Bahrain's Women Candidates
Receiving Threats
Khaleej Times - 22 October, 2006
Much concern is mounting in political and other
circles as female election candidates have reportedly started
receiving anonymous threats and blunt mobile messages urging them to
back out from next month's parliamentary and municipal polls in
Bahrain.
The anonymous mobile messages, according to Dr
Muneera Fakhro, who is one of the candidates, are specifically
urging women candidates to withdraw their registration papers to
avoid clashing with Islamic principles.
She told Khaleej
Times yesterday that these messages are very upsetting for women
candidates. They have been worrying about many things recently,
including how best to convince people in a male-oriented society to
vote for them and also how to secure the political endorsement and
financial backing of recognised political societies.
Dr
Fakhro and other female candidates have already filed official
complaints in this connection to the Supreme Council for Women and
urged the SCW to address this issue and ensure that women candidates
are not intimidated in any way.
The SCW, she pointed out, is
very influential as it is chaired by the First Lady Shaikha Sabika
bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa and is committed to supporting and
empowering women in all spheres including politics.
Dr Fakhro
has also called upon the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to tackle the
matter as well as the Ministry of Justice to take appropriate action
as it is the official supervisor of the parliamentary and municipal
polls.
Dr Fakhro claimed that some conservative scholars
(Salafi) are behind the threatening mobile messages because many of
them are strongly opposed to the idea of women participating in
these polls, slated for November 25.
"We have five weeks
remaining for voting day and I now fear tougher negative campaigns
against women candidates. This is because despite the openness of
Bahraini society, there are many people who are still against the
political empowerment of women," she said.
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