“If we look at the women’s movement in Kuwait in the 1970s and again compare it to the movement today, we see distinctions that show a balance. In the 1970s, the women’s movement here was more affected by the language, images and clothing attire found in the West. Nowadays, the focus here is on balance among their own cultural and social identities. One sees this in the clothing and in the language used in electioneering.”
One final Arab listener spoke up and asked what Al-Suwaij advocated for younger women in Kuwaiti society today.
Al-Suwaij stated, “They need to find a voice.”
“This is one reason we collect writings from all over the world and then mentor women on how to tell their stories internationally and locally. We teach them a bit about organizing and ask them to share about their particular living and working contexts.We also promote interfaith dialogues. In Kuwait people need to ask how they can realize a balance, i.e. that would be different from how women communicate and carry out their programs of development and rights.”
“We also need to move beyond stereotypes, including such questions as ‘Do you always wear your hijab?’—a question used by profilers at the airport all the time--and [graduate to more developed] relations among the differing peoples and faiths”
NOTES
American Islamic Congress, http://www.aicongress.org/
“A New Guide to Muslim Interfaith Dialogue”, http://www.aicongress.org/prog/interfaith_guide.pdf
“Zainab Al-Suwaij”, http://www.gmu.edu/departments/crdc/alsuwaijbio.html
