ISLAM AND THE EXTENSION OF CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS TO WOMEN IN KUWAIT

This paper examines the compatibility of Islam and the extension of wo men's rights, one element of democratization, with attention to social complexities within Muslim societies and to religious distinctions wi thin Islam. A random sample of 1,500 Kuwaiti citizens, surveyed in 199 4, provided data on individuals' status differences, their religious b eliefs and practices and their embeddeness into social networks which are sources of attitude support and formation. OLS regression analysis demonstrated that Islamic orthodoxy was compatible with extending wom en's rights while Islamic religiosity was not, regardless of the respo ndents' sects. Respondents occupying positions of social status were m ore inclusive. However, respondents' ties to the social system around them predicted differently for members of Sunni and Shia sects. Also, intrasect differences probably reflected respondents' connections to d ifferent schools of Islamic thought in different geographical location s which hold differing ideas and opinions regarding the place of women .