Posted Sunday, Jebruary 15, 2004; 15.48GMT
While there's a long road ahead to true equality, "this is a special moment," says Sabah Almoayyed, acting ceo of Bahrain's Ahli United Bank, who last year became the first woman to lead the Gulf kingdom's Bankers' Society. "We are helping to build opportunities." As the vanguard knocks down the big hurdles, more and more Arab women — diverse in their ideology, their dreams, their dress — are stepping up, united in the belief that they can do more, and redefining what the Arab woman can become.
One sign of change is the growing public role being seized by the wives of Arab leaders. (No Arab country is ruled by a woman.) The steps may seem small, but in the context of these conservative cultures, they are significant. In 2002, when Bahrain held its first election in over 25 years, Sheika Sabeeka, the King's wife, led a campaign to encourage women to vote. When Morocco's King Mohammed VI wed Salma Bennani that year, he gave her the title Princess; spouses of Morocco's kings had rarely been seen, let alone honored with titles. (The King has also spoken out on women's rights, saying last year, "How can society advance while ... [women] are subjected to injustice, violence and marginalization despite the deference and fairness accorded to them by our true religion?") Syrian President Bashar Assad's wife, Asma, travels with her husband and promotes the cause of microfinance — small loans for entrepreneurial women who would otherwise be unable to obtain credit. Her mother-in-law made just a handful of appearances during the 30-year rule of the current President's father, Hafez.
Women are also a growing presence in official ranks. Last May, shortly after Qataris approved a constitution granting women the right to vote and run for office, the Gulf state got its first female Cabinet member. Tunisia's Cabinet now has six women; Jordan's has three. But "patriarchy is still there," says Jordan's Asma Khader, a women's-rights activist named Minister of State and Government Spokesperson last October. Women hold less than 6% of the region's parliamentary seats (the global average is nearly 16%). The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait bar women from voting or running for parliament. Morocco has the highest rate of female representation — women hold 35 of the 325 seats in the Chamber of Representatives — and reserves 30 seats for women. That the half-female electorate only voted five women into at-large seats shows how hard it is to crack a male-run system. "Women in the Arab world are still operating in male-dominated societies with stale traditions," says Haifa al Kaylani, founder of the Arab International Women's Forum, a networking group. Says Khader: "Women's [political] participation and equal rights are still not accepted by some extremist groups and religious interpretations."
Some governments have defied such dissenters, expanding women's legal rights. Last summer, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak decreed that children born to Egyptian mothers would be considered Egyptian; previously, only fathers passed on citizenship. In January, Moroccan legislators approved King Mohammed VI's reforms of the Moudawana, the country's personal-status code. Women were given the right to ask for divorce, the minimum marriage age for girls rose from 15 to 18 and polygamy was strictly limited.
Debating the Faith [Nov. 18, 2002]
a Muslim woman and a cleric debate Islam's role
The Runaway Bride [May 5, 2003]
TIME investgates forced marriage and the torn feelings that it engenders.
The Women of Afghanistan [Dec.3, 2001]
The West rejoiced when Afghan women were freed from the burka. But the costume remains — as do more serious problems
The Many Faces Of Islam [Dec. 08, 2002]
European Muslims are speaking out, reassessing their faith and their feelings about assimilation in liberal, secular societies.
A Stone in the Eye Of Brute Force [April 20, 2003]
Turkish activist Nebahat Akkoc might seem an unlikely David, but experience tells her that violence begins at home
Mogadishu at 60 Miles an Hour Arms merchants are once again doing brisk business after a rapid change of power in this tough town, but so far the peace has held
The Year of The Nuke A rundown of the world's nuclear powerhouses, and what to expect in the coming months
