MANAMA, 5 November 2004 — Deputies yesterday vowed to implement gender segregation at the University of Bahrain “in order to protect the new generation” in the face of fierce objection from the students, faculty members and youth societies.
A proposal submitted by independent Islamist deputy Jassim Al-Saeedi to separate female and male students at the government funded university was approved by the majority of deputies during the weekly session of the Chamber of Deputies. The proposal was forwarded to the government for approval.
The efforts of the Minister of Education, Dr. Majid Al-Nuaimi, to put an end to the proposal was ignored as the deputies rushed to speak in support of the proposal that will cost the government around 6 million dinars. “This proposal is not only a financial issue but an academic one. We need to employ more professors in order for this goal to be achieved,” he said.
The minister said that the university does protect women’s rights in every way. “I am here to protect women,” remarked Al-Saeedi. “This is my gift to them.”
This is the fourth voting process the proposal witnessed. Earlier it was refused by the majority. “I am a women’s right activist. The segregation aims to achieve women privacy,” he told the deputies.
“Segregation is a religious right. Many female students don’t attend university due to that reason. They don’t want to interact and mingle with men,” he said.
Islamist deputy from Al Akhwan bloc Mohammed Khalid supported the proposal. “The ministry is justifying their refusal by saying that the proposal is expensive. We support the segregation and it should happen,” he said.
Liberal deputy Farid Ghazi was one of the few deputies who decided to vote against the proposal. “It does not make sense. Does Islam tell us to segregate students in classes only or the whole campus,” he said.
“Should we then segregate Bahrain as a whole or is it just university level? What will they do when they work? We cannot segregate workplaces,” he said.
Deputy Abdulnabi Salman from the Democratic Nationalistic bloc called upon the human rights societies to take action. “Where are the human right societies? This issue goes against ethics and laws of human rights and they should take a stance,” he said.
Scores of university students and youths societies condemned the proposal. They said that the proposal does not aim to develop education, which is a need, but to create chaos at the university and spend money on a project that “will not educate students”.
“We are at university and need knowledge. We don’t need such projects that is far too expensive and does not help us in any way,” said the Shabeeba (youth) Society spokesperson.
The students earlier called on the deputies through the local papers to reject the proposal. “We need to ratify the higher education law. That is a need. We should stay away from small topics and hit for the jackpot,” said 20-year-old business student, Anseya Ali.
“There are thousands of students who do not have money to buy notepads. They need support. We should stay away from secondary topics.”
Twenty-two-year-old marketing student, Ali Haider, said “How can you segregate at university level and allow it at work. It does not make sense.”
However 23-year-old media student Hanan Mahdi said that there is a natural segregation at the university. “In classes the girls sit at one side while the males take another. We all respect each other and there is no harm,” she said. “The way out is for the Islamic societies who are calling on this project to set up their own girls only colleges,” she said.
“Private investors or the government can fund a women only college allowing female students the choice,” she said.
Private investors however are in the process of launching a women only university in Bahrain under the name of the Royal University for Women that will open its doors in January.
