In practice, newspapers are privately owned, and they frequently criticize government policies and officials. Enforcement of restrictions is arbitrary. In October, the government briefly suspended Al-Seyassah for publishing remarks by an Islamist leader criticizing the emiri decree granting women full political rights. A contributor to Al-Seyassah was imprisoned in October for allegedly defaming the Prophet Mohammad in 1996. Of 17 journalists imprisoned in 1991 for their work with the Iraqi newspaper Al-Nida , three were released in February 1999, leaving two still incarcerated.
Public gatherings require government approval.
Informal, family-based, almost exclusively male social gatherings known as diwaniyas provide a forum for political discussion. Political parties are banned, but informal political groups, including those with opposition views, exist without government interference. Nongovernmental organizations must be licensed, although many work without licenses. Women face discrimination in legal and social matters. Sharia courts do not give a woman s testimony equal weight to that of a man, women must have permission of a male relative to obtain a passport, and only men are able to confer citizenship on children.