Mauritania’s newly formed government includes for the first time six women, one of them is Secretary of State. Annaha Bint Maknas also holds the distinction of being the first female Secretary of State in the Arab world. She is the head of the leading political party in Mauritania and was among the strongest opposition to the previous government of the democratically elected president Ould Ashaikh Abdullah. She is the daughter of the late prominent diplomat Hamdi Ould Maknas.
Mauritania, photo by smuddlepuddle
A day after the announcement of the new government, the Mufti of the country and the imam of the mosque in Nouakchott, Ahmadou Ould Lemrabet, publicly condemned the appointment of women to elite positions in his Friday sermon. Citing verses from the Qur’an, he said that the primary function of women is accommodating the husband and satisfying his pleasures. He stressed that women should only work in positions that do not require travel without Mahram (chaperon) or be alone with men who are not part of the immediate family.
In response, Aminetou Mint El Mokhtar, president of WLP Mauritania/Association of Women Heads of Families (AFCF), wrote a letter in a local newspaper strongly condemning the Mufti’s position. As a result, she has been receiving a new flurry of threats. AFCF is a women’s rights organization that works towards increasing women’s representation in parliamentary and ministerial positions and other leadership positions. Aminetou, a long-time advocate for women’s leadership and equality hopes that such representation is real and meaningful and not just symbolic. She asserts that women will continue to fight against marginalization and exclusion and will keep taking strides towards equality and representation until they can enjoy all their rights.
See full text of Aminetou Mint El Mokhtar’s letter “Response to Friday’s Sermon: Even a cautious person can err“
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