Japanese pottery Exhibition

photo courtesy of Japanese learning group- Kuwait

Japanese pottery exhibitiion:

Under the auspices of Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters Ali Hussain Al-Youha. Embassy of Japan in Kuwait and Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah cordially will open the exhibition ‘Japanese Pottery.’ The rising generation from the traditional kilns today at 7:00 pm at the Americani Cultural Centre, Gulf Road, Kuwait City. The exhibition will continue until Dec 24. For further details contact 25309400 (Cultural Affairs Section).

Dubai to Oman road Trip

A few years ago I took a trip to Dubai and from there I went to Oman. The drive was beautiful and a little scary considering it was a two lane highway, one side is a mountain with rocks falling and the other side is the ocean. Once we got through the UAE-Oman border there was a little city, Khasab I think.

The ocean was amazing and the area remained untouched, except for the few resorts. There were still houses made out of mud brick and mountain goats roamed the land. There were fisherman pulling in their daily catch and bedouin women cooking a huge pot of food beside their house. At the hotel I was surprised to find Omani men at the counter and helping with the luggage. But in Oman they have Omanisation in which citizens work in every sector of the country. The Omani women worked in the hotel during the days.

The resort...
My favorite picture of the mountain and the sea...Beautiful sea...

The traditional dagger of Oman...

One of the old houses...

Beach......

It was an awesome trip!

AFP: UAE gives women right to pass nationality to children

Will other GCC countries follow?

AFP: UAE gives women right to pass nationality to children:

(AFP) – 1 day ago ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday that children of Emirati women married to foreigners could apply for citizenship once they turned 18, moving closer to giving women the same nationality rights as men.

President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan decreed that the "children of women citizens married to foreigners should be treated as citizens," WAM state news agency reported.
In the move, the children are to get the "right to apply for citizenship when they reach 18," it added.

Most Arab countries link nationality to blood relation from the father's side, disenfranchising women who face various forms of gender discrimination across the region.

Tunisia had for a long time been the only country that gave men and women equal nationality rights with few other countries responding to continued campaigns for the regulation to be changed.

But in 2005, Algeria amended its nationality law, giving women the right to pass citizenship to their foreign husbands and children.

In 2007, Morocco said the children of Moroccan women will automatically get the nationality, while foreign husbands can demand the citizenship after five years of marriage and residency in the country.

Egypt followed suit giving women the right to pass their citizenship to their children.

In Kuwait if a Kuwaiti woman is married to a foreigner the only way her children can get nationality is if she gets divorced or widowed and that doesn't guarantee anything. With so much red tape the children will probably never get Kuwait nationality. My sister-in-law was married to an Egyptian and has a son and after getting divorced many years ago her son still doesn't have Kuwait nationality. Too much red tape.

My friends father is Egyptian and mother is Kuwaiti and she was divorced but until now they don't have Kuwait nationality and they are in their late 20's. I doubt they will ever see it. It's got to be hard living in Kuwait and have a Kuwaiti family but be recognized as Egyptian. But I guess when someone is in "love" they don't think about the future problems.

Sabah Maternity Hospital- Illegitimate baby Unit

I took the day off from work to help the ladies who go to the maternity hospital and check on the women in the illegitimate baby ward. Trying to get to the meeting place was chaotic. Driving to Kuwait City is my worst nightmare. The meeting place was in front of the Philipino Church behind the big church in Kuwait City. My mistake was taking the highway, considering it's been a few years since I've gone that way I never expected complete road closure.

The first ring road was shut down, time to take the side roads, got lost 2 times, finally after 40 minutes I reached the ladies. As we drove to the hospital they were telling me about the women. I'm not supposed to ask the women any questions and it will be a short visit. We arrived to the ward and the social worker, a nice Kuwaiti woman greeted us. The nurse unlocked the door. Inside were 20 beds and no room to walk. About 15 women were inside, 4 of them had their babies. Majority were Philipina ladies, a couple Africans and an Indian lady. Their faces lit up when we walked in. They were showing us their babies. As we brought the few donated items they immediately surrounded us trying to get the clothing.

Unfortunately the only baby clothing were too big for the newborns and there were only 2 baby blankets. I found out the Philipina lady spends 55 KD a month trying to buy toiletries for the women and items for the babies. I felt bad when there wasn't enough to go around. Being from the states I look at the situation differently than locals do. It takes two people to make a baby and they should both be held reponsible.I was told that a while back the women weren't allowed to take their babies back with them once they are deported but that it has changed some and they can take them. The lock on the door was a little surprising but here they are considered criminals and they have court cases going. I think when they go to their embassy they take their babies with them.

One father was Egyptian, another Syrian and a Sri Lankan. I don't condone this practice. But being in this country for the last 8 years has opened my eyes to the way men treat women. I have never seen a place with such sex crazed males as I have seen here. I've been followed, chased and harassed while living here as other females have I'm sure. When I read the newspaper it's full of violence, rapes, stabbing, kidnapping and murder. I hardly see any articles about criminals being sentenced. Most of the time they are aquitted.Some of the women didn't have their babies as the doctors weren't sure of their mental state and they may harm their babies. Some of them may have been raped and some have aborted their babies. This is such a taboo subject that it's pretty much hidden and taken care of on the down low. As a mother I can't help but feel the need to help the less fortunate.

There was nothing to write on so one of the women wrote a poem on a styrofoam cup. It was about a sick bird who saved itself and got better. She then started crying because it was her mother's birthday and all she wanted was to let her family know she was ok. She said she got in that position because she loved someone. I would like to know what happens to the men? Do they go to jail and get deported or is it the woman's fault? Considering this is a male dominated society I would think the blame is put on the woman. Of course I couldn't take any pictures. I'm thinking of setting up a charity for the babies. Regardless of the situation they are humans and they are the next generation. If anyone has any gently used baby clothing for newborns and would like to donate please let me know. They asked for warm baby blankets as the weather is cold now and they don't have anything for them.

My next step is the orphanage and on to the women who raise their kids in the jails. I just wish I had more time!