Pressure mounts on last female minister to quit

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CALLS TO QUIT: MPs have demanded the education minister appear before them to answer questions about her conduct. (Getty Images)

Kuwaiti MPs have demanded controversial education minister Nouriya Al-Subeeh appear before them to answer questions over her conduct and the standard of education in the Gulf Arab state as pressure continues to mounts on her to resign.

Al-Subeeh is Kuwait's only female cabinet member after Massouma Al-Mubarak quit as health minister after a hospital fire in August.

Lawmaker Saad Al-Shuraye' on Monday filed a motion against the minister, charging that she has "ridiculed" the legislative authority, tried to misguide the MPs and refused to cooperate with parliament, the official Kuna news agency reported.

The motion also accuses Al-Subeeh of legal and administrative violations, and of trying to "settle scores" with officials within the Ministry of Education and other educational authorities rather than focusing on improving the standard of education in the country, according to Kuna.

Under Kuwaiti law, any MP can request the prime minister or members of the cabinet to appear before parliament to answer questions about their respective portfolios, with the session usually being held eight days after submission of the motion and with approval of the concerned minister.

Al-Subeeh would appear before parliament on January 8, the news agency said.

Prior to the Eid Al-Adha holidays, MPs had called on Al-Subeeh to quit and urged the prime minister to fire her is she refused.

The feud between certain sections of parliament and the minister dates back to October when she moved two top officials from their posts prior to the start of the academic year, blaming them for shortcomings in the ministry.

At the time, MPs said they would give Al-Subeeh a three-month reprieve to reform the country's education sector and resolve problems within the ministry.

Al-Subeeh has courted controversy ever since she refused to wear a headscarf in parliament, and was greeted with jeers and protests when she took the oath of office in April.

The attack against Al-Subeeh is just the latest clash between the parliament and the executive that has seen the resignation of two ministers since the latest cabinet took office in March and stalled progress in securing approval of a series of much-needed economic reforms.

The previous cabinet resigned due to the lack of pregress being made.

Kuwait's ruler, Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who has the last say in politics, has repeatedly urged deputies and the government to work together.

Analysts say he was on the brink earlier this year of dissolving parliament due to the deadlock.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Mashor on Hijab
Posted by MOZ, Manama, Bahrain on Monday 31 December 2007 at 12:18 UAE time

"IT IS ALL DONE IN GOOD SPIRIT, TO PROTECT OUR WOMEN FROM ABUSE".

WHAT A BUNCH OF NONSENSE!

What has this got to do with the story about the Minster herself? Thinking such is how stupidity is justified in, and religion used for politics.

In case brother Mashoor has not read the highly publicized case of a father who strangled his daughter over the Hijab in Canada. I guess he was also protecting her by murdering her!

Our holy Quran says nothing about the Hijab being compulsory. You don't have to be a theologists and religious scholars to figure this out and following someone else's interpretations and teachings blindly is why the image of Islam is being tarnished.

Pressure mounts on last female minister to quit - IT IS ALL DONE IN GOOD SPIRIT, TO PROTECT OUR WOMEN FROM ABUSE.
Posted by MASHOOR, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Saturday 29 December 2007 at 14:03 UAE time


I AM WONDERING WHETHER OUR LEARNED BROTHER RAJENDRA ANEJA OF DUBAI IS FULLY AWARE OF THE ISLAMIC RULES ON WOMEN AND HIJAB. IT SEEMS HE DOESN'T OTHERWISE HE WOULDN'T HAVE TOUCHED ON THIS HOT SUBJECT.

IT IS NOT FOR THE MUSLIM WOMEN TO DECIDE ON THIS MATTER BUT FOR THE LEARNED MUSLIM THEOLOGISTS AND THOSE HIGH PRIESTS OF ISLAM. IT IS INDEED MANDATORY ON ALL WOMEN NOT ONLY TO PROTECT THEIR SELF RESPECT AND DIGNITY BUT ALSO THEIR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS TO SELF PROTECTION.

IF ONE IS NOT SURE OF WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT AND IS NOT FULLY CONVERSANT WITH THE ISLAMIC LAWS, IT IS ADVISABLE NOT TO TOUCH ON THE SUBJECT MATTER. ONE SHOULD NOT TRY TO CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING WHICH MIGHT BECOME DETRIMENTAL TO THE INTERESTS OF ALL MUSLIM WOMEN WHOSE LIBERTY AND FREEDOM MUST NOT BE VIOLATED AND IMPINGED.

IT IS WELL UNDERSTOOD THAT THE IDENTITY OF THE MUSLIM WOMEN IS WELL PROTECTED IF SHE IS IN HIJAB AND AS A RESULT SHE DRAWS MUCH RESPECT AMONGST ALL THE MEN IN AS MUCH AS WOMEN FROM THE SUBCONTINENT DRAW MUCH RESPECT WORLDWIDE WHEN SHE IS CLAD IN SAREE WHICH IS SYNOMOUS ONLY WITH INDIAN WOMEN.

ONE SHOULD NOT TREAD ON A PATH IF HE/SHE IS NOT SURE OF THE FINAL DESTINATION. I BELEIVE THIS IS WAS WHAT MY LEARNED BROTHER RAJENDRA ANEJA FROM DUBAI IS TRYING TO DO.

AS THE QUOTATION SAYS: SILENCE IS GOLD, SPEECH IS SILVER.

LET THE QUEENS AND WIVES RUN HE COUNTRIES!!
Posted by RAJENDRA ANEJA, DUBAI, UAE on Tuesday 25 December 2007 at 10:35 UAE time

The Kuwaiti education minister Nouriya Al-Subeeh Al-Subeeh is being pressured to resign, principally, because she refused to wear a headscarf in parliament. I was under the impression, that wearing the headscarf, is purely a personal decision for Muslim/Arab ladies and not mandatory. Many of the Queens of the Gulf region and wives of Muslim Presidents and Prime Ministers, in other countries, also do not follow this custom.

It is time the Muslim/Arab women took control of their destinies. It would be a good idea, for all the Queens and wives of Presidents/Prime Ministers to run the countries, for a few decades. Many of them, will do a better job than their husbands. These lady-leaders will need at least 5 years to transform their countries, because the first 3 years will be expended in clearing the messes created by the husbands.

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