Look at the block directly beneath my picture at the top left corner of this page, at the moment it reads that we have to put up with this parliament another 452 days, assuming that these asswipes are going to be voted out on Oct 15th, 2006. It’s the date I have chosen for the parliamentary elections, it could come earlier (pretty pretty please) or later (damn! come ON, lets get it over with) but as they cannot go beyond October 2006 in normal circumstances, the block serves as a good reminder of how long more we just have to put up with them.
We could have a huge demo and force a new election of course. But with batons flyingt the moment, that’s not a very good idea.
BUT, how about this brainfart!
In an age where we NEED to get rid of segregation of the sexes, we get these dimwits whom WE have elected and WE pay over BD 3,000 a month for the pleasure of parking their brains and getting their butts do the thinking, pass some stinker like this today, the very last day of their PENULTIMATE session:
Bahrain approves law to set up women-only university
MANAMA (Reuters) – Bahrain’s parliament on Tuesday approved a draft law to set up women-only colleges as part of the country’s universities, responding to a long-time Islamist demand for segregation.For female pupils who believe in strict Islamist tenets, segregation is required by sharia law which forbids unrelated women and men from mixing.
The law, which is not compulsory, is the first of its kind in the pro-Western Gulf Arab state, ruled by the Sunni Muslim royal al Khalifa family but with a predominantly Shi’ite population.
The Islamists have won a foothold in parliament and are now promoting their views through the law making process. Islamist protests in Bahrain have disrupted Western-style pop concerts, deemed immoral, and some have turned violent.
Bahrain, a close U.S. ally, hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Arab Times
God save us.
Comments
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
it’s contagious,
first saudi arabia, then Sharja, then Kuwait & now Bahrain!!!!!
Bahrain?! I’m like OMG not Bahrain please 🙁
look at the bright side mixed-education is cliche :p, just go with the Khaleeji flow !!
iDip
(BTW how can I comment with my nickname?)
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
I know, there are no bounds to their dimwittedness, and it is global as it is the same ideology, the very same that ruined Afghanistan and the same that destroyed world heritage sites.
As to commenting with your nick, you can do that once you register and then log in.
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
But, this is not just stupidity, this is dangerous. Very dangerous.
Its not good for the boys, its not good for the girls, and its not good for society. Look at the stupid numbers of rapes that have been increasing. When the majority of our boys really only learn about women through porn, how do you expect them to have any knowledge about how to build healthy relationships, professionally, personally and intimately with members of the opposite sex?
What the King should do is the following. Introduce a quota for women in the lower house. So that a certain percentage of women (at least 20%) are there and can fight for what women want as opposed to deputy dawg and idiot al mawadeh. And, he should significantly increase the number of women in the upper house. To 50%. And he should choose the women who currently had the social civic groups of the different women societies. Because they already know how to build grass roots support, and have a constituency.
Beleive me, saeedi and co. would find it very hard to argue with women themselves re what women want, specially if it is in the public domain. And, if they say that they cannot funciton in a working enviroment with women around, well, its case and point that they are not functional human beings.
Women need to get their act together. And fast. We will be the biggest losers in an ‘Islamic’ state. And for god’s sake, where the hell is al Mawadeh getting his information that more women would be going to college if it was segregated?? Isnt he worried about the increase in sexual crimes committed by our boys?????? And does he honestly think that segregating them is going to make the society more functional?
We are in for the long haul.
Re(1): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Have you heard of the “Year Zero” phenomenon, Mahmood? It’s arguably the most extreme sort of political act possible, and it’s not limited to Islam. The term was first used about the French Revolutionaries, who attempted (and fortunately failed) to erase everything preceding the Revolution so that they could have the illusion of starting again from scratch. They even changed the dating system (so 1789, the year of the revolution, became “Year Zero”). They replaced the Roman month names of the calendar with revolutionary ones and even changed the clock to create a day that consisted of 10 hours each 100 minutes long … The Cultural Revolution in China was another, much more comprehensive and effective attempt at a Year Zero and it’s horrifying to contemplate the wealth of archaelogical and historical material wilfully obliterated during that period. In Cambodia, Pol Pot effected his own Year Zero which, in his case, included a holocaust to eliminate all traces of the previous social order. Then of course the Taliban attempted its own “Islamic Year Zero” in Afghanistan, most famously manifesting in the destruction of the ancient and extraordinary Bamiyan Buddhas.
