Kuwait: Give Women More Rights  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

As usual, this week's Kuwait round up addresses a number of issues including the disappearance of people in summer, Kuwait's unwritten traffic code, the attack of a Kuwaiti diplomat in Iran and the plight of mothers who cannot be considered as legal guardians for their children – simply because they are women.
Our first stop this week is with Purgatory over at Purgatorian Collection, who takes us on a philosophical experience .
هل تتعجب قبل أن تحط صماخك على المخدة و تخمد وين راحو الناس؟؟
Do you even wonder before you put your head on the pillow and sleep where the people have gone?
I do.
يمكن الناس تدرس حق الامتحانات؟ ، بس مو جنا خلصوا الصبايا و الورعان؟
Maybe people are studying for exams? But haven't the boys and girls completed their exams?
يمكن الناس سافرت؟ بس تونا (يعني لا زلنا، مو سمك التونا) في أول موسم السفر
May they have traveled abroad? But isn't it a bit early for the travel season?
يمكن الجو مخلي الناس ما تتطلع، بس الجو لسه جميل و الهوا منعش
Maybe the weather is making people stay indoors? But the weather is still nice and the breeze is refreshing.
عيل وين راحوا الأوادم؟
So where did everyone go?
الجواب الوحيـــد حسب تحليلي المتواضع
.
.
.
الطرق
The only answer in my humble opinion is
.
.
The Roads
Qias over at Io81 discusses the local business practice of “spliting off”.
Some who follows the market news daily can notice that many companies in Kuwait are entering the stock market, the last one was Bareeq Holding. This kind of method is called split off, but it is (the) kind of the Kuwaiti split off just to gain money and raise capital. Let me give a simple example how the financial world create tools to make more existing money and opportunities
Ikuwait writes about traffic laws in Kuwait – not the actual ones but the ones he sees people exercising on roads.
1. Right of way
Right of way belongs to the vehicle which has it’s bumper 5cm ahead of another, irrespective of whether approaching from the left or right.
2. The Kuwait scissors
When in 3 lanes of traffic, all traffic wishing to turn right should occupy the left hand lane and vice versa. One must then wait until the last possible moment before crossing the other two lanes at right angles to the traffic flow, to do so too early is to lose face.
Hugs from Kuwait says he was shocked while reading the newspaper and explains why he was here.
I seriously choked this morning when I opened up my morning newspaper and was met with a picture of the Hooters girls on the front page! Ugh!
Apparently, a Kuwaiti businessman is opening up a Hooters in Dubai and plans to open more in the region.
As always, The Stallion covers yet another event in Kuwait. This time it is the event EXzombie talked about a couple weeks ago – A Japanese Speech Competition and The Art of Kendo.
Last week I went to the First Japanese Speech Competition that was held at Kuwait University! The event was held by The Center for Community Service and Continued Education as well as the Japanese Embassy!
Forzaq8 complains about how little respect Kuwait is getting around the world these days  – the latest being a Kuwaiti diplomat assaulted in Iran.
Our diplomat in Iran attacked, in a state where women are charged if they do not wear hijab right. I don’t think 6 people can attack a diplomat in front of his embassy that easy. Of course in any other country if anything similar like that happen it would mean War or at least cut all diplomatic ties with that country.
But not Kuwait, we are always the weakest link. Libyan attack our embassy and we don’t even get an apology.
Bint AlShamiyatalks about what she considers an insult to women.
رحت قسم البعثات الخارجية بسوى أوراق الجعده
لأمريكا…الموظفات هناك يهبلون والمعامله
ً
I went to the department of Foreign Scholarships to start my son's papers
to America. The employees over there are fantastic and because of the
الراقيه اللى تلقاها هناك وتفانيهم بالعمل
بديت استفسر عن الإجراءت المتبعة للبعثه
great treatment I got there and how dedicated they were to work,
I wanted to ask about what procedures I should follow for the scholarship.
