the Oct. 30 win of Fatima Salman as councilor in Muharraq, the second largest city in Bahrain.

Mariam Al Ruwai, president of Bahrain’s Women Union, is also raring to run again in the next polls, scheduled for 2014, despite her elimination from the first round of the recent parliamentary election.

She had met the same fate in the 2006 polls. But, she explains, “Many women in the world are deprived from their political rights, so we shouldn’t take such privileges for granted and keep fighting for better tomorrow.”

“The signs of change have started with the winning of Fatima,” she adds, “and more success will be coming if we keep fighting.”

Up until Salman’s win, only one female had been elected into office in Bahrain, as representative of an uninhabited island: Latifa Al Quod, who also ran unopposed in the 2006 polls. Al Quod was automatically re-elected in September when no one stepped up to challenge her.

Eight other women vied for parliamentary seats in the elections held on Oct. 23. Only one, academician Munira Fakrho, garnered enough votes to be included in the run-off on Oct. 30, but she was also defeated in the end.

Yet she tells IPS, “I didn’t fail for being a woman, but as an opposition leader, so I’m proud of my failure. It isn’t anymore about voters shying away from female candidates, but looking at the potentials of the persons they are going to choose, so it is a very encouraging change.”

“Yes, I would be happier if I won as well as two male candidates who were also backed by our leftist group, National Action Democratic Society (Waad),” Fakhro says. “But we failed not because of gender issues or not being worthy, but because of the government’s interference…forcing military personnel to vote for our opponents.”

Sabah Al Dossary, who like Salman qualified for the run- offs in the municipal elections, says she is proud of her showing as well, even though she lost eventually.

According to Al Dossary, her opponent “got the shock of his life when he came to know that he would compete in the second round of election with a woman”. She says she gave him “tough competition” that would serve as a good lesson to many young women in Bahrain.

For sure, though, there are those who have contrary views, such as Abdulnabi Al Ekri, president of the Bahrain Transparency Society. Apparently unconvinced that Salman’s win signalled a significant change in the attitudes in Bahrain’s male-dominated society, he recently hinted that perhaps the constituencies should be reduced in number to give female candidates a fighting chance.

In Kuwait, he told the local press, four women won in the legislative election there in 2009 after the constituencies were reduced from 25 to five. Among Gulf Cooperation Council members, only Kuwait and Bahrain hold elections.

“Bahrain’s 40 constituencies weaken the power of each vote, as most voters will opt for male candidates as their first option,” Al Ekri argued. “If voters would be allowed to choose more than one candidate, then many will select female candidates.”

So far, however, Al Ekri seems to hold a minority opinion. A day after Salman’s historic win at the polls, King Hamad bin Isa Ali Khalifa congratulated her and said that her victory was “good news to Bahraini women”.

Activist Fawziya Al Zayani, for her part, attributes what she calls as a “friendly approach” towards female candidates to changes in the voters’ preference.

Referring to the two main religious factions in Bahrain, she comments, “Although Shiites remains loyal to Islamists of their sect, Sunnis were the opposite and opted for change by selecting independent members of Parliament….(They neglected) members of Sunni groups that dominated the lower house in the last eight years.”

“It is a refreshing fact that voters aren’t anymore after religious candidates, but those who can help them, and that is why Fatima won,” says Al Zayani.

Salman, who beat her opponent by 134 votes, ran as an independent candidate. Although initially shocked that she won, she now says she will nominate herself as the chairwoman of Muharraq’s municipal council, in which she would be the only female.

A single mother of a 16-year-old boy and guardian of an orphaned niece, Salman is a retired ports directorate supervisor. Now in her 50s, Salman has been active in many organisations, including the Religious Tolerance Society and the Al Hekma Society for the Retired.

She has vowed not to let down those who voted for her. Among her campaign pledges were to revive the traditional areas of Muharraq, which is the old capital of Bahrain, and to have bad roads fixed.

Bahrain has a voting population of 318,668. More than 67 percent of the country’s eligible voters participated in the first round of polls on Oct. 23. In the run-off, 71,000 cast their ballots for the parliamentary election while 125,000 took part in the municipal polls.

Women make up roughly half of Bahrain’s population of one million, including expatriates. There are no available data on voter numbers according to sex.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Oct 18 2010 (IPS)

Women candidates seem to be getting scarcer in Bahraini elections, but women leaders here say female poll participation is no longer about getting into office.

“It isn’t anymore about winning but to be in the scene and gradually make people notice women as strong and reliable,” says Bahrain Women’s Union president Mariam Al Ruwai, who is herself running in the parliamentary and municipal elections set for Oct. 23.

“We are standing against odds to break trends in Bahrain’s men-oriented society,” she adds.

Women in Bahrain have enjoyed full political rights since the country became a democratic kingdom in 2002. There have been female candidates in the last two polls, but so far only one has won: Latifa Al Quod.

This is now seen as one reason why the number of women candidates seem to be declining, even though many Bahraini political parties have female members.

For the municipal elections this year, for instance, only three out of 182 candidates are female. In 2006, there were five women out of 171 candidates. The number of female candidates for municipal polls was largest in 2002, when there were 34 out of 300 vying for posts.

Parliamentary elections, meanwhile, saw the candidacy of eight women in 2002, including Al Quod. At the time, she was contesting the seat of a populated district, and lost.

In 2006, she was among the 18 candidates vying for legislative seats, but by then she had no rivals for the slot allotted to the state-owned, uninhabited island of Hawar.

Al Quod was the only female candidate who won in those elections. Today, the number of women eyeing a slot in parliament has dropped to nine.

In September, Al Quod automatically got re-elected when it became apparent that no one else was going to contest her seat.

Some women leaders, though, say this is all the more reason why they have to step up their efforts to establish a strong presence in Bahraini politics.

Muneera Fakhro, the only woman candidate backed by a political party, says that while she has nothing but respect for the “dedication of Al Quod in the last four years as she (has been) a strong lawmaker”, she cannot consider Al Quod’s two poll triumphs as “winning”.

“It will be an achievement for all of us women if at least one female will win in a real constituency with people,” says Fakhro, who is running once more for a parliament seat, after a failed try in 2006.

In one recent seminar, scholar Mona Abas blamed Islamists and Islamic societies for the poor fate of female candidates at the polls. Other observers also say Bahrain’s patriarchal society has led to even well-educated women themselves having a mindset that they are meant only for the home.

Some political parties are known to be even against having women in elected office. For example, the Al Asala Islamic Society, which has a Sunni conservative stance, is against supporting female candidates because this is against its “Islamic principles”.

Al Asala General Secretary Ghanim Al Buaneen tells IPS, “If women would make it to parliament, then we would cooperate with them. But our society wouldn’t support any female candidates. Ten percent of the society’s members are female and no one (among them) expresses a desire to stand for elections.”

For sure, there are political parties that have announced their support for female candidates – yet end up with all-male lineups.

Ali Salman, general secretary of the Shi’ite Al Wefaq Political Society, explains that his party’s lineup is bereft of women because, he says, the political situation is such that backing women may cause Al Wefaq to lose its seats.

Male voter Jamal Tulifat asserts, “Not voting for women has got nothing to do with voters discriminating against female candidates, but with the fear that those women will be focusing only on gender equality and neglect important legislative matters.”

“When we voters visit election campaign centres of female candidates,” he says, “we only hear how women are being maltreated and should be supported. This makes us feel insecure to vote for them as we want lawmakers who tackle all aspects in the country.”

The record of lone female MP Al Quod, however, shows her as being interested in financial and business legislation and not gender issues. She also steers clear of sectarian matters that preoccupy many MPs.

Activists like Fawziya Zainal want a quota system to help ensure fair participation of women in the lower house. “We have to show voters that females are trustworthy and that cannot be without the quota that is successfully implemented in some countries, including Jordan,” says Zainal.

But Lulwa Al Awadhi, general secretary of the state-run Supreme Council for Women, believes that a quota is against gender equality as it gives more privileges to females than males.

Al Ruwai, meanwhile, concedes that the considerable campaign expenses may be among the reasons why few women stand in elections in Bahrain. “Not all can afford to join to compete,” she says candidly.

Another politician, Hoda Al Mutawa, has also admitted that she is still paying debts she incurred to run in the 2006 parliamentary polls.

But she said, “When I came to know that my district – Muharraq – would be empty of female parliamentary election candidates, I forgot about my money issues and went and registered.”

Excerpt:

Bahrain may be dependent on expatriate labour, but that has not stopped it from deporting migrant workers who are found to be HIV-positive.

The bigger surprise, though, is that this tiny island nation is only one among the 31 or so countries that have such a policy. In fact, the United States used to be on that list as well, and started allowing in travelers with HIV only early this year. In April, China too announced that it was lifting a ban on the entry of foreign visitors with HIV.

All Gulf countries, along with Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, and Syria, still refuse entry to people living with HIV. India and Bangladesh, which have tens of thousands of its nationals working abroad, both have a similar policy as well. Here in Bahrain, Indians and Bangladeshis make up the biggest migrant communities, with the former reaching 300,000 and the latter 90,000.

Half of Bahrain’s 1.05 million-strong population is actually made up of expatriates working in a wide range of jobs, from domestic workers to engineers, to corporate chief executives.

Yet officials say Bahraini employers remain picky enough to reject HIV-positive migrant workers.

Somaiya Al Jowder, head of Bahrain’s National Anti- Transmitted Sexual Diseases Programme, told IPS recently: “We are aware of the approach of the World Health Organisation (WHO) of linking HIV with human rights principles to avoid discriminating the rights of carriers of the virus.”

“But,” she said, “we cannot do much as current efforts to change the policy will meet strong rejections from the public.”

