“Dr. Aseel Al Awadhi is a perfect example of how a Muslim woman from the gulf can succeed and flourish and still be feminine and respectful. She has a clear vision of a better Kuwait and believes that Kuwait’s young men and women are the key to its success. Her positive, simple and optimistic thoughts were refreshing amongst today’s unrealistic promises and negative attacks.” Farha Al-Kuwari– Islamic Feminism Spring 2010.

Dr. Aseel Al-Awadhi was our distinguished visitor last week. I was happy to organize her visit and have sensed its importance and the impact it could have on our students. We thus arranged a discussion session with her last Sunday on campus. I urged my students in the Islamic Feminism course to attend and participate in the discussion and reflect on the themes that we have covered so far in the course.

Aseel, what a lovable woman! And she is not any woman!! She is a Parliament member! I’m not sure if it was the public image or our perception of what a woman politician would look and act like, but Aseel certainly does not fit any existing images. She is strong and still feminine, intelligent while being young and pretty, assertive and extremely friendly. She is a character to fall in love with, which I believe all of the students have.

She approached students before the discussion. She told them how much she misses teaching and showed interest in them by asking questions about their majors and courses. The students were ecstatic and took her on a tour around our magnificent campus, feeling proud and humble when they saw how amazed she was.

I introduced Aseel in the discussion session by giving a short synopsis of Kuwait’s history and women’s role in the country. Kuwait is perceived as one of the most progressive countries in the Gulf. One of the reasons is that it gained independence in 1961, prior to other countries. Kuwaiti Women have been working alongside men and have been educated inside and outside Kuwait, gaining positions in different professions, like in government, business and academia. However, Kuwaiti women were not given their political rights till 2005. It took them since then four years to win seats in the parliament. They have faced different obstacles in their march for their political rights- one of which is to challenge a patriarchal system of beliefs that is so entrenched in our traditions and customs. Dr. Aseel made history by being one of the first four women elected for the Kuwaiti parliament in 2009.

My students whom didn’t know what to expect were taken by her. They monopolized the discussion. Their questions were intelligent and meaningful and showed how much research was put into them. Aseel herself after being asked twice by “Mai” looked at me and said your students deserve an “A” without a doubt! She was asked about her stand towards segregation in Kuwait University, which she totally rejected as she believes is a waste of resources and efforts. She was also asked about her reactions to the Islamists’ propaganda during previous elections, especially the slogans that said “voters for women go to hell” and “no women will win the election so do not waste your vote”. Her answer was so simple: “we proved them wrong!” Also when asked if she endorses women’s issues, she said she endorses Kuwaitis’ issues and women’s issues will always be a major part of her political agenda without necessarily presenting herself as a feminist. She touched on the fact that our societies are resistant to change, so no good will come from shocking them. Instead change could be gradual and peaceful.

Following the discussion, we took her out to dinner. She blended perfectly with the young ladies. The nine of us were sitting around a table eating, laughing and code-switching. Our conversations ranged from students asking her how she managed to face criticism and rumors, to her talking about her family’s support through elections and her experience as a professor at Kuwait University. What made her so lovable is that she is so real. She defied the common type of strong public women being masculine. Aseel is a woman politician, and she seems to have strong convictions which reflect on her confidence and poise. At the same time she is feminine and can engage in feminine talk as well as she skillfully does with political conversations. She made the students believe that they could one day be where Aseel is now. She is such a role model- one that is balanced and real.

Aseel told the students that the main reason behind her winning the 2009 elections was the amazing campaign that was run by young adults- the eldest was 27 years old. She depended on them believing in their abilities. She explained how the campaign worked and how they managed to attract as much voters as they could through new technologies. They connected with people through twitter, facebook, youtube. They spoke a new language and they found a new audience who embraced it. It was the young generation who led the way and helped her win.

After thanking the young ladies for their hospitality and inviting them to Kuwait, Nada, Nofe, Farha, Omnia, Hind, Mai and Corinne left with lovely memories of the dinner they had with Dr. Aseel–the Kuwaiti MP. Driving back to the hotel, Aseel told me that she felt that she was in the presence of future leaders. I totally believe that as well.