Conclusion: Legitimate Authorities in Balance

Abstract

Something that is important to take away from this discussion about Islamic feminism in Kuwait is that Conservative and Liberal Muslims are working diligently and bravely to put forward a progressive rights agenda for women. Using the sociological framework of legitimate authority, we see that the actors most successful in pushing forward progressive rights for the previously marginalized are those who balance the appeal to community, politics, and religious authorities. In conclusion to this exploratory study of elites in Kuwait, I would like to point out several issues that have surfaced as some of the most prominent concerns for Kuwaiti women which are being negotiated from within their Islamic tradition and culture.

We call upon you to remove this stain by joining forces with many impartial intellectuals worldwide who are actively defending the rights of peoples and nations to… fight for their rights to freely choose their representatives and those who would manage their political and social affairs, to retain their human dignity and their ability to resist humiliation and occupation, and to stand against injustice using all legitimate means.

Personal freedom is central to western democracies… It should then be one of the fundamental rights of women in a democracy to have the personal freedom to choose their own clothes as far as they are not contradicting any general moral or social value… The world’s women-rights groups have not taken any concerted steps to defend the rights of Muslim women. We cannot help but wonder how the right of nudity is accepted and defended while the right of decency is attacked and questioned?…

If the “West” has abandoned this legacy of decency, does it mean the rest of the world must follow suit? We reject the “war on decency” in today’s world. We also do not accept the notion that this is the price to be paid for modernity and prosperity. Could the attacks on the veil of Muslim women result from the fact that, in itself, it represents just another symbol of decency?

—“A Call for Reassessment: A Letter Addressed to the Intellectual and Opinion Leaders in the West” ¹