Born on April 4, 1964, Al-Tabtabaie obtained a PhD in Islamic studies from Al-Azhar and was an assistant professor at Kuwait University before being elected to the National Assembly in 1996.
[5] On May 23, 2004, Al-Tabtabaie pressured the Islamic Affairs department to issue a fatwa banning "un-Islamic" concerts with women singers, such as the show Star Academy.
Star Academy is based on a hit French TV show of the same name in which male and female teenagers from different Arab countries live together before competing in a talent contest.
[6] In May 2005, Al-Tabtabaie helped create a constitutional roadblock that effectively killed a measure that would have allowed women to participate in city council elections.
Kuwait was the first Gulf Arab state to establish direct links with Vatican City and Emmanuel Benjamen al-Ghareeb became the first Kuwaiti pastor of the Anglican church in 1999.
Al-Tabtabaie then urged opposition MPs to sign a reform document pledging to work to slash constituencies to five from the current 25 following the June 29 elections.
"[10] On February 19, 2007, Al-Tabtabaie submitted a motion to formally question Health Minister Sheik Ahmed Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Sabah about allegations of favoritism, deteriorating health services offered by state hospitals, and wasting public money by sending people for treatment abroad at the country's expense when they could be treated at home.
The first angle of the grilling accused Dr Maasouma of committing violations in the Foreign Medical Treatment Department and toying with ministerial law 2007/25 issued by the minister after assuming office.
Indicating according to the law only those patients suffering from diseases for which treatment is not available in Kuwait can be sent for treatment abroad according to the recommendation of a specialized panel of doctors and the physicians in charge of the patient, the MPs said in their grilling motion "as per the law the Health Minister and undersecretaries of health cannot interfere in the decision.
"[13][14] On October 2, 2007, Al-Tabtabaie called for the interior ministry to draw up a blacklist of employers who mistreat their domestic helpers and urged stiff penalties for physical abuse.
[15] On June 1, 2008, Al-Tabtabaie, Mohammed Hayef Al-Mutairi, Jamaan Al-Harbash, and six other MPs walked out of the swearing in ceremony of Modhi al-Homoud and Nouria al-Subeih, two new female Cabinet ministers who were not wearing headscarves.
[16][17] On August 3, 2008, the parliament passed a bill co-authored by Al-Tabtabaie that stipulates jail terms of up to 15 years for offenses including forced labor, abusing workers or sexually exploiting maids.