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Talk at Kuwaiti Ambassador's Residence |
On Tuesday, October 15, 2002, Dr. al-Hibri spoke at the Pesidence
of the Kuwaiti Ambassador on the subject of women's rights
in Islam. The talk was part of a program coordinated by Mrs.
Al-Sabah, the spouse of the Kuwaiti Ambassador, and the National
Museum of Women in the Arts. The audience consisted of women
involved with the Museum as well as spouses of Arab ambassadors
and other Arab women linked to Mosaic, an American charitable
foundation sponsored by the spouses of the Arab Ambassadors
to the United States.
In her discussion, Dr. al-Hibri emphasized the clarity
of the Qur'an in describing both men and women as being
created from the same nafs (soul). She also pointed out
the way in which many issues pertaining to women's rights (
as interpreted by medieval jurists ), such as the husband's
obligations of household maintenance to the wife, are generally
misunderstood by Muslims today.
After Dr. al-Hibri's well-received talk, Ms. Al-Sabah spoke
about women in Kuwait. She referred to the country as having
"one of the most progressive societies in the Arab
world," where women make up 34% of the workforce and
70% of university enrollment. In government jobs, the ratio
of men to women was stated as being 2:1, despite the fact
that women in Kuwait still do not vote.
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