KUWAITI WOMEN AND THE VOTE

Today, Kuwait is one of only two Arab countries in which women cannot vote (Taheri, 2003). The Kuwaiti constitution does not prohibit women from voting. Article 82 of the constitution states only that "A member of the National Assembly shall be Kuwaiti by origin in accordance with law, and be qualified as an elector in accordance with the electoral law." It is the electoral law, not Kuwait's constitution, which currently bars Kuwaiti women from voting or holding elective office (Kuwaiti Women, 2002). However, an effort to change the electoral law, the Amiri Decree (9/1999) was rejected by the National Assembly (Dilanian, 2004). Since that time, voting for women has remained an unsettled issue in Kuwait (Kessler and Wright, 2004).

2. Current Public Opinion and Media Coverage

Kuwaiti and international public opinion is subject to pressures from various directions. Within Kuwait, concern over American foreign policy has contributed to greater support for Islamist parties (Kessler and Wright, 2004). Often this support comes from women themselves (Taheri, 2003).

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ns, such as the Federation of Kuwaiti Women's Associations (FKWA), Women's Culture and Social Society (WCSS), and Islamic Care Society (ICS) have been major participants in mobilizing public support for giving women the vote in Kuwait. The business community is concerned for the prestige and reputation of Kuwait with its trading partners, ranging from other Gulf states to the United States, Europe, and East Asia. They are thus highly interested in Kuwait's reputation for progressive modernity. Islamic scholars are often called "Islamic clergy" in the Western media. This is misleading, since Islam does not have a priesthood. Every believer has his or her own responsibility in matters of faith. However, Islamic scholars have great prestige and influence. Their primary concern is with preservation of the family, and many are concerned that giving the vote to women would weaken the family. They feel that women have traditionally made their influence felt within their families, and that direct public participation would undermine this role. Thus the Islamic scholars tend to be a conservative influence. The Islamic scholars also represent the consensus of Muslims not only in Kuwait but in other Muslim countries. Therefore
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