VOA标准英语2009-Fundamentalists Call for Kuwaiti Women to Boycot

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 credentials¹."

But some members of Kuwait's Islamic Salafi political party have called for a boycott² of women candidates on the grounds that public offices are reserved only for men according to their interpretation³ 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.

According to The Kuwait Times, only 19 of the registered 282 candidates are women, down from the 28 who registered last year and 31 in 2006.

Kuwait gave women the right to vote and run for office in 2005. Kuwait's National Assembly was dissolved in March after tension between the legislative⁴ and executive powers. It is the third election in as many years.

Abdullah Mohammad al-Turaiji is running as an independent in the elections. He says fundamentalists are simply attacking female candidates because they are afraid of losing power.

He says these people are afraid of women because they are worried that they will get their position in the parliament. But he says he is sure that some women will get seats and he supports that. He says he wants the parliament to be more balanced.

Aseel al-Awadi agrees that the slurs⁵ against her and other female candidates are politically motivated.

"It is social and political reasons behind their attack on women, particularly me," she said. "So I think there is some threat on their political agenda by having some female candidates really doing good in this election and having chances to win."

Though no the female candidates have ever won a seat in Kuwait's parliament, Al-Awadi is not dissuaded⁶. She says she is hoping to make history.

1 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

2 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

3 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 slurs   

含糊的发音( slur的名词复数 )； 玷污； 连奏线； 连唱线

参考例句：

• One should keep one's reputation free from all slurs. 人应该保持名誉不受责备。
• Racial slurs, racial jokes, all having to do with being Asian. 种族主义辱骂，种族笑话，都是跟亚裔有关的。

6 dissuaded   

劝（某人）勿做某事，劝阻( dissuade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was easily dissuaded from going. 他很容易就接受劝告不走了。
• Ulysses was not to be dissuaded from his attempt. 尤利西斯想前去解救的决心不为所动。