The Bahraini government is expected to view a bill on Tuesday prohibiting men and women from mixing in universities.
The bill is being submitted by Islamist Member of Parliament Jasim A-Sa’idi who has been outspoken in the past in his desire to impose Islamic laws in the country.
According to the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat, the bill proposes that men and women in Bahrain’s higher education system will not mingle. Previously, supporters and objectors were on par on the matter.
A parliamentary committee has proposed the passing of a law that will determine a modest dress code and complete separation between the two sexes in university restaurants and cafeterias, as well as establishing separate recess times for male and female students.
Member of the Bahraini parliament ‘Abd Al-Hadi Al-Mahroun told A-Sharq Al-Awsat that this proposal takes the Bahraini people a step backwards and that it restricts liberties.
Al-Mahroun said the current system of education in Bahrain in which genders mingle is flawless and that the orders from the education ministry are sufficient to prevent any “immoral conduct” within the confines of the university.
He said this bill contradicts Bahrain’s social and economic progress, an effort in which both women and men play a part.