And now the same tendency seems to be resurfacing in some parts of the Gulf. Year Zeros don’t necessarily involve loss of human life, but they are a form of genocide nevertheless – the erasure of entire histories and cultures, for all time.
Ash
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]Its not good for the boys, its not good for the girls, and its not good for society. Look at the stupid numbers of rapes that have been increasing. When the majority of our boys really only learn about women through porn, how do you expect them to have any knowledge about how to build healthy relationships, professionally, personally and intimately with members of the opposite sex? [/quote]
I understand what you are trying to say, but I dont think you can contribute segregation of the sexes to rape. We have a high rape rate here in the US (when compared with other Western nations) and we have ZERO sex segregation here.
I think the rising rate of rape, like many other ills in the society, comes not from Islam or religion, but the culture. Rape and honour killings are high in Hindu India, yet no blame is layed at Hinduism. It is a cultural issue.
Those attacking the religion are just as bad as those who try to pass off this cultural clap trap in the name of religion.
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Malik ..
And where, in the precious post, did it say that rape comes from Islam or religion?! Methinks the malikmeister doth protest too much.
JJ
(i posted the previous post but forgot to sign in.)
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]I think the rising rate of rape[/quote]
There’s no evidence at all that rape today is more commonplace than 50 or 100 years ago, because there are no meaningful figures with which to make a comparison. Similarly comparisons of the rape figures in the West and in most, perhaps all, Islamic countries are meaningless because of family pressures, social pressures, and official policy in most Islamic countries inevitably dissaude victims from coming forward. And that fact doesn’t only apply to rape but also to a whole lot of other sexual offences too, as well as things such as domestic violence.
Ash
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Mahmood: God save us.
SBG : Amen
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Not to mention that this isnt based in Islam. The Prophet(PBUH) used to give lectures and the like to mixed audiences, and shock, the subjects were often of the most intimate nature!
Another attempt to try to pass off culture as religion
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
I am waiting for my [b]Mahmood Al Yousif[/b] for Parliament bumper sticker damn it!
Re(2): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]Year Zeros don’t necessarily involve loss of human life, but they are a form of genocide nevertheless – the erasure of entire histories and cultures, for all time.[/quote]
Sounds like Saudi and it’s ‘Year Zeroing’ the Islamic past.
Or the erasure of the peaceful pre-Islamic pagan religions of Arabia.. Year Zeroing the ‘Pre-Islamic ignorance’ – whatever that means.
-Peaceful-? May Malik ask? Well, we primarily know about them because of what people who hated them wrote. How can we trust a biased source 😉
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Malik,
The same collection of Hadith that can be used to show that the Prophet talked in front of women can also be used to show that the Prophet orders the death of petty theives, kills innocent people and orders the segregation of sexes (such as his own wives, of which there were more than the God-appointed 4).
Seems like cuture and religion have mixed since.. ever.
And religion can be used to support just about anything.
Thank you for playing!
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Mahmood would be a good candidate. The problem is one must always accomodate their belief system and ideas when one enters such a body. Often the only way to remain true to your beliefs is to form an opposition that operates from the outside, not within.
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Lots of countries have gender segregated schools – including the US. If people aren’t forced to attend them, then I see nothing wrong with it.
However, you’re right to be worried that what is optional might one day become law for everyone.
Aliandra
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]Malik ..
And where, in the precious post, did it say that rape comes from Islam or religion?! Methinks the malikmeister doth protest too much.[/quote]
Didnt you say?:
[quote]We will be the biggest losers in an ‘Islamic’ state. [/quote]
I think anyone is a looser in any “religious state.” It doesnt matter which religion is being talked about. My main point was that segregation, in itself, is not a reason for high or rising rape rates. America proves this to be untrue. I dont think there is a less segregated nation in the world, yet our rape rates are very high.
Re(1): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]Wouldn’t you think that that money is better invested in developing better curricula for the university students as a whole rather than sinking it in this kind of hole? Because I can almost guarantee you that this money will be taken from other educational projects to fund this new development.[/quote]
Indeed! My wife is a Special Education teacher and one of her dreams is to head back to the Gulf and open a Special Education Centre. This is one area that is hugely needed in the Middle East. The money that would be spent segregating the sexes is needed so many other places that the idea is almost criminal.