وما كان هناك أى مشكله والحمد لله…..إلى أن وصلنا
من يوقع الأوراق….؟؟؟؟. وين أبوه ؟ أبوه.. ليش .؟
ردت الموظفة : حتى يوقع لنا على جميع التعهدات
ردت عليها هم ليش ؟؟؟؟ قالت لإنه هو الولي الأمر
And there was no problem thank God until we reached the point of who should sign the papers
and they asked for the father.  I was like: “His father? Why?” And the employee answered: “So that he can sign all the pledges.”
And I asked: “Why?”
And she answered: “Because he is the legal guardian.”
انزين أنا أمه……… لا لا لا .ما يصير الأم توقع
الإ بتوكيل من المحكمه….شنهو…….؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟
أنا أمه ما اعتبر ولية أمر…….؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟
ردت على الموظفه قالت ما تدرين احنا مسحوقات
But I am his mother. And she said: “No no no.. the mother can't sign
unless she gets approval from the court” and I was like “What?
I'm his mother and I'm not considered his guardian?”
And the employee answered: “Well you know, (as women) we are crushed.”
بهالمجتمع….أبوه ,, عمه ,,جده,, حتى أخوه إذا يعمل
يقدر يوقع على الأوراق …….أما الأم ……لا لا لا
ما تقدر توقع الإ بتوكيل………….ما أدرى حسيت إنى
ببجى……ليش النظام يهيني جذى أنا أم مخلصه للدوله
Crushed in this society, his father, his uncle, his grandfathe , even his brother if he was working can sign
the papers – but the mother? No no no.. She can't sign.. I don't know. I felt like crying.
Why is the system insulting me when I'm a loyal mother to the country.
قبل إخلاصى لعيالى……هذا جزائى…..أنا مو مواطنه
ولى حقوق وواجبات ؟؟؟.حتى عيالى ما أقدر استخدم
حقى فيهم…… إذا عيالى حسوا إنى ما أقدر أسوي لهم
شيئ لأن الدوله سلبت حقي…. او الأصح طيحت
قدري عند عيالي……شلون أصير قدوه.. أمامهم
وأدير شؤن إسرتى الصغيره……أنا الحمد الله عندى
ريل وعزوه بس المسكينه المطلقه ,,والأرمله
شلون تاخذ حقوقها ؟؟؟؟؟
In return for my loyalty to my sons, is this my reward ? Am I not a citizen with rights and duties?
Even my sons, I can't use my rights on them. If my sons feel I can't do anything for them because the state
has taken away my rights, how can I be an example to my family and run it ?
Thank God, I have a husband but what about widows and divorcees? How can they get their rights?
هذا ظلم والإ لا …؟؟؟؟؟
كله بسبب الولايه…..أنا ماعندى اعتراض على
الولايه……بس مو يستخدمونها فى كل شيئ
ولأى شيئ
أكو أمور وايد بسيطه وسهله ليش هالتعقيد
Isn't this injustice?
All of this is because of the mandate of men. I have no objection on the mandate but don't over use it
on anything and everything. There are many simple and easy things,  why complicate them?
فأبى همت الحقوقيات و الحقوقين والسياسيات
والسياسين والمدافعين عن حقوق
المرأة المحترمين……هونوا علينا هالتعقيدات
نصفوا المراة فى قانون الأحوال الشخصيه
I call on  lawyers, politicians and  civil rights activists to cut down the red tape and give women justice in the Personal Law.
نبى حقوقنا المسلوبه…….نبى المساواة
نبى أبسط الأمور فى إدارة الإسرة الصغيره
بكل الحقوق والواجبات اللى كفلها لنا الدستور
مع ….. الجد,,,,و العم,,,,,,والاب
أعتقد هذا مطلب عادل
We want our stolen rights. We want equality.
We want the simplest things in running a small family, with all rights and duties that the Constitution guaranteed for us
with the grandfather, the uncle and father.
I think that's a fair demand.