HIV, which causes AIDS, can be transmitted sexually. The virus can also be passed on through the sharing of infected needles and tainted blood products.

Bahrain has had an HIV awareness campaign for years to disseminate correct information about the disease and discourage discrimination towards people with the virus. Yet many Bahrainis continue to consider those living with HIV as probably having done an “un-Islamic” activity, primarily because it can transmitted through unprotected sex.

Official data show that infected needles as the top transmission mode of HIV in Bahrain. In the last 20 years, 325 Bahrainis and some 500 expatriates have been recorded as having the disease.

A total of 161 AIDS-related deaths have been reported in Bahrain since 1986. The deported HIV-positive migrant workers have all been new recruits. The discovery is usually made during the medical check-up all newly arrived workers from overseas are required to undergo as part of the work-permit process.

Bahrain has 50,000 employment health checkups annually, which used to reveal as much 400 HIV cases each time. But after overseas labour recruits were required to have medical tests first in their home countries as well, that figure dropped to about 70.

Menakshi Kumar, a private laboratory nurse, said that the few HIV positive cases she has encountered are memorable because all members of the sponsor family visited the lab afterwards to be tested as well.

“Most of such cases are for maids who spent days with the families,” said Kumar, “but because of the ignorance they think HIV could be transmitted by air.”

As of June 2010, Bahrain had about 83,439 domestic workers, many of whom came from other countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Labour recruiters know about the deportation policy, which has not elicited any protest from the expatriate community here. Rona Aviles, a Filipino working for an agency that deploys contract workers overseas, even told IPS, “I support the policy, especially with HIV-positive domestic workers, as they are living with their sponsor families.”

“We don’t often supply domestic workers with HIV as all our workers are tested in their hometowns,” she added. “But the discovered cases are being deported without hesitation.”

Al Jowder said that personally, she feels only those who cannot handle their job should be deported. She pointed out, “Many of our local patients are leading normal lives as the medication controls the virus.”

But she said that so far, there is “no intention” to change the current policy, adding, “(Even) if people will be more open to recruit HIV patients, it will require a long period to amend labour legislation that (forces their deportation).”

“Most of Bahrainis infected with the virus are keeping their ailment secret from their children and close relatives to avoid being cast away,” she observed, “so accepting foreigners with the aliment wouldn’t happen soon.”

She also argued that Bahrain cannot afford the high costs of treating a foreign worker who has HIV. At present, the state provides free treatment for Bahrainis with HIV, and spends 3,700 dollars a month on each. No private clinic offers medication for HIV.

Commented Abdullah Al Derazi, general secretary of Bahrain Human Rights Society: “Social misconception and high treatment cost couldn’t be excuse of the government for not changing its policy as it is a member in the WHO and signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Among Gulf countries, only the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar seem to have entertained thoughts of ceasing to deport foreigners with HIV. In a 2008 United Nations summit in New York, both nations announced that they were considering to get rid of their laws that enforced deportation of expatriates with HIV.

UAE said that its policy was already under review. Qatar said there were discussions on revising the policy towards deporting only those expatriates whose conditions pose a threat to public health. Both countries, however, have yet to change or get rid of their respective policies.

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Aug 25 2010 (IPS)

It was his second time to be caught stealing a car, so Turki was meted a jail term of five years. But the young repeat offender was only 17 years old at the time of his arrest, and therefore was still considered a minor under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The problem was that while Bahrain is a signatory to the convention, its penal code and juvenile law consider only those below the age of 15 as children. Minors above this cut-off age and who get in trouble with the law may thus be sent to jail should the judge deem it fit for the offence committed.

The exact number of minors, serving or served time in Bahrain’s two jails, is not readily known. The situation has been a cause of concern for rights advocates who say jails are no place for youthful offenders, even if the state sees to it that they are in quarters separate from those of adults.

“Children couldn’t hold responsible of their crimes as they committed them under the influence of certain situations,” asserts Rana Al-Sairafi, a member of the children’s rights group Be-Free Centre. “(At) such young age they should be rehabilitated.”

Fakhriya Al-Dairi, a former legislator who is also a specialist in children’s affairs, tells IPS as well that jail terms are unlikely to help young offenders who are “disturbed” or were abused. She says that for the last eight years, some members of the Upper House have been fighting to raise the legal ‘end- of-childhood’ age to 18 – to no avail.

But Al-Dairi says that the legislature may be acting soon on the proposed amendments to the juvenile law.

“Although the Upper House is in recess and will resume activities in December after the state election that will take place in October…I know that revision of the bill is in progressive stage,” she says. “There is hope that it will be amended during the upcoming legislative term.”

Should the law be amended, children from 16 to 18 years of age would not be sent to adult prisons or meted severe punishments.

For sure, though, some Bahraini authorities do not see anything wrong with the current set-up. Brigadier Ibrahim Habib Al Ghaith, general inspector at the Ministry of Interior, for one, says, “We are law enforcers and our activities are controlled by legislation and court orders, as the judge decides where minors should go, either to jail or the Juvenile Protection Centre.”

He also notes, “After being sentenced, young inmates are kept in special places away from adult inmates and provided with rehabilitation to ensure that their wrongdoings are corrected.” Rights activists confirm that youthful offenders are kept separately from adults serving time in Bahraini prisons.

Lawyer Fawziya Janahi, for her part, says that those below 18 always get “half punishments” or half the sentence adults would get for the same crime. The punishment, though, is more severe for repeat offenders – whether adult or minor.

But she stresses that no child below 15 ever gets a jail term, although his or her stay at the juvenile centre could be extended. In many cases, children age 16 or below who get in trouble with the law are kept in detention precisely to avoid sending them to jail.

Police officer and Juvenile Protection Centre head Mariam Abdulraheem, says Bahrain’s non-jail, special correction programmes for young include regular vocational training. Those who go to school, writes Abdulraheem in a paper, continue to do so throughout their rehabilitation period.

Abdulraheem also says that based on their offence and “conditions”, the children at the Centre are permitted to spend weekends attending family gatherings or going to entertainment places.

Maysa Al-Na’ar, who did a study on Bahraini juveniles, meanwhile says that theft is usually why boys are sent to the Juvenile Centre while it is “wild behaviour that cannot be controlled by parents” for the girls.

“Unfortunately,” she says, “the study reveals that large segment of those children go back to crimes because of family conflicts and rejection of the community to accept them as law-abiding citizens.”

According to lawyer Janahi, the toughest punishment ever meted on a minor in Bahrain so far is a six-year jail term. The sentence was handed down last year to a 16-year-old boy found guilty of killing someone by running over the man several times.

Had he been an adult, Janahi says, the sentence could have been 15 years in jail to a life sentence.

Murder, of course, is far more serious than stealing a car, which was what got Turki a similar sentence. Comments his mother: “I know that the judge considered it as just penalty, because my son was involved in another robbery in 2006 and spent three months in detention and one week in the Juvenile Protection Centre back then and couldn’t repent.”

“But,” she says, “we shouldn’t give up on children and always give them a second chance.”

She is clinging to the hope that her son would be let off three years early – in 2010 — for good behaviour. Still, she says, the fact would remain that he had spent time in jail, which may ruin his chances for a decent job. “All vacancies,” she says, “require a certificate of good conduct that my son wouldn’t have after serving his sentence.”

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jul 21 2010 (IPS)

In her 30s, Muza has been married for years but has managed to remain financially independent. In fact, she was even able to help build the home she has with her husband, using the money she earned as a teacher.

But Muza failed to realise early enough that because the house was in her husband’s name, she would not have legal claim to their conjugal home if their marriage did not work out – or if he took another wife.

Because she had nowhere else to go and refuses to give up what is also hers, Muza ended up sharing the house she had paid for and took pains to decorate with, with her husband’s second wife.

As in other Gulf states, Muslim men in Bahrain are allowed to practise polygamy. Shariah law allows men to have a maximum of four wives, although Shiites are allowed more than that, through temporary marriages or ‘mutta’.

But polygamy is not really popular or fully accepted among women here. According to a 2006 study done by Somaya Al Jowder of the National Sexually Transmitted Diseases Programme, only four percent of the country’s estimated 500,000 men have more than one wife.

Still, women’s rights advocates say far too many men in Bahrain abuse the law, to the detriment of women, whether it is in matters of law, rights or equality.

For instance, rights activist Afaf Al Jamri says, “(Women) are being harassed by their husbands (with polygamy), as many men force and threaten their women to be obedient to them or (they will) remarry.”

“Such fearful lives are unbearable,” continues Al Jamri, who happens to be the daughter of a very conservative Shiite scholar. She says that many men seem to have a “wrong interpretation (of) Islamic regulations” on marriages.

Polygamy, she says, “isn’t unconditional”, although it “could be practised in certain cases”, such as when the wife has a serious ailment. Al Jamri says those who can take more than one wife are men who are well off and “who will treat wives equally”.

Unfortunately, say rights advocates, that seems to be more an exception than the rule. Twenty-nine-year-old Hanan, for example, is now stuck in a marriage in which her husband is absent and where their daughter is being supported by Hanan’s own brother.

“I didn’t think he would (take another wife) after we spent years dating,” says Hanan, who like Muza declines to give her full name. “Although I was in total shock, I accepted. But the worse thing happened when he stopped supporting our daughter and left the task to my brother.”

She says she endured the situation for a year before filing for divorce, but has since had to withdraw the case.

According to the distraught Hanan, who remains married to her husband even though she now lives separately from him, the judge warned her that her husband would gain full custody of their daughter and would challenge her allegations of maltreatment by “highlighting (the fact) that having four wives is an Islamic rights for men.”

In this male-dominated society, Hanan gets little sympathy even from Islamic lecturer Fatima Bosandel, who says the judge is right. Bosandel says that while any woman may find it hard to share her husband with someone else, men here have an “unquestionable” right to have more than one wife.