But I like another idea floated here, let the people demanding this pay for it out of their own pocket.
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Mo, I understand, but let’s take this situation to its natural conclusion: The young lady graduates with high marks from the newly inaugurated gender segregated university. Now she has to go and get work (else what’s the point of this education in the first place), where will she apply for that job? Do we start a segregated marketplace in order to cater to these women and their families?
The world is not segregated, as much as the mullah want us to believe is the RIGHT thing to do. So what the government should do instead is invest money into making the FULL educational system mixed gender, rather than segregating the top end, and making their attendance to at least high school mandatory.
Re(1): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]MALIK: America proves this to be untrue. I dont think there is a less segregated nation in the world, yet our rape rates are very high.[/quote]
Malik, rape rates are high in CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODs. These neighborhoods have high rates of crime in general. Here in New York, for example, any time there’s a case of a rapist running loose, it’s usually in the Bronx. The Bronx is also noted for stabbings, robbery, drugs, you name it. You rarely hear of rape elsewhere in the state.
Cities have more crime than do suburbs. Rape is more prevalent where crime is common. I’ll wager it’s the same in the middle-east. Clean up the crime and you’ll clean up the rapists.
Aliandra
Re(2): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]Malik, rape rates are high in CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODs. These neighborhoods have high rates of crime in general. Here in New York, for example, any time there’s a case of a rapist running loose, it’s usually in the Bronx. The Bronx is also noted for stabbings, robbery, drugs, you name it. You rarely hear of rape elsewhere in the state.
Cities have more crime than do suburbs. Rape is more prevalent where crime is common. I’ll wager it’s the same in the middle-east. Clean up the crime and you’ll clean up the rapists.[/quote]
Indeed, all of which goes to show you that the segregation of the sexes is NOT a cause for rape. That was my point.
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
I agree that rape is largely due to culture, not directly due to religion.
Just to keep Malik’s America-bashing in check, South Africa has the highest rate of rape in the world, according to Interpol and the Guinness Book of World Records: 50,000 reported per year, half against children. That’s out of a population of 44 million. That’s one rape per every 880 people.
According to the FBI, the US has about 95,000 cases of rape per year. That’s out of a population of 296 million. That’s one rape per every 3115 people. South Africa has 3.5 times the rapes per capita as the USA. It doesn’t sound like the USA is much competition for the world leader in rapes.
And the US takes rape more seriously as a crime than the rest of the world: “The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that there will be 81,291 convictions in the year 2000 in the US, compared to 142,500 convictions in [b]the rest of the world[/b], putting 36% of the world’s rape convictions in the US.” World Rape & Sexual Assault Convictions
Steve
Re(1): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
[quote]Just to keep Malik’s America-bashing in check, South Africa has the highest rate of rape in the world, according to Interpol and the Guinness Book of World Records: 50,000 reported per year, half against children. That’s out of a population of 44 million. That’s one rape per every 880 people.[/quote]
Only to Steve can pointing out facts be “America-bashing”. FACT, when compared with countries in the West, America does have a high rate of rape. Sorry if the facts are “America-bashing”. I simply pointed out there was NO relationship between sex segregation and rape. It is your insecurity that made that into a “America-bashing” event.
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
The parlimentarians have been calling for segregation of sexes from Bahrain University for a very long time. After meeting with much resistance, they’ve realised that it may be a step too far and have decided to call for the institution of a College for Women. I think this is a brilliant idea, as long as it doesn’t set a precedent for further segregation. All this is doing is giving the women in Bahrain [b]options[/b]. If you don’t feel comfortable in a mixed-sex enviornment, then you’re not forced to endure it to obtain your education. There are many families who bring up their girls in a very conservative manner and, aside from the parents’ wishes, the girl herself might feel uncomfortable around males in a public setting. We all have our points of views about this, but the points of views of those girls involved are the ones that matter. Segregation is a fact of life in public schools, and many girls find the transition difficult into third level education when they have to mix with males. You might argue that it would be to their benefit (and to everyone’s) if they learned to live side-by-side with the other gender, but would we be so presumptious as to think that we would know what’s right for them? We can simply provide them with choices and options, that’s what democracy is all about. Freedom of choice. Let them choose their own paths, and may they succeed in whatever they decide to do in the end.
