The evolution Death toll CAS upholds of women’s mounts as Suarez’s legal rights Iraqi army 4-month in Kuwait2 battles10 IS playing47 ban Max 49º Min 34º FREE www.kuwaittimes.net NO: 16255- Friday, August 15, 2014 Out to sea Pearl Diving begins Page 4 Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 Scribbler’s Notebook How to honor heritage By Jamie Etheridge [email protected] he pace of modern life leaves little room for remembering the past, much less for celebrating Tor upholding traditions once revered by our forebears. Yesterday, dozens of young Kuwaiti men headed out to see for a weeklong pearl diving trip intended to help revive and honor the country’s her- itage. A week at sea may sound lovely but for most of us it’s only a fantasy. Yet practicing family and cultural traditions provide an important grounding for human societies and civilization. They help us stay connected to each other, transmit values and life skills to our chil- dren, teach us about our history and connect us with our cultural identity. They also provide a sense of security and continu- ity in a constantly changing world. Most of us can remember from our childhood receiving eidiya and wearing new clothes. Or opening presents on KUWAIT: In 2009 four women won seats in parliament, the first time since women were granted suffrage in 2005. Christmas morning and the big family Christmas din- Pictured from left to right are Dr Aseel Al Awadhi, Dr Maasouma Al-Mubarak, Dr.Rola Dashti and Dr. Salwa Al-Jassar. ner. My mom always eats black eyed peas on New Year’s in order to bring good luck for the year to come, a tradition her mother and grandmother prac- The evolution of women’s ticed before her. Expats are especially prone to losing their family traditions when living among other cultures though legal rights in Kuwait this is when they need them most. So how then do you keep your family or cultural traditions? If you are an expat how do you blend local traditions, customs By Batul K Sadliwala and founding member of Sout Al Kuwait, certain conserva- and holidays with your own cultural celebrations? tive segments of the Parliament and perhaps of the judici- And if you are a local, how do you respect and honor n a landmark vote on May 16, 2005, Kuwait’s Parliament ary also have a role to play. your heritage while also embracing modernity and granted women full suffrage, finally enabling them to change? Ivote and run for election to Parliament. Indisputably a The power of the vote significant turning point in Kuwait’s democratic history, the According to Al Ghanim, the electoral victory of four Truth is there are no easy answers but here are a vote was also a milestone for women’s rights in the coun- Kuwaiti women in the 2009 polls was an important few ideas to consider. Think about the family tradi- try. achievement. It led to legislative changes and to a greater tions you most loved as a child. Whether its celebrat- Despite the political gains, Kuwaiti women still lag focus on women’s issues. For example, the 2009 ing national day at the beach, Boxing Day shopping or behind their male counterparts in legal status. A Kuwaiti Constitutional Court ruled to strike down article 15 of the enjoying Chai Al-Dhaha with your female relatives, woman married to a non-Kuwaiti cannot pass citizenship Passport Law that required a married woman to secure her traditions typically revolve around quality family time. to her children, although Kuwait men married to non- husband’s consent in order to obtain a passport. This Holding on to them and practicing them on regular Kuwaitis can. Upon divorce, married Kuwaiti women lose would not have been possible without the presence of basis can also reinforce family ties and bonding. their claim to homes purchased through the government women in Parliament, Al Ghanim said. Don’t be afraid to blend, adapt or change. One of housing program, even if they made payments on the loan “The law was utter nonsense. It changed because of the the main reasons that family and cultural traditions and according to the 1984 Personal Status Law, a divorced weight of women’s voice that was felt in Parliament,” she fade away is that they lose their relevance. Once fami- women loses custody of her children if she decides to explained. During the 2009 parliament’s term, the govern- lies gathered round fireplaces to tell stories as a form remarry. ment also reformed its housing loan program so as to of home entertainment. With the advent of TV, this allow unmarried women to qualify for loans. practice all but disappeared. Don’t try to compete Work place discrimination Today, however, the current Parliament does not have a with modernity but instead incorporate it. Kuwaiti women still also face discrimination in the work single female representative. With regards to international Teach your children the customs, traditions and force. Though they comprised 46.7 percent of the work conventions, Kuwait is party to both the Convention on the values that you respect and admire. Start from an ear- force in 2013, Kuwaiti women still hold fewer managerial Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women ly age so that it becomes a part of their memories of positions than men and face restrictions in job options (CEDAW) and to the International Covenant on Civil and childhood. Most parents naturally want to share with though increasingly they compete with their male counter- Political Rights (ICCPR), but with reservations that place their children the things they loved from their own parts in the fields of education, business and even diploma- national law above key treaty articles. In 2005, Kuwait with- childhood. Moreover, children want to know their her- cy. drew its reservation to the CEDAW article on equal political itage. But it as to be relevant and somehow fit with At the government level, Kuwaiti women continue to rights for women. The reservations on articles relating to their modern lives. Teach them old Kuwaiti seafaring battle for legal equality. In 2012 the Administrative Court personal status and nationality remain in effect. songs by downloading them and mixing them with canceled a ministerial decree that prohibited women from But work towards improving the legal status of women Kuwaiti hiphop. applying for entry-level positions at the Ministry of Justice. in the country goes on. “We have young and open mind- Third culture kids - those who grow up in a differ- In 2013, the Supreme Judiciary Council issued a ruling that ed lawyers and graduates who are working to bring ent culture then that of their parents - need the would allow women to serve as prosecutors and judges, fol- improvement. And Kuwaiti women are also more politi- anchor of family and native culture traditions but also lowing separate lawsuits filed by about six young female cally active since they can vote,” Al Ghanim maintains. the freedom to blend and adapt traditions to suit their Kuwaiti law school graduates who argued the restriction Opposition from conservative segments of the parlia- adopted cultures too. Many of the children in Kuwait, was unconstitutional. ment, the judiciary and the society can be overcome. A both locals and expats, will spend considerable time Still no woman has as yet been accepted as legal number of the current regulations are against the consti- during their childhood among other cultures. researchers with the Justice Ministry. While the reasons tution itself, Al Ghanim points out, “and with the Teaching them how to honor the ideas beneath the behind this may be bureaucratic, to Ghada Al Ghanim, a Parliament’s Women’s Affairs Committee working with heritage and tradition we teach them, really. board member of the Women’s Cultural and Social Society civil society, change is hopeful.” Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 Local Spotlight Social media mistakes KUWAIT: An unidentified expert tests the soil samples By Muna Al-Fuzai to study the level of pollu- tion in the desert. — KUNA [email protected] ocial media has now become a powerful tool in our everyday life for business and pleasure. I can’t think of Sany person that doesn’t have an email, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube account. Social media is mastering our daily agenda to stay in touch and be connected with the world, its changes, people and events. Some people join social media because everyone else is doing it. Students, businesspeople, politicians, researchers and even terrorists all try to identify ways and methods to make profits and become popular by using the latest applications. A company located hundreds of miles away from your home can easily market itself to its target audience by just one click. These accounts are easy to create, are free and accessible to all. Does that make social media a trend nowadays like fash- ion, or is it an instrument that has great impact over most of us? I believe despite this crazy interest with social media, there seems to be a limited understanding of what the term “social media” means and the reason behind it. There are some com- mon mistakes that are unethical and show how desperate a person is, which is buying followers. Another thing here is that nearly all companies use social media to promote their servic- es and products without connecting with the public. Too much talk and no one listens - that is what Twitter does in Kuwait. People treat social media as if they are real people and places. They tend to express emotions and some- times express intimate sentiments and anger towards people, events and incidents.