“Women should be aware that no judge will grant them divorce only because their husbands got other wives,” she says. If they want to end their marriage, she adds, “they should give evidence of maltreatment.”

Bosandel blames the negative connotation of polygamy on Arabic-language television dramas. “I’m aware of many cases in which wives of one man are sharing good relations,” she says. “One of many examples I came across is of a man who married a widow with children, as he cannot have children of his own.”

Now, she says, the man is “living happily with his two wives in one flat and both wives are raising the children”.

Huffs Bosandel: “Single women in their mid or late thirties should accept married men instead of leading lonely and empty lives.”

But lawmaker Jassim Al Saidi, who has three wives himself, is among those who are against promoting polygamy. Like Al Jamri, he says the practice should be limited to those who are financially and physically fit to have more than one wife.

“I married my first wife when I was 19, the second one when I was 29, and the last in my late thirties,” recounts the 50-something legislator. ” (I)…managed because of my financial capabilities to keep them in separate homes. Such a lavish life is hard for majority of ordinary Bahrainis.”

Some women activists, however, say they there is a way to prevent women from having to put up with marriages that have gone ‘multiple’ without their consent.

Shahzlan Khamees of the Bahrain Women’s Union says she has drafted a new kind of prenuptial agreement that “could include proper conditions that would not only ban men from remarrying, but also all demands by women and men to avoid marital problems.”

“Many husbands forced women to leave their jobs, have many children, or don’t help their families financially,” she adds. “So conditions that could protect the rights of women after marriage could be included. Sometimes, women can state a condition that enables them to get divorce whenever they wish or have custody of their children.”

The international rights group Freedom House says that while Bahrain ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2002, it had “reservations on articles concerning family law, equality, freedom of movement, and residence.”

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jun 4 2010 (IPS)

When Abdulkhaliq Mohammed arrived in Bahrain as a contract labourer 20 years ago, the first thing he did on setting foot in the oil-rich Gulf state was to hand his passport over to his employer.

The 43-year-old Bangladeshi national told IPS that he feels his boss is “in control of his life.” He has been asked to undertake numerous tasks for his employer’s kin without any additional compensation, saying he had no choice but to simply obey his orders under pain of deportation or non-payment of his wages.

“I don’t share a normal employee-employer relationship with my boss,” he rued.

Passport confiscation is considered an illegal practice in Bahrain. Yet it persists, based on complaints from migrant workers like Mohammed. It also underlies numerous forms of manipulation or exploitation that many of these workers reportedly put up with to keep their jobs.

New York-based Human Right Watch reported in November 2009 that passport confiscation was still one of the issues of labour exploitation confronting Bahrain, considered one of the riches states in the Gulf region.

Bahrain’s Labor Ministry should hold employers who withhold wages and passports from migrant employees accountable, said the HRW report. Both practices are illegal under Bahraini law, but authorities do little to enforce compliance, added the report.

The HRW cited the case of Muhammad Naseer, an Indian citizen, who in October 2009 filed a complaint with the Labour Ministry against his Bahraini employer who he claimed had refused to pay him nearly four months of back wages and withheld his passport, effectively preventing him from returning home. The Ministry retrieved his passport but not his unpaid salaries.

“International human rights law recognises the right of every person to freedom of movement within a state, and to leave any country, and to return to his or her own country,” said HRW.

In its latest report, released in January, HRW slammed Bahrain anew, alongside other Gulf states, for migrant abuses that include passport confiscation.

Based on quarterly data released by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority of Bahrain, the country had a total labour force of 593,660 as of the end of March. Of these, only 23 percent, or 138,356, are Bahrainis while the rest are mainly migrant workers.

Labour Ministry Undersecretary Jameel Humadan admitted to IPS that illegal labour practices, including employers holding their workers’ passports, still exist in his country. “We cannot say that Bahrain is free of such offences, but the violators could be a handful of people and do not represent the entire labour market,” he said.

He added that Bahrain is committed to international labour conventions and the principles laid down by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that oppose, among other illegal practices, the confiscation of passports of migrant workers.

HRW reported that in August 2009 Bahrain amended the ‘kafala’ (sponsorship) system, which tied migrants’ work visas and immigration status to their employers. Under the amended law, the government officially sponsors each worker, freeing the latter to change employers more easily. But “it remains unclear whether the reform has been fully implemented,” said HRW in its January 2010 report.

The ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work recognises migrant workers’ right to freedom of movement and the right to leave.

It said “these rights might justifiably be restricted for a number of legitimate reasons” but stressed that “the confiscation of a passport to ensure that a migrant worker completes his or her work cannot constitute a legitimate State objective.”

“We agree for employers to keep the passports of their employees, only if the latter ask them to keep them in a safe place. They have to hand them back immediately when employees ask for them without having to state their reasons,” said Humadan. He did not say, however, why some migrant workers would choose to entrust their passports to their employers for safekeeping.

“The Bahrain government, through the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Interior, does not accept or tolerate exploitation of migrant or local workers as their rights are protected by law,” Humadan explained.

The Indian Embassy affirmed Bahrain’s efforts to protect the rights of local and migrant workers.

“We appreciate the dedication of the Bahrain government to promote better labour (conditions) for the workforce,” First Secretary and Head of Chancery at the Indian Embassy, Ajay Kumar, told IPS. “Authorities in the Bahrain government do take appropriate action on receipt of specific complaints from migrant workers.”

Most of the estimated 300,000 Indian nationals in Bahrain are “working happily for their employers,” said Kumar.

The Pakistani Embassy similarly acknowledged Bahrain‘s efforts to address labour issues confronting migrants, including those from Pakistan, estimated at 30,000, he said.

“There is no chance for some companies to cheat workers if we inform them beforehand about their rights. However, we guarantee that most of our nationals are being treated with respect and according to human rights (principles),” the Embassy’s First Secretary, Mohammed Saleem, told IPS.

Notwithstanding such assurances, Abdulnabi Al Ekri, a human rights activist and president of the Bahrain Transparency Society, a non-governmental anti- corruption body, said the situation of migrant workers is far worse than what the government and foreign embassies make it out to be.

Why, even expatriates in managerial posts do not have their passports with them, he said. “Those managers are lucky,” he said, “as they can get their passport back more easily than the labourers, who many of whom are underpaid and endure harsh conditions, making it difficult for them to leave the country without the approval of their employers.”

He added that many of these workers are not even aware that confiscation of passports is illegal in Bahrain.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, May 16 2010 (IPS)

Surging dowries and the skyrocketing costs of living amid constricting economic opportunities made worse by the global financial crisis have placed a heavy burden on Bahraini men contemplating marriage.

“The average dowries used to be 3,000 Bahraini dinars (about 8,000 U.S. dollars) but increased to 6,000 dinars (16,000 dollars) in just less than one year, because of the rise in the cost of living,” Bahrain marriage officiant Hisham Al Rumathi told IPS. That is way beyond the reach of the average Bahraini male with his limited income, he stressed.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, located in South-west Asia and an important part of the Middle East known for its vast oil reserves, the standard dowries are significantly higher, ranging from 6,000 to 20,000 dinars (around 16,000 to 53,000 dollars)

Men in Bahrain and other oil-rich Gulf states – namely, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – traditionally pay dowries demanded by their brides’ families.

Grooms are also expected to shoulder the costs of holding expensive weddings that could last four days and include parties to cap the honeymoon that usually extends to a month, Al Rumaithi said.

Historically, according to researcher and economist Abdulhameed Abdulghafar, dowries were never the unusually heavy burden that they are today. But during the oil shocks of the 1970s, which saw a sharp rise in oil prices and eventually brought sudden wealth into the oil-rich countries, dowries began to escalate.

Abdulghafar said workers’ wages increased dramatically during that period and families began spending excessively on weddings and dowries. “Years later, those new trends became culturally accepted and (traditional practices) among most people,” he said.

Such practices may have been easy to sustain during good times, only to take a beating when bad times strike.

At the height of the financial crisis that began to hit the international community three years ago, even the Gulf countries reeled under its impact, as oil prices tumbled. Major construction projects financed by oil revenue were shelved indefinitely in the face of a severe economic downturn.

Sameer Al Dossairi is still paying for the loan that he took out years ago to pay for the dowry demanded from him by his future in-laws when he sought their permission to marry their daughter. Now divorced from his wife, he cannot remarry until he has fully settled his loan.

The 34-year-old government employee conceded that he blindly agreed to pay the dowry that went in part to the lavish wedding held at a five-star hotel and a traditional celebration called ‘julwa’. His dire financial straits could have contributed to the collapse of his marriage, he said.

Men with less financial means are forced to turn to their poorer neigbouring countries in the Arabian Peninsula in search of women to marry and whose families will not exact high dowries from them. These include Iran, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Bahraini national Ahmed Juma, 44, was forced to travel to Iran to look for a potential wife after three Bahraini women nixed his offer of marriage because he could not afford their expected dowries. There he finally met his wife.

“I paid less than 5,000 U.S. dollars, which covered my trip, the dowry and the wedding,” he told IPS. There were no extravagant wedding rites, just a simple dinner to introduce his bride to family members.

A report by the Yemeni Justice Ministry released early this year cited Bahrain as the country with the third highest number of males marrying Yemenis in 2009, with 71. Saudi Arabia ranked first, with 414, and the United Arab Emirates second, with 230.

In richer states like Saudi Arabia, a more worrisome trend, sources say, is that fathers treat their daughters like commodities that could be sold for profit by expecting exorbitant dowries even amid the economic crunch.

