Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
Encyclopedia
The Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, (BHRWS) is a Bahrain
i human rights
organization established in November 2004 which claims to protect housemaids, and to fight for women’s rights
.
Its president is Houda Ezra Nonoo, making the Society unique in the Arab world in being the only human rights group headed by a Jewish woman. Nonoo is a business woman. Another prominent member is trade unionist, Faisal Fulad
.
The Society has sought to support women's rights activists' campaign for the introduction of a personal status law to protect women in divorce and child custody. In association with the National Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women, the BHRWS launched the Respect Movement, a petition in support of the Personal Status Law http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=137960&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28358. The second part of the Respect Movement’s agenda is a petition for laws to protect housemaids, who are not currently protected by Bahrain’s labour laws.
Nonoo and Falud are members of the Shura Council 2006-2010
.
was implicated in the Bandargate scandal
, accused of receiving BD500 (USD 1,326) per month from the head of the scandal, Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa
. The alleged plot aimed to instigate sectarian strife and maintain the dominance of the ruling Sunni community over the majority Shia.
The BHRWS’s defence of leftist writer, Sameera Rajab, also brought the Centre into conflict with Islamists: in 2004 the Akhbar Al Khaleej
columnist received death threats from Shia Islamists after she described Iraqi cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
as an ‘American general’ for his tacit support of the US invasion http://bahrainiblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/samira-rajab.html. BHRWS took a lead in the arguments that ensued with Al Wefaq
over the right of journalists to criticise clerics.
The Society has also clashed with salafists, specifically after the group organised a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Al Dana boat tragedy and Asalah MP Adel Mouwda
criticised the laying of a wreath as against religious values. The Society's Faisal Fulad
responded "We did not do anything that was against religion especially that Islam is a religion of tolerance and compassion. The public tribute is not an unhealthy innovation as some people have said, but a compassionate attitude that helps people appreciate how tolerant and inclusive Islam is, particularly that our religion is being relentlessly savaged by anti-Muslims in several countries."http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10031590.html
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organization established in November 2004 which claims to protect housemaids, and to fight for women’s rights
Women's political rights in Bahrain
Women’s political rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad with for the first time women being given the right to vote and stand as candidates in national elections after the constitution was amended in 2002...
.
Its president is Houda Ezra Nonoo, making the Society unique in the Arab world in being the only human rights group headed by a Jewish woman. Nonoo is a business woman. Another prominent member is trade unionist, Faisal Fulad
Faisal Fulad
Faisal Hassan Fulad is a member of Kingdom of Bahrain's upper chamber of parliament, the Consultative Council, since 1996. Fulad was appointed to parliament by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa since 2002–present....
.
The Society has sought to support women's rights activists' campaign for the introduction of a personal status law to protect women in divorce and child custody. In association with the National Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women, the BHRWS launched the Respect Movement, a petition in support of the Personal Status Law http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/arc_Articles.asp?Article=137960&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=28358. The second part of the Respect Movement’s agenda is a petition for laws to protect housemaids, who are not currently protected by Bahrain’s labour laws.
Nonoo and Falud are members of the Shura Council 2006-2010
Consultative Council of Bahrain
The Consultative Council is the name given to the upper house of the National Assembly, the main legislative body of Bahrain....
.
Controversies
In September 2006, founding member Faisal FuladFaisal Fulad
Faisal Hassan Fulad is a member of Kingdom of Bahrain's upper chamber of parliament, the Consultative Council, since 1996. Fulad was appointed to parliament by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa since 2002–present....
was implicated in the Bandargate scandal
Bandargate scandal
The Al Bandar report refers to an alleged political conspiracy by the certain government officials in Bahrain to foment sectarian strife and marginalize the majority Shia community in the country...
, accused of receiving BD500 (USD 1,326) per month from the head of the scandal, Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa
Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa
Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa is the former Minister of Cabinet Affairs in Bahrain and the head of the Central Informatics Organization...
. The alleged plot aimed to instigate sectarian strife and maintain the dominance of the ruling Sunni community over the majority Shia.
The BHRWS’s defence of leftist writer, Sameera Rajab, also brought the Centre into conflict with Islamists: in 2004 the Akhbar Al Khaleej
Akhbar Al Khaleej
Akhbar Al Khaleej is a Bahraini daily with a Left wing/Arab nationalist slant. Its editor in chief is Anwar Abdulrahman and it is the sister paper of the English language, Gulf Daily News....
columnist received death threats from Shia Islamists after she described Iraqi cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani is the highest-ranking Twelver Shia marja in Iraq and the leader of the Hawza of Najaf.-Early life:Sistani was born in Mashhad, Iran, to a family of religious scholars who traced their roots to Isfahan...
as an ‘American general’ for his tacit support of the US invasion http://bahrainiblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/samira-rajab.html. BHRWS took a lead in the arguments that ensued with Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq
Al Wefaq National Islamic Society , also known as the Islamic National Accord Association, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls...
over the right of journalists to criticise clerics.
The Society has also clashed with salafists, specifically after the group organised a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Al Dana boat tragedy and Asalah MP Adel Mouwda
Adel Mouwda
Sheikh Adel Al Mouwda was the second deputy chairman of Bahrain's parliament of 2002, the Chamber of Deputies, and the former leader of salafist party, Asalah...
criticised the laying of a wreath as against religious values. The Society's Faisal Fulad
Faisal Fulad
Faisal Hassan Fulad is a member of Kingdom of Bahrain's upper chamber of parliament, the Consultative Council, since 1996. Fulad was appointed to parliament by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa since 2002–present....
responded "We did not do anything that was against religion especially that Islam is a religion of tolerance and compassion. The public tribute is not an unhealthy innovation as some people have said, but a compassionate attitude that helps people appreciate how tolerant and inclusive Islam is, particularly that our religion is being relentlessly savaged by anti-Muslims in several countries."http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10031590.html
External links
- WWW.BHRWS.ORG
- Spring of Women
- No licence for Bahrain human rights body so far, Khaleej Times, 4 October 2004