-Mo
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Mo, I agree with you provided that the young lady herself makes that choice. This will never happen as it is her parents, elder brother/sister will force her to go the segregationist route.
And the cost associated with this is enormous: the Minister of Education said that it would cost them about BD26 million to build the infrastructure, and then BD13.5 million A YEAR to run such a college.
Wouldn’t you think that that money is better invested in developing better curricula for the university students as a whole rather than sinking it in this kind of hole? Because I can almost guarantee you that this money will be taken from other educational projects to fund this new development.
And all for what?
Because we as a society place the blame on man’s inability to control his basic urges on women?
Re(2): Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Malik,
Yes it is America bashing to claim we have high rape rates when it’s pretty obvious by a look at the stats around the world that rape is not reported in most nations. Rapes in America are more likely to be reported probably because they are more likely to be acted upon by the police and courts in favor of the victim. In those countries that do not take rape seriously or where it is too embarassing to do so, it is not reported. Therefore, to the simple mind, it appears that there are more rapes in America.
Sit back and think about that figure, Malik. It doesn’t pass the smell test.
For example, Interpol reports that there are 32 rapes per 100,000 people in the USA, which is about 94,400 for a population of 295 million. That’s about what the FBI reports, which is probably where Interpol drew its figures. Interpol says its 1.78 / 100K for Japan, where the stigma of shaming your family is far greater. My guess is that rape is far underreported there to avoid embarassment.
Saudi Arabia tells Interpol that its rape rate in 2000 was 0.14 per 100,000 people. Hmmm. Get out the calculator and figure that the KSA has 25 million people and that means that Saudi Arabia claims, with a straight face, that there were only 35 rapes. Thirty-five.
The Indonesian embassy in KSA alone reports 180 Indonesian maids were sexually abused. Those are the ones who would talk. We haven’t even talked about the Philipinas. What this demonstrates is first, how much nations lie about their crime stats, and second, how few rapes are reported in the least enlightened countries. However, I imagine dull anti-Americans like you would take this statistic and claim there are fewer rapes in KSA than America, huh?
Your stats are made of mud and you are throwing your little mud balls at your own country, as usual.
Steve
Re: Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Ash ..
I would agree with you re the inaccuracy of the data and the stigma of reporting.
However, I do think that violence agasint women in the ME is increasing. If only as a function of pure demographics alone.
And I think that the inability to learn how to deal with the opposite sex in a functional manner will only compound this problem.
JJ
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
I totally see your point of view on how this institution will drain money away from the other educational facilities. In the assumption that money is available for its construction and development then I believe it would be an idea worth considering. If, however, its dipping into funds earmarked for other, more important projects then it might not be such a good idea. I didn’t think about the financial side of things.
If the family [i]forces[/i] the girl to attend this institution then chances are her other option is to stay at home, and I think you’ll agree with me that segregated education is better than no education at all. If she happens to be unlucky enough to be born into a backwards-thinking family then at least she should have the opportunity to carry on with her education in an institution that her guardians will have no qualms over sending her to.
To change the way the entire society thinks is not an easy task. To change the views of those fundamentalists is nigh-on impossible. By providing educational opportunities to those young ladies we are ensuring that they are enlightened enough to challenge the views of their forebearers, and to make sure that their daughters don’t suffer through the same upbringing. Or maybe I’m underestimating the resolve of this vicious circle to being broken?
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Sorry, that was me on that last post. I forgot to add my name at the bottom.
-Mo
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
How about telling the religious conservatives that if they want sex-segregated schools, they must build and pay for them themselves? Keep it a privately funded project.
Aliandra
Stupidity goes on unabated in the Bahraini Parliament
Mahmood and others:
There are 2 views about this.
1) Considering that the idea of all women university based on precepts of religions is wrong. Religion should not govern nor influence the type of univeristy or college that is to be established. However religion should be a subject for study and understanding.
This is my view.
2) The idea of an all women institution is good from the point of view to provide more educationsl opportunities to women in this part of the world who have been deprived from education and opportunities to educate them selves. Moreover this dispels the competition from boys and from influential persons seeking to grab seats for their undeserving wards.