Dr Ghazi bin Abdulaziz Al Shimiri, head of the Family Solidarity Panel, a social group arranging marriages free of charge, was quoted by a Saudi Arabia- based newspaper ‘Al Youm’ in March as saying that some 2,000 girls in their 20s and 30s had registered with them as potential brides.

Information about those girls is presented in the Panel’s registry, which is accessible to male members looking for someone to marry. Once a match between a male and a female member is made, the group looks for companies or businesspeople willing to sponsor their wedding. In some cases, they also shoulder the dowry. In others, the groom takes care of the dowry while the sponsor shoulders the wedding expenses.

To help cut wedding costs and men to marry without being hounded or harassed on the issue of dowry, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been promoting mass weddings. Sources said that mass weddings started in the early ‘90s as a means to deal with steadily increasing weddings expenses.

Others have resorted to seemingly unconventional means to deal with the contentious issue of dowry. Ali Al Ahbabi, a father of ten girls in the UAE, decided to marry off all his daughters without demanding payment of any kind or lavish weddings from his future sons-in-law.

The ‘Al Atihad’ daily, in its Apr. 7 issue, quoted Al Ahbabi as saying that he was only following Islamic regulations requiring low dowries.

Whether such practices will increasingly hold sway in societies that have been steeped in what has otherwise become tradition remains to be seen.

Based on the latest annual report of Bahrain’s Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, a total of 4,679 marriages were registered in 2009, in which the grooms still bore the concomitant financial burdens, including huge dowries.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Apr 1 2010 (IPS)

Bahrain has observed a de facto moratorium on the death penalty for years, but many are watching to see if the Gulf country will follow the international trend toward the abolition of capital punishment in the future.

In March, Bahrain was one of three Gulf countries that handed down a death penalty verdict. On Mar. 23, the High Criminal Court sentenced to death 26-year-old Bangladeshi migrant worker Russell Mezan, who had been convicted in the murder of a Kuwaiti man.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, 18 other people received death sentences in March. On Mar. 29, Sharjah’s Shariah Court sentenced 17 Indian nationals to death for killing a Pakistani and injuring three others over alcohol business disputes.

On Mar, 30, the death sentence set by a Kuwait court was the final chapter of the Al Jahra tragedy that left 57 dead after Nasra Yussef Mohammed Al-Enezi set ablaze a tent that was the venue of her ex-husband’s wedding. If the verdict is upheld, she might be the first female Gulf national to be hanged to death.

Bahrain had its most recent executions – of three people — in 2006 and activists are looking to see if the moratorium on carrying out death sentences will continue. Even then, some say that it is time to go farther and remove the death penalty altogether because its existence – even if not used often – is a blot on Bahrain’s record.

The death penalty is provided for crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and treason, but executions have taken place only for murder cases.

The use of the death penalty four years ago drew criticism because no one has the right to take away lives, argues Faisal Fulad, a member of the upper house of parliament and general secretary of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society.

“As a politician and human rights activist, I feel that life sentence is the best punishment for murderers and high-risk criminals,” he said. “If you kill murderers, they would die before repenting their deeds, but sentencing them to life imprisonment could allow them to change and become better persons.”

In 2006, three Bangladeshis – two women and one man – were executed for their involvement in murder cases after almost 20 years of the suspension of the implementation of the death penalty in Bahrain, Fulad recalls. The three were the first to be put to death since 1996.

Fulad is working to table a bill ending the death penalty in Bahrain. But this would face an uphill climb because it would have to be debated in the lower house of parliament, majority of whose members are conservatives who would not hesitate to include the death penalty in draft laws on corruption or money laundering. “The death sentence isn’t the solution to deter crimes, as the number of murder cases of about three in few years, which is big in a country the size of Bahrain, were reported after the first execution in 2006,” Sabina Al Najar of the Bahrain Human Rights Society points out.

But Al Najar says that getting rid of the death penalty is difficult because of community pressure on the government.

Having the death penalty also means that governments face the tricky issue of ensuring that capital punishment is meted fairly across different groups in society.

Activists and legal experts have pointed out weaknesses in cases where migrant workers, which make up a sizable proportion of Gulf residents, do not get full legal protection and services because of unfamiliarity with Arabic in courtrooms. Sometimes, translators are not provided.

Beyond this, a report circulated by Nabeel Rajan, president of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, highlights how Gulf countries are known for consistent and endemic violations of the rights of migrant labourers, who work in construction sites and oil rigs, hospitals, offices and as domestic workers.

“When it comes to the death penalty, the number of migrants who are killed by judicial execution is grossly disproportional to the size of their populations,” the report said. There are 12.4 million migrant workers in the Gulf, the bulk of them from Asia.

Official documents say that Mezan, the Bangladeshi sentenced to death in Bahrain in March, is a migrant worker at a hotel but that he was accused of working as a pimp.

Still, there are those who find the death penalty justified for serious crimes.

Psychologist and women’s rights activist Fakhriya Dairi supports its use in rape. “Executing criminals could be cruel, but rapists destroying the future of their female victims is more cruel. Rape is a tragedy to all women, but it is worse here as female rape victims are blacklisted in Arab societies with no hope of getting married,” said Dairi.

The Bahrain Human Rights Centre says around six people in the country have been sentenced to death, most of them migrant workers. Amnesty International reports that from 1977, only one execution was carried out until Bahraini national Issa Ahmad Qambar was executed by firing squad in March 1996.

The death penalty exists in all six oil-rich Gulf countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. All carry out death sentences by hanging and firing squads, except Saudi Arabia which follows Islamic rules of beheading and stoning.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Mar 24 2010 (IPS)

Legislators say it would encourage more Islamic behaviour and cure social ills, but critics say a complete ban by Bahrain on selling alcohol would mean big losses in tax revenues and lead to a black market in liquor.

One of Bahrain's vibrant nights, where alcohol is served openly. Credit: Sandeep Sigh Grewal/IPS

If also passed by the upper house, it will become law. The upper house, whose members are appointed, has until the end of its term before elections, or around May, to take up the bill or it will be cancelled.

This bill on an alcohol ban, which these legislators have been trying to get passed since Parliament was set up in 2002, would reverse a situation where the country has openly been selling liquor for 50 years.

In Bahrain where half of its more than 1.1 million people are foreigners working in various fields from top managers to labourers, liquor is served at hotels, foreign clubs, five-star restaurants and sold in selected shops. Alcohol is sold to all patrons.

“With an alcohol-free society, we can respect our constitution that states Bahrain is an Islamic country and eliminate many social and marital problems, especially fatal traffic accidents,” Ibrahim Bosandal, a lower house member and strong supporter of the ban, said in an interview.

But in this debate between conservatives and liberals, not everyone agrees with him.

Jamal Fakhro, a member of upper house and a businessman, argues that banning alcohol would not make Bahrainis better Muslims than those from other Islamic countries. “Many restaurants are selling ham in Bahrain, but that doesn’t mean that Muslims are eating ham or that Bahrainis aren’t conservative or religious,” he pointed out in an interview.

He explains that people should be allowed to lead their own lifestyles and have religious freedom, adding that conservatives would anyway not buy alcohol under any circumstances — with or without a ban by the state.

In fact, he says, the ban would not only hurt the hotel and tourism business but the diversity and openness of Bahrain. Many non-Muslim businessmen have also chosen to invest in Bahrain because of its openness and tolerance toward people of different faiths, he added.

In the Arabian Peninsula, only Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have a ban on alcohol selling. Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — except the emirate of Sharjah — also do not have alcohol bans in place. They are available for purchase to non-Muslims and to foreigners.

Bosandal says losses from alcohol revenues – many entertainment venues rely on liquor to attract customers — can be recovered from clean tourism and industrial projects.

But the government in fact stands to lose the significant revenues it has been from the importation of alcohol.

The Bahraini government made 9.8 million Bahrain dinars (25.9 million U.S. dollars) in taxes from the importation of 7.8 million Bahrain dinars (20.6 million dollars) worth of liquor products by seven licensed companies in 2005, according to the only available statistics on this disclosed by Minister of Commerce and Industry Hassan Fakhro in 2006.

He was forced to make these figures public to answer a parliamentary question on this tax revenue issue, although the government is usually mum about such data.

Fakhro attributed the huge revenues to the 125 percent tax put on the financial value of the liquor products. Moreover, the revenues have most likely doubled with the rapid population growth in Bahrain from more than 888,000 people in 2005 to more than 1.1 million this year.

In his written response to Parliament, Fakhro also said that 17.3 million litres of alcohol were brought into Bahrain in 2005 and 14.9 million litres in 2004. Most of the seven companies importing alcohol own hotels.

Former lower house member Abas Hassan was the only lawmaker who openly rejected the ban on alcohol throughout his four-year term, which ended in 2006. Such a ban, he points out, would only create a black market for alcohol and encourage hotels to circumvent the law and cater to their customers.

Under the bill passed by the lower house, alcohol would only be allowed for medical, research and scientific purposes. A fine of around 1,200 U.S. dollars and a jail term are the punishments imposed on violators.

Studies have highlighted the fact that the consumption of alcohol is in fact higher in countries that ban it, Hassan adds.

In Saudi Arabia, the total ban on alcohol has seen smuggling continue from the UAE, with which it shares a long border. In one case, Saudi authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in 3,190 liquor bottles hidden in giant concrete sticks in 2009, according to ‘Al Riyadh’ newspaper.

In truth, many Saudis benefit from the short distance between their country and Bahrain – through the causeway that links them – and enjoy here what their government bans, including driving by women, going to cinemas and alcohol consumption.

In tolerant Bahrain, it is common to see a conservative couple sitting next to a table with western nationals or Arabs having alcohol with meals at five-star restaurants.

But if liberal lawmakers and businessmen are against a law banning alcohol, majority of the public appear to support the ban and accept it.

