May 12, 2008 7:05 p.m. EST
Sandeep Singh Grewal – AHN Middle East Correspondent
Manama, Bahrain (AHN) – Hussain Al Qanber is a stranger in his own country, with no passport or documents. He is married to a Bahraini woman, but despite being a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) national he is still waiting to become a Bahraini citizen.
“My wife is a Bahraini, but I am not. I hold a Saudi passport which does not guarantee housing or education to my family here. My father has stayed in Bahrain for 50 years,” Hussain told AHN.
May 12, 2008 7:05 p.m. EST
Sandeep Singh Grewal – AHN Middle East Correspondent
Manama, Bahrain (AHN) – Hussain Al Qanber is a stranger in his own country, with no passport or documents. He is married to a Bahraini woman, but despite being a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) national he is still waiting to become a Bahraini citizen.
“My wife is a Bahraini, but I am not. I hold a Saudi passport which does not guarantee housing or education to my family here. My father has stayed in Bahrain for 50 years,” Hussain told AHN.
There are more than 2,000 families comprising foreign husbands like Hussain who are married to Bahraini women. According to the nationality law, Bahraini men can pass on their nationality to their wives and children, but Bahraini women do not enjoy this right. They continue to be at the receiving end with no option but to raise their own stateless families.
Hussain is among the fortunate ones. He has a passport from another country, but there are several among the 2,000 registered families who are stateless. In some cases, the Bahraini women are dumped by their foreign husbands and they have to raise their children without any official documents.
“I had applied for a Bahraini passport since 1991,” said Hussain. “My name cannot be listed for any assistance provided by the government or provide housing to my family. I am a qualified engineer who gets selected for jobs, but the employers turn me down… all this because I am not Bahraini.”
A group of local women activist got together in 2004 to tackle this “stateless in your country” situation and launched the Nationality Campaign.
“The number of families has crossed the 2,000 mark. We are pushing their case with legislators to pass the amendments to the nationality law,” Dr Wajeeha Al Baharna, president of the Bahrain women’s society and head of the Nationality Campaign, told AHN.
The group regularly organizes workshops and awareness activities and is campaigning to amend Article 4 of the 1963 nationality law which states that any child born to a Bahraini father gets Bahraini citizenship. The group has been lobbying for years with the government to entitle Bahraini mothers to the same rights.
The irony is that most of the listed families who are the focus of the nationality campaign are eligible to obtain a Bahraini passport and fulfil all conditions set by the laws. The nationality law stipulates a mandatory three-year residence for GCC nationals in Bahrain, 15 years for Arabs and 25 years for non-Arabs to obtain Bahraini citizenship.
Amira Isa, an active member of the campaign, says they are people who have stayed for 40 years in the Kingdom, but remain labelled as stateless.
“If a foreign wife married to a Bahraini man can receive citizenship, then why not foreign husband married to Bahraini woman? It is sad the mothers have to face education, healthcare and employment problems for their children. Men and women should enjoy equal rights and this is also stated in the constitution,” she told AHN.
Amira said when a child attains 18 years, he or she has to obtain a work permit to stay in his own country like his father.
A former Member of Parliament and now practicing lawyer, Yousif Zainal, recalls the nationality issue raised in the House and how opinions were divided at that time.
“Some had objected on this issue, saying it would open doors for Bahraini women to marry foreigners. The problem can be solved if the authorities grant nationality to foreign husbands and children on humanitarian grounds,” he said.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nizar Al Baharna, said during his opening speech at the United Nations Human Rights Council that Bahrain law regulates the issue of nationality on the basis, basically, of the descent of a child from a Bahraini father.
The minister made the statement in April when the Kingdom’s human rights record was reviewed at the Council.
“To avoid the negative effect which could result from not granting nationality to the children of Bahraini mothers who are married to non-Bahrainis or the husband who is not Bahraini, a new draft law is being debated in the House of Representatives (parliament).” he said.
The Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, announced last year that the Kingdom was considering granting citizenship to children of Bahraini women married to foreigners. He said giving equal citizenship to women and men was important, but granting such a right shouldn’t affect national security.
Shaikh Khalifa said many countries imposed some restrictions before providing such rights for female citizens.
Regional non-governmental organizations urged Arab governments in February to amend the nationality law on the occasion of Arab Women’s Day. The core issue remains the same in the oil-rich state of Kuwait, which also reportedly denies citizenship to foreign husbands and their children.
For Hussain and other families here, it is still a wait and watch situation until they become citizens. But he is afraid that his child may have to go through the same ordeal he has been through.
“During my childhood, I faced problems of being accepted here. Things have not changed much since then. I am now concerned about my baby boy who has no passport and is stateless,” Hussain said.