Published: 03/06/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)
Guardianship of women 'needs to be challenged'
By Barbara Bibbo', Correspondent
Doha: The guardianship of women in the Arab world remains unchallenged in most countries, hindering them from becoming full legal subjects, participants at a women's forum said here on Sunday.
Women's rights activists attending a regional conference said the male-dominated judiciary still considered women not worthy of full legal rights and submitted them to the custody of a male guardian. They also challenged personal status laws, also known as family law, which they said were issued by governmental male-dominated committees.
"Today the figure of the family guardian in the Arab world remains unchallenged. There are still strong reservations in the judicial systems on women's capabilities to act as full legal subjects. There is practically no legal debate on guardianship and women still remain subject to the control of the family in most countries," said Judith Tucker, professor of history at Georgetown University and editor of the Journal of Middle East Studies.
Tradition
Speaking to Gulf News, Amira Sonbol, a professor of Islamic history and the conference organiser, said personal status laws imposed on women were derived from tradition and not from Sharia. They are based on a gender philosophy, she said.
She also accused the judiciary of preventing women from entering the judicial field, in particular family courts, where the majority of judges rule against women on issues like divorce, inheritance and child custody.
"They do not want women judges, especially in family courts," she said.
However, Shaikha Al Mufta, manager of the Qatar Charity, said she did not agree with the views expressed.
"We should not strive to cover roles that are not natural for a woman, both in the family and the working sphere."
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