A teen student, Fatima Al Ghareeb, does not care much about the ban because alcohol is not part of her life. “I support MPs in their calling for a ban. But I hardly notice the effect of alcohol in my community as all the people I know don’t go to places serving alcohol.”

Sultan Mohammed, a 43-year-old government employee, thinks the ban is unlikely to pass the upper house, saying legislators are just pushing it to increase their chances during the election expected this year. “I support the ban but not lawmakers behind it and why they chose such a period to push a religious-oriented draft law.”

A campaign launched in the social networking site Facebook by Bahraini youth, though the creation of an Arabic-language group, has attracted nearly 3,600 fans so far to pressure the upper house to approve the liquor ban bill.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Mar 16 2010 (IPS)

Cunning rapists in Bahrain can avoid victimising virgins so they could escape the maximum penalty provided by law, and those who force themselves on young girls can evade punishment by promising to marry their victims.

These are two of the biggest loopholes in the penal code of the Gulf island nation of more than one million people, a country that has become one of the best financial hubs in the region but still has outdated provisions on rape and sexual harassment.

While there have been amendments in the penal code, which was passed in 1958, the changes were insignificant.

The law’s weaknesses do not help in a society where many rape cases already remain unreported because victims fear social rejection and where those who do pursue lawsuits face humiliation throughout the long and tiring court process.

“The penal code is clear that rape takes place only if the victim is a virgin and only if she loses her virginity, while raping a woman is a crime damaging honour, which has less punishment than rape,” lawyer Fawziya Janahi, a member of the Arab Bar Council who takes up rights cases, said in an interview.

According to sources from the Ministry of Interior, the police registered 144 sexual abuse cases, including 13 involving minors, in 2009. The police also recorded 361 sexual harassment cases in which females were the victims.

Activists are campaigning for amendments to the penal code or the enactment of a new law that would deal with sex crimes, as well as domestic violence.

For instance, one discriminatory provision in Bahrain’s penal code is Article 353, which stipulates that no penalty will be imposed on a man who has sexual intercourse with a woman against her will provided he marries her, according to the Bahrain Human Rights Centre.

This effectively allows criminals to escape punishment and does not address the physical and psychological suffering of the victim.

Already, Bana Buzabon, president of Batelco Anti-Domestic Violence Centre here, says that the centre has been seeing an increase in the number of rape cases where victims were women younger than 21 years old.

“The law needs urgent amendments because rapists could escape punishment by marrying their victims and then divorcing them after few months,” she said, adding that many of the younger victims were raped by men they knew.

The Bahrain Human Rights Centre says Article 334 of the Criminal Procedure Code is also biased because it states that persons who catch their spouses in acts of adultery and kills or assaults them in the process will not be imprisoned. This extends to individuals who catch their relatives or sisters in the act of adultery.

While this provision covers both male and female spouses, it more often benefits men more in this society.

Activist and lawyer Shahzalan Khamis outlines the law’s other weaknesses in protecting women. In a research paper, she pointed out that the toughest punishment rapists could get is 20 years’ imprisonment and that this could even be reduced upon appeal. The law imposes the maximum penalty of 20 years if the victim is below 14 years old and this becomes shorter if the victim is older.

Khamis says the law does not provide for a minimum penalty and it is up to the judge to impose a prison sentence of only a few months.

This happened last year in the case of a Bangladeshi imam who was at first convicted for molesting his 14-year-old student. After he appealed the sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and deportation, it was reduced to one year – without deportation. He was later pardoned, further angering activists who want stronger legislation against rape.

Likewise, Buzabon explains that some rape victims who do not file lawsuits against their attackers to protect the honour of their families keep their pregnancies a secret. This in turn means they need to give birth at home instead of at hospitals, and often dump their babies near hospitals or orphanages subsequently.

Estimates of the number of such cases are difficult to make. But Akbar Mohsen, chairman of the Child Care Home, says the orphanage has received about 5,000 infants whose parents could not be traced.

Many women fear being ostracised in this situation and while hospitals would accept them, giving birth without being married would be seen as a dishonour to their families. Likewise, without the father’s name on his or her birth document, a baby would not be able to get identification papers later on because under the law, Bahraini mothers cannot pass their nationality to their children.

At the same time, experts like Khalid Ismaeel Al Alawi, professor of psychology and special education, believe that addressing the issue of protecting women’s rights and addressing sexual abuse and rape also depends on changes in attitude within society. If legislation by itself cannot help reduce the number of rape cases and protect victims, then better sexual education can, he says.

In an interview, he says that introducing sex education in the school curriculum could make young people more aware of their rights, the dangers they might face and how to protect themselves.

“There is no doubt that the penal code needs to be amended, but in the meantime sex education could correct sexual disorders that a child might develop during adulthood (lead to aggressive or criminal behaviour). It also could solve many sex ignorance-related issues present in conservative societies,” Al Alawi said.

But some women have decided that they had better know how to look after themselves.

In December, 20 Bahraini women enrolled in a one-year self-defence course, the first of its kind in Bahrain organised by the Al Shams (Sun) Academy, ‘Al Arabiya Net’ reported. The course teaches the women martial arts techniques so they can fend of attacks in cases of harassment, rape and robbery.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Dec 1 2009 (IPS)

Umbassil* is unlike other engaged women. Instead of planning her wedding she is wondering where she will have her baby. She is not pregnant but she knows that Bahrain’s maternity hospitals will not admit her because she is HIV positive.

Somaya Al Jowder: "Most of the women contracted the virus through sexual relations mainly with their infected husbands" Credit: Sandeep Grewal/IPS

“I have come to terms with artificial insemination and caesarean section (C-section) to protect my future husband and baby from contracting the virus, but I cannot accept (that I have) to deliver far away from my country and family members,” she told IPS.

Umbassil contracted the virus a few months ago from her previous fiancée who initiated unprotected sex. The two were married according to Muta’a or the temporary marriage custom prevalent in many Arab countries, which does not have legal sanction but is socially accepted.

She discovered her HIV status only after she underwent an HIV/AIDS test, which is a compulsory procedure for the government to acknowledge a marriage.

“It (sex without condoms) is a selfish act by most infected husbands who don’t consider the health and well-being of their wives,” comments Dr Somaya Al Jowder, director of the National Programme of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases. All Bahraini citizens infected with HIV are treated free under the government-run programme.

A total of 42 women like Umbassil have tested positive in Bahrain after unprotected sex with their infected fiancées or husbands.

Unfortunately, says Al Jowder, most infected people here do not disclose their HIV/AIDS status for fear of rejection.

In Bahrain, there is a lot of ignorance around the disease, even among health professionals, she told IPS. Doctors refuse to do an invasive C-section for HIV positive women, even though it reduces the risk of their babies contracting the virus. But hospitals do admit them for normal deliveries.

Infected Bahraini women face far more discrimination than the men who are responsible for bringing HIV into homes in this patriarchal society.

“There are 180 living HIV/AIDS patients, including 42 women, and they are few compared with Bahrain’s population that exceeded 1 million at the end of 2008. Most of the women contracted the virus through sexual relations mainly with their infected husbands,” Al Jowder said in an interview.

“We advice the females to not conceive and tell her about the best family planning methods, but if they insist, then we monitor their pregnancies and put them on medication (AZT) to save the babies,” she explains. Pregnant women are prescribed the drug, which is administered free for all Bahraini citizens, from the fourth month of pregnancy.

HIV positive mothers delivered more than 10 healthy babies naturally in the last 20 years. In five cases the women were not on AZT. The drug reduces to 2 percent the chances of babies contracting the infection from their mothers.

Umbassil has been told that the best maternity facilities for HIV infected pregnant women are available in Egypt and Lebanon. But she is worried about how she and her fiancée would be able to afford the high cost of treatment.

So far, she has kept her HIV status a secret from everybody except her current fiancée and therapy and medical groups. “It is hard for me to hide such a horrible fact, but I have no option as my in-laws might force my fiancée to dump me,” she says.

Fear of social prejudice has forced Umali, an AIDS activist “outside my country” from publicising her 15-year-old HIV status. She has not told her friends or relatives in case they refuse to let her into their homes.

Her husband, a reformed drug addict who campaigns, like her, for Bahrain’s HIV/AIDS community in international fora, infected her.

“I’m an AIDS-fighting activist outside my country as there I feel free to fight for my right and defend HIV/AIDS patients. At home I have to put up with maltreatment and ignorance,” says Umali.

She says she is very close to her sisters “but they don’t eat anything I make or from my dishes for fear of infection,” she confides. “It hurts when the people dearest to you don’t accept a glass of water from you.”

Social prejudice is not the only problem for Shafiqa who got the virus from her late husband 14 years ago. The lack of sensitivity from people who should know better bothers her more, she says, giving the example of a laboratory where she goes for a blood test regularly.

“We have to check the level of the virus in our blood regularly, so many lab specialists refuse to take our blood because we are HIV/AIDS patients, although they are wearing gloves all the times,” she told IPS.

Shafiqa says that if medical professionals are unaware that HIV/AIDS patients are more at risk from infections contracted from so-called normal people because of their weak immune systems, how can ordinary people know any better.

The Bahrain government, through the National Programme of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases, is planning to draft a law to protect the rights of HIV/ AIDS patients, including women, and eliminate discrimination.

*All names used are pseudonyms to protect the women interviewed.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Oct 31 2009 (IPS)

Transsexuals in the Gulf call Bahraini lawyer Fawziya Janahi "guardian angel". She is the Arab world's only female lawyer who takes up cases on behalf of clients who want to change their sex.

Lawyer Fawziya Janahi with "May" (back to camera) Credit: Sandeep Grewal/IPS

"But that wouldn't stop me from helping transgendered trapped in their bodies," she says. "I'm ready to challenge the odds!"

