On July 12, the House approved, 420-0, a resolution (H. Res. 343) commending the State of Kuwait for granting women the right to vote and run in the 2007 elections. The House International Relations Committee approved the resolution on June 30 (see The Source, 7/1/05). Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) sponsored H. Res. 343.
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) said that Kuwait “has taken action to recognize the important role of women in international human rights, and the House states in its resolution how important that role is and how it must be respected and promoted regardless of historical, cultural or religious heritage. This action by the Kuwaiti Parliament underscores its recognition of these important rights and shows its support for the American policy of actively advancing women’s rights all over the world.”
Expressing his concern that the new law states that “a Kuwaiti woman, voting and running for political office, should do so while fully adhering to the dictates of Islamic Sharia,” Rep. Crowley said, “My Kuwaiti friends assure me that the law…will be applied universally to all of Kuwait’s women citizens, and it is my hope that that will indeed be the case. In any case, the Kuwaiti parliament’s action marks an important step on the path towards full democratization.” He added, “It should also be noted that, with the enfranchising of women in Kuwait, women in every nation that holds elections now have the right to vote, except in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, there still remains nations where neither men nor women have the right to vote, a peculiar and regrettable form of gender equity.”
