In Bahrain, a group of Arab women appeal for justice and peace. Dina Ezzat reports The roads of Manama, the Bahraini capital, are dotted with the many placards of women veiled in black. Revealing only their faces and their charming smiles, these campaigners are part of the electoral campaign for the upcoming municipal and legislative elections, to which Bahraini women are for the first time taking part as candidates as well as voters. "The rights that are not given have to be taken by power," is one of the most striking slogans of one of the female candidates for the upcoming elections. This was also the theme -- although not the declared slogan -- of a gathering of Arab first ladies and several organisations that met in the Bahraini capital this week under the umbrella of the Arab Women's Organisation (AWO). The AWO meeting brought together the high-level representation of its 15 member states (Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Syria, Oman, Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Yemen and Morocco). It also allowed for the presence of participants on behalf of most of the other seven Arab countries. Despite such a predominantly official gathering, this First Conference of AWO was no opportunity to sing the praises of Arab governments, or the first ladies of Arab countries, in promoting women's rights. Rather the opposite. In an unusual exercise, most participants, spouses of Arab rulers included, were willing to be open and even critical not just about the status of women in Arab societies but also about the level of commitment and political will demonstrated by the concerned governments to enhance the role of women in their societies. By essentially reviewing the state of progress -- or the lack thereof -- in implementing resolutions adopted by the same congregation at meetings in Cairo 2000 and Beirut 2002, participants in the Bahrain event admitted that the level of progress has not been particularly up to their ambitions or that of their peoples. Participants posited that the unsatisfactory level of development in Arab societies is mainly due to the inability of these societies to promote the full inclusion of Arab women in pursuing their development projects. Further, they suggested that there is still a long way to go before Arab societies, that are now confronted with threatening waves of conservatism and chauvinism, can reach the point by which women are given the chance to fully participate in the developments of their societies. Speaking in a series of panels this week, first ladies, representative of official women's associations and legislators reviewed the state of affairs for women in terms of access to education, job opportunities, representation in decision-making bodies including in the media, legal and economic world and political empowerment. The debate highlighted some progress in relation to the level of school enrolment among girls as compared to boys, the widening scope (albeit at a symbolic level) of political representation, and the improvement of personal status laws. However, today, across the Arab world millions of Arab women are still forced to live with illiteracy, poverty and violence. Worse, women are now being subject to the political attacks that come with the rise of radical religious groups that are being nurtured -- as participants suggested -- by the growing hatred of the West due to aggression and wars against Arab peoples. "The suffering of women, especially in countries that suffer from [occupation] and war is still very pressing and serious work has to be exerted to alleviate this suffering," said Sabika Bent Ibrahim Al-Khalifa. Herself one of the very few spouses of rulers of Arab Gulf countries that can be openly exposed to the media, Sabika admitted that while the Bahraini women are celebrating their new-found exercise of the political franchise, the overall pace of progress in securing women's rights in hers and other Arab countries requires a serious push forward both by governments and non-governmental organisations alike. Currently the chair of the AWO, Sabika called on participants to intensify efforts to bring women's rights to the attention of Arab societies. In her speech during the inauguration of the conference Mrs Suzanne Mubarak argued that to reach parity in terms of societal rights Arab women need to overcome serious challenges, including anti-feminist legal and societal discrimination, the lack of peace and stability across the region (especially in Palestine, Iraq and Darfur) and limited political representation and economic equity. By overcoming these challenges, Mrs Mubarak argued, Arab women would not just be doing themselves a favour but would also help improve the image of Arab societies in the eye of the world. There was no lack of agreement on the valuable impact that the improvement of women's status in Arab societies could have on the Western image of the Arab world. "We should not allow the unfair practices exercised against women to be used as a tool for criticising Islam which is truly a religion of justice and fairness. Islam has done women justice but the people have taken away this justice and we should have it re-installed," Mrs Mubarak told reporters on the fringe of her participation in the Bahrain conference. But as many legal participants in the event admitted, it is in the name of Islam that much injustice is targeted against women. And it is specifically to counter this abuse of religion for the purposes of chauvinism that has prompted the Bahrain conference to call for the inclusion of "enlightened clergy and Ulama" in the debate on women's rights. Other calls made during the three day-event hosted by Bahrain this week included an appeal to end the violence and military occupation in Palestine, Iraq and Darfur. Participants concernedly highlighted the expansion of armed conflicts in the Middle East and their impact on women's rights and status. "There is no doubt that with more armed conflicts women are forced to live with more bitter realities, sustain more losses and bear more responsibilities than they would normally do," commented Mrs Mubarak -- who is also chairing an international women's movement for peace. Upon the request of Palestinian and Iraqi participants, the Bahrain women's gathering clearly denounced the wide exercise of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories and Iraq and called for the world to take necessary action to prevent the perpetuation of violence that has been undermining human rights (including women's rights) in these societies. Appeals were also made for the release of women prisoners captured in these conflicts -- with much attention dedicated to Palestinian women prisoners in Israeli jails. The gathering also called upon the international community to provide adequate shelter and care for the many women who became refugees as a result of these conflicts. The Bahrain conference issued a general declaration that called for more dedicated efforts to be exerted to improve the status, role and image of women in Arab societies. The recommendations that were drafted during the debates were not immediately issued. According to Wadouda Badran, the general director of AWO, the recommendations, which include calls for legislative amendments, financial allocations and public campaigns, will be sent to the member states for revision and approval before they are made public within eight weeks. "This makes perfect sense. We are not here to issue a new set of recommendations or a new action plan because we have done that so many times before without much implementation to match the grand statements," explained Hanaa Sorour, head of the Women Department at the League of Arab States, the umbrella organisation for the AWO. According to Sorour what is required now are specific programmes with clear targets and time frames. "We also need to come together as Arab countries to build on each other's experiences because so far most Arab countries have been restricting themselves to a limited national scope." But above all, Sorour noted, there needs to be a move to give the recommendations issued by AWO a legal binding status. The Bahrain conference made no specific reference to this issue.