Janahi, 47, spoke with IPS about her unusual practice, her future and hopes of greater acceptance of transgendered/transsexuals in Gulf societies. Excerpts from the interview.

IPS: How did you become a lawyer for the transgendered? FAWZIYA JANAHI: I had a transgendered roommate, who studied with me in university in Egypt. I felt her agony and difficulty in accepting herself as a woman. When she approached me in 2001 to defend her I didn’t hesitate. In 2005, she won the case and was officially declared a man. My female roommate is now a happily married man who got a chance for a new beginning.

IPS: Did you think there would be others who would come to you? FJ: I didn't think there could be many people who had the courage to pursue long lawsuits. I got really recognised after my second case – when the female "Zainab" turned into a male, "Hussain". This person was courageous and confident enough to attract media attention throughout his legal battle that ended in 2008.

Now I'm overloaded with cases from all over the Gulf. I take up all those who seriously seek sex-change operations.

IPS: How do you figure they are serious? FJ: I don't take up a case unless s/he presents me with at least a two-year evaluation by a psychiatrist proving that a sex-change operation is the only solution for their sexual identity disorders.

Complete woman Friends call her "May", a popular Arab name. For 30 years she has lived as a man. Now, with the help of lawyer Fawziya Janahi she is in court seeking legal permission to change her sex. "I'm not a homosexual and wouldn't change my gender for sex. I just want the world to see me as a woman which is what I am," May told IPS in an interview. "I chained my inner feelings for so many years, to make my family happy. Now it is my turn to enjoy and live life to the fullest by changing my sex." May, who wishes to be written about as a woman, says her family, particularly her mother, is opposed to the idea. "I will go ahead with the legal case in pursuit of my happiness," she adds. Confiding that she has already begun hormone treatment in preparation for the surgery, which will be done outside Bahrain as soon as the court gives sanction, she says: "I hope one day I will be happily married to a man who would accept me as a complete woman." Months back she started wearing female garments as part of the psychological therapy for adjusting to the new life. "I feel comfortable wearing women's clothes and being with females." May works with a private company, and would like to continue working. She says she is aware that Bahraini men are more privileged than women, but she cannot remain a man. May plans to wear the hijab (veil) after the operation. It is an Islamic obligation for women, she believes.

IPS: What is the legal process? FJ: The court should be provided with evidences that this person cannot continue with her/his gender and has to undergo a sex-change operation.

This process takes years – my first case took five years. After that if the client goes through with the operation to become a transsexual, then we have to apply with the government to change their sex in the official papers, such as ID card and passport.

IPS: How do you feel being the only woman in the region to take up such career? FJ: I’m the only lawyer, whether male or female, right now to specialise in legal assistance for the transgendered. I feel proud, but more than that defending people whose sexual identity differs from the one at birth has become a calling. I know that if I stop, most lawyers won't as they don't want to confront conservatives who are the majority amongst Arabs. There was one male Arab lawyer before me who took up some cases but he quit after these were rejected by the court.

IPS: Has it been difficult for you? Would you give up? FJ: In a website of Kuwaiti transsexuals, I have been named "The Guardian Angel" – so how can I give up. Our society rejects anything new and progressive. The idea of allowing women to work was a big taboo, but people accepted this after some Arab women withstood the pressures and criticisms. I'm optimistic things will change especially after a Saudi conservative and psychiatrist, Dr Tariq Al Habib, defended on his popular TV show the right of the transgendered to go with sex change operations.

It was difficult personally. I received many rejections from my family but after years of discussion they started to be supportive. But I cannot say the same about the outside world as many religious scholars are against and fighting me.

IPS: You don’t fear them, especially in the religion-oriented societies of the Arab world? FJ: I'm a lawyer so I can defend myself as everything I'm doing is according to laws and their rejections wouldn’t affect me, especially in Bahrain as the government has been very supportive in my last two cases.

IPS: Are you receiving the same support in other Arab countries? FJ: Unfortunately no. I’m planning to defend at least 10 cases in one Gulf country, and there the situation is tough as the government is in conflict with its powerful parliament. Its MPs (members of parliament) are hardliners and against transsexuals.

While meeting my clients there I am accompanied by journalists. The meetings are in flats in the presence of journalists in case of a police raid as part of efforts to implement a new decent law act that fights vice, homosexuality and transsexuals.

IPS: Transgendered who approach you are females who want to be males or the opposite? FJ: I receive both (types), but strangely a majority of the cases are males who want to become females and they face rejection from their families because they don't want to accept them as women.

IPS: What have you gained by specialising in defending transgendered? FJ: Financially nothing. I want society to realise that they suffer from physical problems that could end only if they change their sex. They aren't pretending or need therapy; they are just looking for acceptance and understanding.

IPS: Where do you see yourself 20 years from now? FJ: As a woman who has made good contributions in helping transgndered as I hope there will be legislations giving them the right to change their sex without legal hassles.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Sep 17 2009 (IPS)

There is inequality in citizenship laws for women and men in the Gulf Arab states.

Dr Wajiha Al Bahrana wants Bahrain to meet CEDAW obligations Credit: Sandeep Grewal/IPS

In fact, citizenship laws are roughly similar in all the Gulf states, except in Saudi Arabia, where a small change was made in the law in 2007. Sons of citizen mothers and foreign fathers qualify for citizenship when they turn 18. The daughters, however, can become nationals only if they marry Saudis.

The discrimination in citizenship laws means there are “stateless” children in the Gulf. Bahrain has roughly 2,000. Kuwait 8,000, and the United Arab Emirates 14,000, according to its Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour. As non-nationals, they cannot claim any of the generous social welfare measures legislated by Gulf governments for their citizens.

Recently, Bahrain extended the waiver on all government fees – for health services, visas, public schools etc. – for nationals to both stateless children and to children whose mothers are nationals and they are citizens of their father’s country.

Activist Dr Wajiha Al Bahrana thinks little of the compromise concession. “Giving privileges to children of Bahraini mothers isn’t enough,” she says. “They need to be treated like citizens for the country to meet its international obligations (read CEDAW).”

Bahrain is a signatory of the 1979 U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, more commonly referred to as CEDAW.

In 2002 the Gulf kingdom ratified the convention with “reservations”. This was chiefly the nationality clause, Article 9, which holds state signatories responsible for granting women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality as well as the right of women to pass their nationality on to their children and husbands.

What we want is the “urgent amendment of Article 4 of (Bahrain’s) 1963 citizenship law,” says Al Bahrana.

Bahraini businesswoman, Suhaila Habib Awaji, who is married to a German national, is fighting for Bahraini passports for her three children. “It is my right to pass on my nationality to my children,” she told IPS. “I feel humiliated whenever I (go to) renew their visas. My country treats my babies as outsiders,” she laments.

Civil society groups in neighbouring Kuwait have been fighting for citizenship equality since 1993, says activist Wafa Al Jassim.

“The problem in Kuwait is bigger with thousands of stateless individuals (Bidon), who have been living here for decades without being recognised as citizens,” she explains. Activists in Kuwait have roped in lawmakers, regional and international human rights organisations to lobby for equal rights to citizenship for women and men.

Al Jassim spoke of cases of “happily married couples” parting ways so their children could claim citizenship. Kuwaiti law grants citizenship to children of national women who are widowed or divorced. The Kuwaiti activist had participated in a regional conference in Manama last year to discuss the discrimination in regional nationality laws.

The discrimination is layered, according to Kuwaiti columnist Hassan Ali Karam, writing in Al Wattan newspaper in July. Kuwaiti women married to non-Gulf Arabs face less prejudice than those who marry other foreigners. The children in the former category find it easier to get jobs and admission in educational institutions. Kuwaiti women from the latter section are made to feel that they are “second class citizens”, Karam points out.

In the UAE, children of national mothers and foreign fathers have a few privileges like the legal right to residence, employment and government services like free health and education. Not in Bahrain, however. Here, mothers struggle to secure resident permits for their family members, and dread their children reaching the age of 18 when they have to leave Bahrain unless they are students or employed.

Majeed Mohammad is an Iranian national married to a Bahraini. They have seven children. “I had to pay a total of 840 BD (2,100 dollars) to renew their two-year resident permits,” he told IPS.

An exasperated Mohammad has suggested to his wife that the family moves to Iran. But his wife has refused, he says. “I cannot force her to leave her country; it feels like mine too. I have been living in Bahrain for 20 years, but my children deserve to live in a place that makes them feel at home,” he adds.

Lawyer Hassan Ali Ismaeel describes the anti-woman nationality law as unconstitutional. Article 18 states: “People are equal in human dignity, and citizens are equal before the law in public rights and duties. There shall be no discrimination among them on the basis of sex, origin, language, religion or creed.”

Citizenship inequality has been particularly cruel in the case of Sabah Isa Ibrahim. She was abandoned by her Saudi husband when she was pregnant with her second child. The children are now in their thirties, and neither has a nationality document.

“I failed to track my husband down to be able to get Saudi passports for my children. The result has been disastrous,” she says. Her elder son turned to crime, while her younger son who has a hearing problem “cannot claim any of the benefits Bahrain gives its citizens with special needs,” she says. Across the Gulf, women want equal rights to citizenship.

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By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Aug 25 2009 (IPS)

For the first time, feminists in Bahrain are seeking new Islamic perspectives on gender and women's empowerment, and asking for modern interpretations of the Quran.

Jalal Al Ghasab: "People with common sense accept women as equals" Credit: Bahrain Women Association for Development

"We aren’t against Islam and don’t want to promote our perspective," explains Asma Rajab, an activist and member of its board of directors. "We want to make our society consider women as complete humans."

