Kuwaiti Women a Step Closer to Vote

Greg LaMotte

The issue of voting rights for women in Kuwait is heading for a vote in the emirate's parliament now that Kuwait's cabinet has given its approval to the proposed legislation. For more than 40 years Kuwaiti women have been fighting for the right to vote. Sunday that effort moved closer to becoming a reality when Kuwait's cabinet approved draft legislation giving women voting rights and the right to run as candidates in parliamentary elections.

The draft law will be handed over to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who is expected to submit the proposed legislation to parliament.

In 1999, conservative and fundamentalist members defeated a similar measure.

The head of Egypt's National Council for Women, Saneeya Saleh, says while giving women the right to vote in Kuwait should have a positive political effect in the emirate, she does not believe the same is necessarily true in the rest of the Arab world.

"It will affect only the places where women are educated. But, if they do not have enough educated women it will not affect them. Education is very important. I know Kuwait has many educated women."

About 70 percent of college graduates in Kuwait are women. However only a small percentage are employed in key, decision-making professions.

President Bush has urged Arab countries to institute more democratic reforms, and the Arab League foreign ministers adopted a pro-reform resolution a week ago, which is expected to be endorsed¹ at the organization's summit later this month. But many Arab leaders say the West should allow reform in Arab countries to be developed from within, and to proceed at each country's own pace.

Egyptian women's rights activist² Saneeya Saleh says allowing women into the political process will have a significant effect on policy in the Middle East, and could contribute to creating a more peaceful region.

"If you give women more rights they will take good care of the country. Women are more peaceful. I think women are wise. I am wise. And, I believe a woman, a mother, would never like her children to fight. Women will not fight. They would never like their children to fight or die. Women are not as violent as a man."

Other Gulf³ states have begun liberalizing by allowing women greater access to their political systems . including Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Senior officials in Kuwait have said they are committed to making political reform a top priority.
注释：
Kuwait [ku5weit] n. 科威特（中东国家）
emirate's parliament  酋长议会
legislation [7ledVis5leiFEn] n. 立法
parliamentary [7pB:lE5mentEri] adj. 议会的
Sheikh [Feik] n. （阿拉伯国家的）酋长
conservative and fundamentalist members  保守派和原教旨主义者成员
Egypt's National Council for Women  埃及全国妇女委员会
institute [5institju:t] vt. 创立，开始
Arab League（League of Arab States）阿拉伯国家联盟（阿盟）
endorse [in5dC:s] v. 批准，认可
Gulf states  海湾国家
Oman [Eu5mB:n] n.阿曼，（阿拉伯东南部沿海地区国家）
Qatar [5kB:tEr]　n.卡塔尔，（亚洲西部国家 ）
Bahrain [ba5ren] n. 巴林，（西亚波斯湾中部的岛国)
priority [prai5Criti] n. 优先

 

1 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。