Mary Ann Sieghart: Be Glad You Live in Britain, Not the US, If You're Gay or a Woman

THE INDEPENDENT: Contraception is free and uncontroversial, sex education sensible and gay relationships are becoming normalised

Which ideas will endure for at least another century?" was one of the questions we were posed at a thought-provoking conference over the weekend. We considered and dismissed democracy – in the past century, it's been overthrown by communism, fascism and autocracy – and capitalism, which even now seems a little under threat. One concept, though, kept bubbling up into my mind: love.

Whether you worship the Beatles or the Bible doesn't matter. Love is either all you need or it's greater even than faith and hope, and all three will endure. It's the biggest contributor to human happiness, and if politicians dare to intrude into our love lives, they can have a more profound effect than any tinkering with taxes or the national curriculum. Which is why women and gay men should be deeply grateful that, in this era, we live in Britain and not the United States.

In this country, people have become increasingly freer to love whom they like and to live how they like. Tolerance of homosexuality in particular has blossomed in the past couple of decades, making the country strikingly more generous. It's been a really big and welcome cultural change. » | Mary Ann Sieghart | Monday, March 12, 2012

Saudi Moral Committee Threatens to Cover “Tempting” Women’s Eyes

BIKYAMASR: Women with sexy eyes in Saudi Arabia may be forced to cover them up, according to the spokesperson of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) in the conservative Gulf kingdom.

Spokesman of the Ha’eal district, Sheikh Motlab al-Nabet said the committee has the right to stop a women whose eyes seem “tempting” and order her to cover them immediately.

Saudi women are already forced to wear a loose black dress and to cover their hair and in some areas, their face, while in public or face fines or sometimes worse, including public lashings.

The announcement came days after the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported that a Saudi man was admitted to a hospital after a fight with a member of the committee when he ordered his wife to cover her eyes. The husband was then stabbed twice in the hand. » | Manar Ammar | Wednesday, November 16, 2011

HT: Always On Watch »

Sheikha Latifa Praises Kuwaiti Women
Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, Head of the Committeee on Women’s Affairs in Kuwait. Photo courtesy of Al Watan
AL WATAN: KUWAIT: Sheikha Latifa AlـFahad AlـSabah, the Head of the Committee on Women['s] Affairs and President of the Federation of Kuwaiti Women's Associations, said on Monday that Kuwaiti women have greatly participated in the development of Kuwait and have contributed towards the country's prosperity.

On the occasion of International Women''s Day, Sheikha Latifa said in a press release that Kuwaiti Woman has [sic] succeeded in many sectors, including the fields of science and art, as well as assumption of higher positions with the help of national efforts such as education.

She also urged Kuwaiti women to exert more effort for their country's future. [Source: Al Watan] Kuna | Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)