The Centrality and Marginalization of Women in the Political Discourse of Arab Nationalists and Islamists

A series of forums have put Arab nationalists and Islamists in dialogue and contributed to the construction of discursive frames that facilitate cooperation in mobilizing support and in confronting various issues of common concern. However, the "women question" presents a consistent point of contention—and one that continually emerges, despite attempts to avoid or shelve the issue. This article examines how the discursive frames that sustain this cross-ideological alliance both hinder a substantial engagement of women and women's interests at that same time that they render the issue of women unavoidable. In the context of a cross-ideological oppositional alliance in Yemen that has been largely fostered by the conferences, this enduring tension over women seems to have created just enough space to push the issue of women's right to representation as political candidates forward among all the parties to the alliance.