With the advances made by Muslim women in many countries including Bahrain, it is time to reinterpret the Quranic verses, she adds. "Islam is a renewable religion that fits all situations and periods, so its regulations should be re-interpreted to meet the advancements of Muslim women," she says.

Social practices that violate women's rights include the law of male guardianship, unequal inheritance, domestic violence and testimony in Shariah courts. Also, the widespread belief that Islam forbids women from becoming presidents, judges and parliamentarians.

These are against Islamic principles, the Association asserts, publicly throwing a challenge to religious scholars and others who insist that women are inferior to men.

The workshops on "Woman, a Renewable Perspective" have been organised to correct centuries of misunderstanding that gender discrimination has religious sanction. The second workshop in the series was held on Aug. 15. The third has been scheduled for December.

"To change the men-oriented societies, the Muslim world should accept the flexibility of the Quran and Islamic thoughts," advises Rajab.

Women are discriminated against in a number of ways. Lawyer Hassan Ismaeel told IPS that Shariah courts that considered two women's testimony equal to one man's were "not realistic and (were) demeaning to women and their achievements."

He also questioned the prevailing unequal male and female inheritance rights, which will be the focus of the last workshop in the series, sometime early next year. "Previously most women were housewives and dependent on men for financial support," he says. "Now things have changed, and both men and women share financial responsibility. So why should men get double the inheritance women get?" he asks.

Religious scholar Shaikh Ibrahim Al Jufairi, who backs Ismaeel's plea, says the Quran has been misquoted on the issue of testimony.

"The verses that say two women need to be counted as one is not for all testimonies but only (in cases) when a man borrows money from another," he says. "One woman is a witness, and the second woman helps the first to remember in case she forgets something."

"The verses have nothing to do with legal cases," he told IPS in an interview.

Al Jufairi is a member of the nearly 10-year-old Al Tajdeed Cultural Society whose members, all highly educated and in big government and private jobs, believe that Islamic thoughts need to be updated.

"Unfortunately most male scholars don’t even accept the testimony of females for the sighting of the moon at the beginning of Ramadan and on the Eids," he says. "It is unacceptable," he asserts. "Women are humans with eyes that can see the moon like men can."

What about male guardianship? Hiba Eizat, professor at the University of Cairo, said emphatically that as a believer she cannot accept that Islam would demean women and treat them as objects owned by men.

"Many Quran verses are misinterpreted and that is clear when militants use the holy book to justify their inhuman acts," Eizat told IPS. "Why should we (females) allow men to control us," she asks, "because some males are refusing to give the rights to women to be independent and have full control of their lives."

"Islam promotes development and that is why it permits new fatwas (edicts), but unfortunately those who issue fatwas are against development and positive change," she says.

And, if women cannot be decision makers like presidents and judges, "how come their fatwas and religious teaching were accepted in the early years of Islam, before the death of prophet Mohammed," Eizat says.

Bahraini researcher, Jalal Al Ghasab, thinks hadiths (the prophet's sayings) have been deliberately misinterpreted to control women and many scholars are aware of it. He cites the example of the different ways that Muslims pray. "Islamic parties have not been able to agree on one way to pray," he says, while appealing to "people with common sense to accept women as equals."

Instead of controlling women, "to protect the reputation of Islam, Muslims should challenge old fatwas by re-reviewing Islamic regulations and ensure full empowerment of women," he said.

But that is not the view of religious lecturer, Fatima Bosandal. She told IPS that the Quran and hadiths cannot be separated. "Islam is clear about inheritance, guardianship, and testimony because of the soft nature of women. Men are responsible for supporting them financially and emotionally," she says.

According to Bosandal, the new effort to seek modern interpretations of the Quran was part of western pressure on the Muslim world to stop following true Islamic principles.

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By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Aug 5 2009 (IPS)

Internet and mobile phones have spawned a new kind of marriage in the Gulf.

Bahraini Youth: gender segregated from childhood Credit: Bahrain Youth Society

Muta'a or pleasure in Arabic is a 14-centuries-old marriage custom that is common among Shiites. Misyar, which can be traced to some 10 years ago, is prevalent among Sunni Arabs.

In a Misyar marriage, which is official with the couple signing a marriage document that has no legal validity, the woman has to verbally agree to surrender some or all her marital rights like having children, living with her husband or being financially supported by him.

"All these types of marriages, old or new, are basically for sexual relations since marriage as an institution is for the creation of a family and strong social bonding," says Saba Al Asfoor, activist and member of the Bahrain Women Association for Human Development. "In our men-oriented society, (it is) women who bear the consequences, not their partners," she told IPS.

In Saba's opinion women agree to Muta'a and Misyar, which have religious sanctity, because of their particular circumstances. "Many women accept the sexual exploitation to be able to deal with financial problems or take care of needy families," she says. "Rich women agree to such a marriage to avoid being called spinsters, which is a demeaning word in this part of the world."

She believes the strong hold of patriarchy here leaves women with no choices. "We cannot hold the woman as the only person responsible for such marriages," she says. "It is society that gives men powers over women, and discriminates against women's rights."

The Bahrain Women Association has experience in dealing with women victims of temporary marriages, who, for instance, were married to foreigners and their children are stateless. Laws here do not allow a woman to give her child citizenship rights.

"We cannot stop those marriages, but the Association is trying to enhance awareness among women of their right to lead dignified and discrimination-free lives. It is also dedicated to giving them a helping hand," says Saba. Shiite scholar, Shaikh Mohsen Al Asfoor who is a judge in the High Cassation Court of Bahrain, the highest court, defends the religious sanctity given to Muta’a, which he says was prevalent in the early years of Islam when men were in the army and had to travel far away from their homes.

"There is nothing wrong or harmful with Muta’a if it would be implemented according to Islamic principles, as this type of marriages is useful in many cases," he said in an interview with IPS.

With most marriages arranged by family members, it could be useful for couples who are engaged and want to get to know each other without committing a sin, he says. Also, Islam permits women travelling alone to enter a temporary marriage. In his long experience as a judge, he knows of only four cases of Muta'a where women have suffered, he says.

"Islam forbids minor and immature women from being involved in Muta’a to protect them from entering harmful relations," Shaikh Mohsen adds.

However, Najma Rustom, an orthodox Shiite, says religious scholars need to clarify the conditions of temporary marriages for women. "Ordinary people don’t know there are restrictions, so they end up getting married for fun because it is allowed in Islam," she told IPS.

Temporary marriages can also be risky from the point of view of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, warns Dr Sumaya Al Jowder, head of the National Sexually Transmitted Diseases Programme. She thinks Muta'a marriages are particularly risky. "Misyar is an official (not legal) marriage, couples have to conduct a pre-marriage test to get married, while Muta’a is unofficial and could be done verbally without the signing of documents, so a medical test is not a requirement," she told IPS.

Two cases of HIV/AIDS reported last year in Bahrain involved a man and woman, both in separate Muta'a arrangements. "We are not involved in telling scholars what is right or not, just that we care about the health of the public, so compulsory pre-marriage tests should be imposed on temporary marriages … and there is need for greater awareness about safe sex among young couples," says Dr Sumaya.

Former legislator and Sunni Scholar, Shaikh Ali Muttar, criticised Misyar marriages for exploiting women and depriving them of their rights to lead normal married lives.

"Some men take advantage of older women who want to get married by agreeing to a marriage with conditions, such as not providing them with money to run the house or only visiting them for a couple of hours every day," he told IPS. He said that Islam doesn't approve the maltreatment of women.

Shaikh Mattar was also very scathing about "temporary marriages" that rich Gulf students entered into while studying abroad. "Many of these men go for what they call travel marriages, in which they cut all relations with their wives and children after going back to their own countries."

Nasima, a successful teacher, lives with the pain of a Misyar marriage that failed. She married her already married childhood sweetheart after accepting his condition that only a few close relatives and friends can be told of their wedding. She also agreed to see him for only a few hours a day. "Everything was fine until his wife came to know and he divorced me to please her," she told IPS.

Temporary marriages only harm women, emotionally and physically, she cries. Young women in chat rooms beware!

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jul 14 2009 (IPS)

She has had to change her name, sever links with her family and boyfriend, and even move cities because of male stalkers in the Bahraini capital. But no "sacrifice" is too much in the pursuit of her dream for Tufaha, just 24.

Tufaha: "Audiences love my dancing" Credit: Aymen Shakal/IPS

"I want to have my own dancing centre," she says with steely determination. She wants to make it "possible for other girls to pursue their dreams".

Tufaha spoke with IPS correspondent Suad Hamada about her past, present and future.

IPS: How did you start? What was your family's reaction? TUFAHA: I can say that I’m a belly dancer by nature. I started dancing from childhood. It became a career when I was 15 – when I started dancing at weddings.

At the beginning it wasn’t an issue as my family thought I danced only at relatives' weddings. But conflicts started when they discovered that I charge money and attend weddings of strangers to entertain them.

My family objected to their daughter being a belly dancer and they couldn’t accept the idea, so I had to leave home and live alone. With regards to society, I don’t care much as I’m not doing anything wrong. People need some time to accept dancers as artists and not (think they are) evil or bad characters.

IPS: If you aren’t embarrassed, why don't you reveal your real name? T: Tufaha has been my nickname since childhood, a name I chose for myself, while the other name belongs to my family. To respect their feelings and avoid associating them with any hardship I might encounter by challenging wrong beliefs, I stopped using my real name.

IPS: What did you have to give up in the pursuit of dancing? T: The warmth of living with my family. I had to leave my aged mother, to spare her trouble when I come home late at night after performing in a wedding. I had to give up normal family ties (with her siblings).

