Dozens of Kuwaiti women staged a protest Monday against the suspension of a women’s yoga retreat deemed indecent by conservatives – a move that sparked controversy in the small emirate.
Event organiser Eman al-Husseinan announced the suspension of the retreat last Thursday, stating she had not received a permit from the authorities, a day after Member of Parliament Hamdan al-Azmi tweeted to denounce the retreat as dangerous.
Women in the square carried placards denouncing the exploitation of women’s issues by parliament and government, and rejecting the regime of religious edicts and guardianship of women.
Though several Kuwaiti women have previously held government posts and parliament seats, women failed to win any seats in elections to the last parliament, which is dominated by the Islamist opposition.
