KUWAIT CITY - Kuwait's minister of Islamic affairs said Monday his ministry would shortly issue a new fatwa, or religious edict, entrusting the emir to rule on a controversy over whether to give women political rights.
"The fatwa panel met recently and discussed the viewpoint of Islam on women's political rights... It concluded that the issue is a bone of contention and that the ruler should have the final say on it," Abdullah al-Maatuk told reporters in parliament.
He said the fatwa would be signed and released next Saturday.
The new fatwa would replace one issued in 1985 which clearly stated that Islam forbids women from voting and contesting parliamentary elections.
"The committee found conflicting views by various Muslim scholars and groups on the issue. In this case, the ruler will resolve the dispute," Maatuk said.
The new edict is expected to boost chances of Kuwaiti women winning political rights in the face of stiff opposition by a majority of Kuwaiti Islamists and conservative tribal lawmakers.
Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah favors giving women the vote. In 1999, he issued a decree granting women full political rights but it was narrowly rejected by parliament the same year.
Parliament on March 7 approved a government request to speed up discussion of a draft law that amends Article One of the electoral law which limits voting and candidacy rights to Kuwaiti males.
Independent Al-Shall think tank said Saturday that proposals to enfranchise Kuwaiti women and lower the voting age to 18 would triple the number of voters in the emirate, who currently form 15 percent of the native population of 956,000.
03/14/2005 14:54 GMT