World Ruled by Women Would Be a Better Place, Says Martin Amis
THE TELEGRAPH: Martin Amis has declared himself a feminist and claimed that the world would be a better place if every country was ruled by a woman like Angela Merkel.

The author singled out the German chancellor for particular praise as he called for a new era of female-dominated politics.

“I have a dream. I see a day when politics is feminised, where female values move into the public sphere in a way they haven't quite done yet,” he told the audience at the Telegraph Ways With Words literary festival.

“I think there have been 20 female heads of state since the Second World War – some by inheritance, some by widowhood.

"But they have all had to pretend they are tougher than men. That’s why Hillary Clinton said if Iran tries anything she will wipe them off the map. Margaret Thatcher was quite devoid of feminine qualities.

“In an imaginable future, the values of women will rise. I met Angela Merkel and I sensed with her that she did bring certain feminine qualities to bear on the political situation in Germany. I want every country to be ruled by an Angela Merkel.” >>> Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor | Monday, July 12, 2010

Fundamentalists Call for Kuwaiti Women to Boycott Elections
VOA: Kuwaiti voters go to the polls for their parliamentary elections Saturday. Some Kuwaiti Islamic fundamentalists are urging women candidates and voters not to participate in politics, saying it is anti-Islamic. But others are dismissing this claim, saying it is politically motivated. 



Aseel al-Awadi is running for a parliamentary seat. She is a university professor of philosophy at Kuwait University. She says it is time to see reform in Kuwait and no one is going to stop her from running for parliament. 



"I think women have to have a seat in parliament," she said. "It is about time that women have a role in politics in general. Practically speaking women should have representation in parliament, this is one reason. Another reason is [that] I am capable of doing something different in parliament given my credentials."



But some members of Kuwait's Islamic Salafi political party have called for a boycott of women candidates on the grounds that public offices are reserved only for men according to their interpretation of Islam. Walid al-Tabtabaei is a Salafi political member who is a candidate in the elections.

He says having women in positions of power goes against the teachings of Islam. 

He says they are opposed to women being a member of parliament for religious reasons because all the prophets are men not women for good reason and Islam says the burden for office is too great for women. >>> By Mandy Clark | Friday, May 15, 2009