Focus on Rights of Bahraini Women Married to Foreigners: Part 2
July 18, 2005
Bahrain Tribune
Every woman irrespective of whom she marries has the right to citizenship, which is the most fundamental of all human rights, the President of the Bahrain Women’s Society, Dr Wajiha Baharna, said yesterday. She was addressing a meeting at the society in Adliya yesterday. The meeting was the first for Bahraini women married to foreigners and was attended by around 70 women.
Dr Baharna said the regional campaign with other Arab States “aims to try and make changes in the law with regard to nationality to give Bahraini women their rights. It is important for us to share information and move together to get things done.”
Children of Bahraini men automatically get nationality, regardless of their mothers’ nationality and they are entitled to free education and health services. But children born of Bahraini mothers and fathers from other countries, are treated as foreigners and have no right to inheritance or property. Once the child reaches 18, he or she has to obtain a work permit to stay on in country of birth.
Dr Baharna said discrimination against women existed worldwide but more so in the Arab world. She told the participants that they should not feel guilty about having married foreigners and it was one of their rights to choose their life partners.
She said although the society could not guarantee that they would succeed in their endeavours on this long-term campaign, they were encouraged by the success stories of Egypt, Algeria and Tunis. “It took Egypt 12 years, before the women got their rights, and this adds to our strength to continue with our pursuit,” she said.
Bahraini Amina Al Suwaidi, 28, has been married to an Indian national for four years and has a nine-month-old daughter. “My daughter has no passport. I cannot put her name on my passport because her father is not Bahraini. My husband feels that if she gets an Indian passport, then her chances of getting a Bahraini passport later will be slim. This is unfair. She is my daughter and she should have the right to Bahraini citizenship,” Al Suwaidi said.
Bahraini Nada Tahir, 20, is married to Pakistani Tahir Basser and they have a seven-month-old son. “When I got married I was aware that there might be a problem when it came to children but I thought things would change. In the US you can get citizenship after you stay there for five years. If married to an American then it takes two years, so why do not we have similar rules here? “We have been to the passport directorate and were told that in order for my husband to get citizenship, he would have to learn Arabic and then live in the country for 25 years before he might be eligible. This is unfair and upsetting. Everyone should have equal rights ,” she added.
Bahraini Mariam Mohammed Khadim has been married to an Iraqi national for 25 years. The husband got British nationality a few years ago. Mariam said that since her marriage, for years she could not live with her husband because of his nationality and she constantly went through interrogations by authorities whenever she planned to travel to Iraq to meet him. “It got worse when the children were born and it reached a point when we stayed in UK for 12 years, because that meant being able to be together. When my husband got British nationality, my children were eligible to it as well and we came back to stay in Bahrain. “This is my home and yet my children are given foreigner’s status because they cannot have Bahraini citizenship, they do not have rights to any facilities that Bahrainis have such as health or education services. They have residence permits, which have to be renewed every two years. “The only reason I came back to Bahrain is because I had heard that the Kingdom protects human rights and there are societies fighting for women’s causes and it gave me hope. The Holy Quran says everyone is equal, but it is not being practised.”
Naseeya Yayha Gulbungash, a Bahraini, has been married to a Pakistani for five years and they have an 11-month-old son. She is originally Pakistani but her family has lived in Bahrain for almost 50 years and they hold Bahraini passports. “My family has lived here for generations and although I am Bahraini, my son has no rights. If I have to travel somewhere I cannot because I would have to leave my child behind. A baby is more attached to his mother than his father and yet the authorities do not seem to care. This is a very upsetting situation but when I heard that this cause has been taken up by the BWS it gave me hope and I hope we get our rights.
Zainab Redha, 24, has been married for two years to a British Muslim and has a seven-month-old son. “It is frustrating to know that my son, in spite of having a Bahraini mother, cannot go to a public school, has no free healthcare facility, has no inheritance rights and once he is 18, he has to be sponsored to continue living here. I feel that one needs to keep one’s identity and yet be part of wherever one is living.”
Bahraini Samar Nizar has been married to an Iraqi national for five years and has a three-year-old son. “I feel very insecure knowing that my husband and son can stay here for as long as my husband is sponsored by the company he works for and if he has to lose his job, then I cannot keep my son with me. “This is my country and I have worked and contributed to society all these years just like any other man would and yet, I do not deserve the single right to having my family united. All this is affecting our lives and making it very hard to focus on anything else.”
Khadija Mohammed Hussain, who has been married to a Pakistani for 27 years, says that with her four daughters aged 14-26, the main problem arises when it comes to renewing visas for them every two years. “I do not come from a rich family and it is expensive. The older children although qualified, face difficulties getting jobs, which they would not if they had Bahraini passports. They have no medical or educational facilities like other Bahraini children.”
Dr Baharna said they would soon hold another meeting with lawyers, human right activists and the media and form an executive committee to set up a strategy and put forward steps to deal with the issue. “The presence of so many people here gives me hope and is encouraging. Together we can do something, after all, what women are asking for is their right and they should have it,” she said.
Copyright (c) Bahrain Tribune 2005
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