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Arab women rights: Moroccan women appointed as ‘Ma2zoons’, more Saudi reforms

8-5-2018

The women of Morocco are participating for the first time in a state exam to become a ma’zoon (the person who officiates or registers marriages), noting that this job has been reserved for men for religious reasons. Women can take up the role of the ma’zoon now following a rare fatwa (religious decree) in the Islamic world issued last January to this effect. This decision, however, has triggered a backlash for being allegedly a deviation from the core principles of Islam that forbid a female to carry out the job based on the fact that her testimony is half that of her male peer. On the subject, a Moroccan justice ministry official supervising the exam told AFP that women represent nearly 40% of the 19 thousand candidates competing for 800 new ma’zoon vacancies to be selected according to merit only. One of the contestants, Sarah (25 years), described the decision as fair, as it shows real progress towards gender equality. Bushra, 32, did not rule out the fact that she and other female ma’zoons could face obstacles from a conservative community. Meanwhile, on the Saudi reforms front, Al Diyar newspaper in its first of May issue asked if the Saudi society is ready progressive moves related to women, the last of which was the announcement last February by the Saudi Directorate of Public Security to accept women in military posts for the rank of soldier in 7 districts of the Kingdom. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, May 1, 8, 2018)

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Dr. Fadia Kiwan director general of Arab Women Organization

8-5-2018

The foreign ministry announced in a statement last week that Dr. Fadia Kiwan has been elected director general of the Arab Women Organization (AWO) for the period 2018-2022, as a successor for Dr. Mirvat Tellawi, during the elections held at the Organization premises in Cairo. The appointment of Kiwan, the statement said, came at the request of the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) and in coordination with the foreign ministry and the ministry of state for women’s affairs. It marks the culmination of Kiwan’s career path with AWO, noting that she has been one of the first women to accompany the inception of the organization, according to the statement. Commenting on the decision, the minister of state for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, said Kiwan shall support Lebanese women in their struggle to consolidate their rights and presence in public life. To recall, Kiwan is a political science professor and holds a doctorat d’etat in political science from the Paris 1 Sorbonne University, and a CAPES in philosophy and psychology from the Lebanese University. She is also the founder and former director of the Institute of Political Science at USJ, the representative of the President of the Republic at the Conseil Permanent de la Francophonie, a researcher and consultant at several Arab and international organizations, a member of the United Nations University Council (UNU) between 2007-2013, the president of the scientific committee of the Management of Social Transformations Program (MOST) at UNESCO headquarters, former representative of Lebanon in the executive board of AWO and a member of NCLW executive bureau. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, May 4, 2018)

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Patriarchal society limiting options of women voters

4-5-2018

In its issue of today, Al Akhbar newspaper published an article by Dr. Omar Nashabeh on the security of the elections and the exploitation of authority in Lebanon, including a paragraph on abuse of women to this effect. According to Nashabeh, the patriarchal ruling establishment in the country pushes the male breadwinner of the household to decide the electoral choices for all family members, noting that in any event, the husband sees no need to sway his wife to make the decision, accepting as true, her “ignorance in politics”. Therefore, Nashabeh analyzed, the most common justification for the wife is to fully confide in her husband’s “wise” electoral preference, ironically noting that, some wives who are holders of university degrees in political science, end up with the same fate. Patriarchal repression, Nashabeh writes, is exacerbated in a society encumbered with confessionalism and sectarianism, whereby machos rely largely on their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters to fuel emotions with the aim curb logical reasoning. Added to this, is the emotionalization involved to purportedly protect and safeguard fellows from the same sect, as if elections determine their existence or non-existence. A wife who overtly opposes the preference of her husband, father or brother is dubbed either “a rebel” or “a reckless revolutionary”, and sometimes stigmatized as “a cheater”. As is rumored, Nashabeh went on to say, the wife’s coup against her husband’s electoral choice, is not brought about by reasoning or persuaded by a conviction in an alternative political program, but rather stemmed from clashing emotional, personal or sentimental factors. Concluding, Nashabeh said a masculine conviction is established which believes that treatment of such rebellious instances cannot be outside the context of repression and coercion. Besides the key flaw in personal status which requires the Lebanese woman after marriage to relocate to her husband’s registry, again binds her to choices unrelated to her original environment. For the full article, kindly refer to the link below: https://bit.ly/2HMecLH . (Al Akhbar, May 4, 2018)

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2018 election: Manal Kortam, symbolically running for Palestinian’s rights

4-5-2018

Tripoli-born Palestinian woman from Lebanese mother and Palestinian father, Manal Kortam (40 years) has nominated herself for the mock Palestinian seat in the Lebanese Parliament to raise awareness among political factions about the rights of Palestinian refugees as noted in her electoral program. On the subject, Manal said the idea stemmed from the elections and that all candidates have programs that speak of social justice and democracy, and she found it important to implement social justice not only for Lebanese citizens but for all residents in the country, including Palestinian refugees. On her social media accounts as well as during her tours to refugee camps, Kortam explained the purpose behind launching her symbolic campaign through the hashtag #We Exist#. She also posed in posters that reflect slogans similar to those displayed by various Lebanese political parties, but with slight amendments, like for example, the slogan of the Kataeb (Phalange) Party ‘The pulse of the nation’ became ‘the pulse of the isolated people’. In conclusion, Kortam maintained that “somebody needed to say that there are people who have been in this country for nearly 70 years but have no place at all in politics,” and demanding that social and economic rights of Palestinians be observed. (An Nahar, May 4, 2018)

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Online platform to network rural women with international designers

