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Kuwaiti MPs Safa Al-Hashem and Mohammed Hayef locked horns during parliament session, following a prior incident at a meeting of the controversial Negative Phenomena Committee, which is headed by MP Hayef. MP Al-Hashem felt that MP Hayef had treated her with disrespect when he refused to sit next to her and made an insulting comment. MP Hayef explained that Islamic law prevented him from sitting next to women who wear perfume, quoting a Quranic verse that instructs women to “stay home.” During the exchange, MP Al-Hashem warned MP Hayef that if he ever treated her with disrespect again, she would "kill him with a chronic headache." The video aired on Al-Majlis TV on March 28.
Safa Al-Hashem: "There was an unfortunate incident during a meeting of the Committee for Fighting Negative Phenomena, which convened yesterday at noon.
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"The committee chairman Mohammad Hayef arrived late, at 12:35. I gave him an update, telling him that the meeting was already in progress, but he angrily grabbed his name plate, sat far away from me, and said: 'You can't have it the way you like.' Mr Speaker, I have no problem if he doesn't want to sit next to me. He can move quietly, but he cannot talk to me with disrespect.
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"This is my message to you and to anyone who thinks that just because I am a woman, he can treat me with disrespect in public: Beware not to think that this conduct of yours will belittle Kuwaiti women – the women who made you parliament member. Half of the votes you received were votes of women. Women constitute more than half of our society and of the votes cast. Anyone who thinks he can treat me, who represents Kuwaiti women, with disrespect should rethink this a thousand times. If you ever do it again, I can give you a chronic headache. I will kill you with that chronic headache."
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Mohammed Hayef Al-Mutairi: "The rules and principles of the shari'a are immutable. We cannot change them just because there is a new age or new ideology. Allah says [to women] in the Quran: 'And stay in your homes, and do not display your allurements as in the former Time of Ignorance.' There is nothing wrong with the proceedings of the committee. The problem is that a woman is trying to force me to sit next to her.
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"We have been witnessing the same theatrics at the Committee of Negative Phenomena ever since that MP, who had objected to the establishment of the committee, joined it. Are we going to have a problem each and every time? I moved from my seat to another. What's wrong with that? She got all worked up, screamed, raised her voice... This is a bad thing. This is unacceptable. We [Islamists] are the first to demand women's rights."
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Safa Al-Hashem: "I have no problem with him moving from one place to another. My only problem is that when he picks up his name plate and moves, he must not treat me with disrespect in front of the [committee's] guests. Everybody knows me. I have friendly relations with everybody. I don't have a problem with anyone, but if anyone steps on my toes, I will give him a headache.
"Secondly, the Negative Phenomena Committee neglects the problems of Kuwaiti youth. It ignores the report of Omar Al-Tabtabai about bullying at schools, early-age divorce (sic), children who roam the streets, selling things. He ignores all this and talks about Alexander McQueen and devil worshippers, then moves on to massage parlors. Isn't this a waste of time?"
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Mohammed Hayef Al-Mutairi: "This is not true. The discussion was about drugs. We did not discuss massages or anything else. It is true that these topics were suggested for the committee's agenda, but the discussion revolved around drugs. What she is saying is not true. I didn't say a word to her. It's only that the shari'a does not allow me to sit next to a woman who wears perfume."
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Safa Al-Hashem: "It is you who have a problem. You don't want to sit next to me?! Fine. We have guards here who can protect you on your way out."
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