Leaving my boyfriend who I had been with for years is also another sacrifice … I took him to almost all (the) weddings, to make him understand that I only dance to entertain and nothing more. He insisted that I quit dancing as a condition for us to marry and my answer was 'no'.

IPS: Did you get peace of mind living alone in a flat? T: At the beginning no, when I was living in Manama (the capital of Bahrain). I used to have sleepless nights because of men trying to win my attention. Many of them would follow me from wedding halls to my home and pass comments. I had to leave the area when some tried to break into my flat.

I moved to a conservative city, in which such intruders would think twice before harassing me as they know such action wouldn’t be tolerated by the residents.

In my new flat I have to keep a low profile and wear an abaya (veil) and head scarf, only to avoid attracting attention. I don't want to leave the area. I feel safe. I don’t think the residents know that I’m Tufaha, the belly dancer, and I want things to remain like that for a long time.

IPS: Do you think that financially belly dancing is worth all this? T: It isn’t about money only, though I get 250 Bahraini dinar (660 dollars) for dancing per hour, which many others get as a salary for working a whole month. But it is my passion for dancing that motivates me to defeat odds and pave the way for other girls to pursue their dreams.

IPS: How do your audiences, especially women, react to your dancing? T: Audiences, and women are no exception, love my dancing and that is why I’m fully booked for weddings in Bahrain and the rest of the Gulf countries.

I have never encountered any harassment at weddings as all attend weddings to enjoy and have fun and no one wants to miss a wedding (that features) a belly dancer. The Bahraini dances are totally different so weddings where I perform are special occasions.

IPS: What is your next goal? T: I want to have my own dance training centre to promote dancing as the best way to remain fit and healthy. I want also to be an actress and dancer on TV … I won’t quit dancing even when I reach 40 or 50.

IPS: How do you feel about being the first Bahraini belly dancer? T: I’m proud and hope to be remembered as the one who changed social misconceptions about dancing and the right of women to live their lives according to their needs and passions.

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jun 29 2009 (IPS)

Arabic TV channels wait for Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, to launch new soaps that generally portray women negatively. Ramadan starts this year at the end of August.

A still from Maryami, which won the 2009 Gulf Cooperation Council movie award. The lead role is played, quite unusually, by a woman. Credit: Al Omran

"The dramas that are shown on our channels during Ramadan are of abused women who cannot fight or evil females who cannot live without destroying others," points out Bahraini activist and writer, Karim Radhi.

The Arab world is rich with strong women who are fighting for better lives for themselves and for others, he says, very passionately, while urging TV companies to create empowering roles for women.

"I know that production houses promote negative images of women not because they are against them, but just to sell their soaps," he observes. "They can create a balance between what people want and (roles that) don’t stereotype women (as greedy, malicious, artificial or weak)."

The problem with gender stereotyping of women in the hugely popular TV dramas, he explains, is that it has a regressive impact on the growing efforts everywhere in the region to fight for gender equality, in politics and in the home.

"Many people underestimate TV dramas," he told IPS in an interview. "It enters every home. It is watched by family members of all ages all day long. No one is immune to its effect."

A study conducted between 2006 and 2007 by the University of Bahrain supports Radhi’s perspective on Arabic soaps. It was commissioned by the national Supreme Council for Women (SCW).

The findings stress the importance of ensuring that TV dramas are not disassociated from real life. It advises production companies to introduce strong women characters who can inspire social change and help women achieve the goals of empowerment.

"We cannot separate drama from our fights for better rights of women as drama reaches the masses and could indirectly change the perspective of viewers," general secretary of the SCW, Lulwa Al Awadhi, told the press while releasing the recommendations by the study in 2008.

"Reformation of the Arab drama could help us, activists, reach our goals faster," she adds.

Al Awadhi then quickly clarified, "We don’t want to control drama. Productions must create better images of women so ordinary people can through them understand the real strength and capabilities of Arab women."

The study analysed the portrayal of violence against women in TV soaps. Repeatedly the women are shown as weak and powerless.

Al Awadhi warned it may be encouraging a view that wife beating and abuse are acceptable, particularly among children who are vulnerable to being manipulated by TV.

"Children watching women in mothers’ roles being physically abused by their husbands without others intervening to help, may grow up believing that it is okay to abuse females," she explained.

The SCW supports the recommendations of the study, she told the press, especially the one that calls for a code of honour for gender discrimination-free TV dramas.

Mona Al Sawaf, psychological consultant at King Fahad Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is also a bitter critic of Arabic soaps. In an interview published in the U.K.-based Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper she said entertainment companies focus on physical and psychological abuse of women in order to attract larger viewership.

"Psychologically those scenes could develop fear among the viewers at the beginning but such feelings turn to anxiety, anger, finally reaching the stage of indifference and apathy," she is quoted saying.

Al Sawaf echoes Al Awadhi’s views on the alarming impact of gender-insensitive soaps on children. She warns that young viewers grow up believing these are normal and acceptable and this could make young males more violent towards women and young females more submissive to violence.

"Unfortunately Gulf dramas focus on three aspects which are negative entertainment, presenting attractive topics regardless of their effects on society and the reinforcement of the idea that Gulf men are violent to women by nature," she observes.

Moreover, gender stereotyping in popular soaps also promotes an unhealthy relationship between couples and serves to justify the dominant power of men over women, Al Sawaf says. "Those dramas show ‘perfect women’ as tolerant and quiet all the time."

One dissenting voice though is that of Bahrain women’s activist and head of Hamad Town Women’s Society, Anisa Al Ruyaee. She told IPS that TV dramas reveal some and not all the suffering of women in the region. "Why should we close our eyes on our problems – violence against women is increasing day by day!" she says. "There is nothing wrong in showing it on TV as drama is only a reflection of our lives."

Excerpt:

By Suad Hamada
MANAMA, Jun 5 2009 (IPS)

A new family law for Sunnis, which protects the rights of women in Shariah (Islamic) law courts, was approved by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on May 27. Women’s activists have pledged to continue their fight for a just law for the Gulf Arab kingdom’s Shiites.

Activist Afaf Al Jamri fears Shiite women may get no justice in Shariah courts Credit: Noor Mohammed/IPS

Bahrain’s Shiites were excluded from the legislation in February after hardline scholars and lawmakers from the community threatened action, including nationwide protests and rallies similar to 2004.

That year, street protests led by followers of conservative Shiite scholar Isa Qassim had forced the government to call off a campaign in support of the new family law. Khalil Marzooq, spokesperson of the largest Shii’te bloc Al Wefaq, that was behind the shelving of the Shi’ite chapter, told IPS that the draft law clashed with Islamic Shariah principles.

Sunnis and Shiites have their own Shariah courts that deal with marital conflicts and other personal law issues. Women’s activists have been demanding one family law with separate chapters for Shiites and Sunnis.

But Shiite Islamic hardliners say they fear it may be the first step to Bahraini Muslims being judged by the country’s secular, civil law – a charge rejected by Leftist lawyer Sami Siyadi who told IPS: "The penal code contains a section on crimes against Islam and family, ratified in 1976. It has been updated many times since, and none of the amendments clashes with Islamic principles."

For nearly three decades, Bahrain’s Sunni and Shiite women have been demanding a fair hearing for women in the Shariah courts.

Shariah law court judges are notoriously pejorative of women litigants in divorce, child custody, inheritance and marriage disputes. Women complain of being humiliated in open court by male judges.

Hanan, who wanted to be identified by only her first name, said she was told to "keep her mouth shut" when she tried to explain how her husband no longer spends money on her and their children. "I felt humiliated and angry at the judge who was rude and insulted me in court," she told IPS. "I don’t deserve such treatment even if I spoke without permission."

Hanan said the judge then turned down her petition without giving her a chance to argue her case. Shariah court verdicts here cannot be challenged under civil law.

The Bahrain Women’s Union which has been at the forefront of the campaign for a new family law has vowed to keep fighting. Union president, Marian Al Ruwai, told IPS in an interview that any law that divided Bahrainis should be rejected.

The Union, which has fought along with women’s groups for change over the past 28 years (the Union was established few years back), has consulted with religious scholars from both sides to draft a mutually agreeable proposal for a law based on Shariah principles.

"Scholars from both sects highlighted their views, especially the Shi’ite scholars who stressed the need for constitutional assurances that lawmakers wouldn’t have the power to amend the legislation and over-turn the Shariah law," Al Ruwai explained.

Shariah courts in this tiny Arab Gulf state of roughly one million people, deal with an average of 20 cases related to women every month, according to the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs.

Women’s activists say that even divorce cases filed by abandoned women who have the right to seek Khula under the Shariah – ask for divorce without the need to state reasons –were invariably rejected on trivial grounds.

Shariah courts grant divorce only when women can prove they were physically abused by their husbands. Separation is not considered a ground for divorce.

Take the case of Ruqaya, a Shiite, who works in the Ministry of Health, and has supported her three daughters for five years. Her husband left her to marry another woman. When she filed for divorce, she was blacklisted in her village. Worse, the Shariah court rejected her divorce case.

The problem is that as a woman who is still legally married, Ruqaya cannot claim rights to housing and other social welfare measures available to Bahraini citizens. These rights can be claimed only by a husband.

Afaf Al Jamri, a Shiite activist, says she is worried that women in her community may suffer more repression from "husbands and judges". "Many women are suffering in silence, especially those who were thrown out by their husbands just because they got old and were replaced by younger wives," she told IPS in an interview.

According to lawyer Siyadi, Shariah judges have a tough time passing judgements. They have to search and search the religious books for the relevant guidance.

"The new family law would specify what conditions apply to marriage and divorce, alimony, child custody and inheritance. That would be better than depending on individual judges’ opinions," he said. "Life is complicated, so leaving judgments in the hands of judges without the guidance of specific laws is difficult and unrealistic."

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