3-5-2018

In partnership with UN Women, and with the support of the Global Compact Network Lebanon, the Blessings Foundation launched yesterday its ‘She Min Lebnen’ initiative under the patronage of prime minister Saad Hariri. According to Rima Husseini from Blessings, the purpose of the project is to empower rural women through the provision of professional and technical mentorship. The initiative aims to network women artisans and artists in rural areas with international designers through targeted workshops in order to create innovative designs and sell them in Lebanon and abroad via the online platform: SheMinlebnen.com, she said. Hariri, for his part, emphasized the pivotal role of women in various realms, stressing the need to step up their rights and promote their presence in politics and in the workplace. To note, ‘SheMinLebnen’ is the first electronic portal created to foster exchange between talented rural women here in Lebanon and famous names in design to the end of refining production and enabling it to meet the labor market requirements. The virtual portal extends a space to display the creations and e-market them locally and globally. (Al Mustaqbal, May 3, 2018)

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Women municipal members boast their achievements

2-5-2018

As part of his ongoing support for women, the British Ambassador to Beirut, Hugo Shorter, met on Friday with a group of women members of the municipalities of Tyre, Arsal, Shuf and Shiyah and listened to their success stories. Women municipal members talked about their experiences in working to improve the public services in their areas, pointing to the challenges they have faced to this effect. Rita Tawil, Shiyah municipal member, who stated her opposition to the women quota, said she wants to see women prove themselves by themselves without men’s backing. Similarly, while Rima Kronbi, deputy mayor of Arsal, said she is against the said quota because women are competent enough. Amal Takieddine from Shuf municipality, voiced her support to the quota. “As women, we are committed and qualified to work for a better tomorrow,” she maintained, noting that the empowerment of women and the youth are among her priorities. For her part, Randa Ibrahim Abu Saleh, from Tyre municipality, said: “I did not face any obstacles. I received full support from the mayor, deputy mayor and municipal members.”. (Al Mustaqbal, May 1, 2018)

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General Security rules out abuse in the case of domestic worker, Lensa

30-4-2018

The General Directorate of General Security, the information office, issued on April 25, a clarification related to migrant domestic worker, Lensa, whose case instigated a sit-in called for by the ‘This is Lebanon’ facebook page after an attempt to flee her employer’s residence for being regularly beaten and broke her both legs after jumping from the second floor (https://bit.ly/2jjn9O2). The General Security statement said that, after hearing Lensa’s testimony, it came to the conclusion that she has been working for 7 months at her sponsor’s and that she has not been ill-treated or abused and regularly received her monthly pay. Her fall, the statement went on to say, was a mere accident, and that she slid when she was hanging the laundry. Lensa is reportedly back to her employer’s after being discharged from the hospital. Meanwhile, in its follow-up of the case, L’Orient Le Jour cited Lensa’s aunt who confirmed that her niece was physically abused and that she was pressured by her employer, a renowned couturist, into recanting her story for fear of having to cover all the treatment expenses. L’Orient Le Jour pointed out that following the uproar in the media, the employer sent on April 26 a sum of USD 450 to Lensa’s mother in Ethiopia after dispatching earlier in February another sum of USD 291, totalling USD 741 in compensation for a 9-month work, (equivalent to only USD 82 each month), a fact the newspaper described as tantamount to slavery. The aunt, to recall, has clarified that the first three months have been paid back to the recruiting agency. (L’Orient Le Jour, April 30, 2018)

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The issue of Tripoli religious women educators escalates

30-4-2018

Amidst electoral bickering in the case of the religious women educators in Tripoli and the North, and the promises thrown by former and current premiers Mikati and Hariri, (https://bit.ly/2HXdH0R), Al Diyar noted last week that the issue is getting more complicated. Citing informed sources, the newspaper predicted the situation to be graver especially after the suspension of the financial grants and health insurance, unless the Grand Mufti of the Republic quickly advises a solution to raise the current scant salaries (LL 400-500). Al Diyar recalled an incident mid last month at a hospital in Tripoli, when a nurse described the condition of one of the Tripoli Awkaf sheikhs who could not cover the hospitalization expenses of his sick daughter. Furthermore, Al Diyar disclosed sources close to women religious educators saying they received official promises from Al Awkaf to correct their situation immediately after signing the Tripoli Mall project. The latter will reportedly be implemented on the premises of the Islamic Awkaf in the city. (Al Diyar, April 23, 2018)

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Saudi Aramco appoints its first woman board member

30-4-2018

Following a series of reforms in Saudi Arabia, Saudi oil company, Aramco, announced through its electronic portal yesterday, the appointment of five new board members, including a woman executive, Lynn Laverty Elsenhans. Elsenhans, 60, is a former chief executive and chair of Sunoco company and was named by Forbes magazine as one of the world’s most powerful women of 2008. Prior to her work at Sunoco, Elsenhans was a senior executive at the global manufacturing giant, Royal Dutch Shell. (L’Orient Le Jour, April 30, 2018)

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11 women appointed to Ministry of Culture

27-4-2018

The Council of Ministers in its regular session chaired by President Michel Aoun yesterday approved appointments in the General Committee of Museums, the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music and the National Library of Lebanon. The appointments included 11 women as follows: 1) Museums Committee: Ann Marie Oufeish, chair of the board, general manager; Amani Mita, Maya Fawwaz, Lina Tahini and Rima Nakh as board members; 2) Music Conservatory: Hiba Kawwas, Mariam Chedid and Amina Bazzi as board members; Nawal Makari as commissioner for the government; 3) the National Library: Kawkab Chbaro and Marwa Akari as board members. The minister of state for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, applauded the Cabinet’s commitment to nominating women in leadership positions in the public administration in keeping with the premier’s directive to this effect. He also congratulated the appointed women, voicing his confidence that they will shoulder the responsibilities placed upon them. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, April 27, 2018)

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