Bahraini women’s struggle for rights

In an article published in Al Akhbar newspaper, Zeinat Muftah, a professor of law from Bahrain, said Bahraini women have embarked on one of their staunchest battles in the history of Al Khalifa Rule. They have become mothers, sisters or relatives of martyrs or even martyrs themselves, Muftah wrote. She cited reports by international organizations revealing that the detention of women in the Arab island nation for political motives does not involve recent tensions. Arrests have taken place in the nineties of the Past Century, she explained, stating that things however were not as bad as today. Many women have been detained for various reasons. To name some, Muftah mentioned the discovery of a text message in a woman’s mobile phone calling for a protest or any political activity, or even listening to a song designating the February 14 Revolution. Muftah stressed that Bahraini women’s rights are largely threatened nowadays in light of the mobilization of security measures without any regard to the most basic rights of women supported by UN conventions. Citizen Fadila Mubarak, one of the early political detainees, has been arrested for the crime of listening to a revolutionary song in the comfort of her car. She was sentenced to four years in prison, Muftah concluded. (Al Akhbar, February 14, 2020)