‘Palestine freedom march on’

‘Kuwait strong supporter of cause’

“THE attitude of the State of Kuwait at the Istanbul Summit Conference had a positive impact on global level,” columnist, former Kuwait Army Chief-of-Staff and the former Kuwaiti ambassador to Iraq LieutenantGeneral (Retd) Ali Mohammad Al-Mo’min wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“During this summit, His Highness our Supreme Commander, emphasized that the State of Kuwait has its own fixed political attitudes since the 1940s and up to this day about the rights of the Palestinians. In other words, the Kuwaiti attitude in this connection has always been brave either at the political, economic or military levels.

“However, if we look at the role of Kuwait in terms of supporting the Palestinian people, we will find that the Kuwaitis overwhelmingly supporting these people.

“In this context, the memories may take us back to the time of the emergence of the Palestinian political cause by the end of 1940s. During that time, we were students in the first stages of education at the Al-Sharqiya School and Palestinian Teaching Mission during that time concentrated on the projection and definition of the Palestinian cause.

“This happened, because the Zionist greediness to swallow the Palestinian lands had just started showing its ugly face, particularly at the time of the Arab-Israeli confrontation, the first war where the Kuwaiti assistance in this connection, was represented by extending economic and moral support.

“But following the Palestinian tragedy, Kuwait played a basic role in founding the Palestine Liberation Organization in Kuwait in 1964 to train the Palestinians on the use of military weapons as well as the art of fighting. I was personally honored to shoulder this task along with a number of Kuwaiti officers and non-commissioned officers in coordination with PLO office in Kuwait.

“During that time also, Khairi Abu Al-Jibbin (the first director of PLO office in Kuwait) was our teacher at the Shuwaikh High School. Moreover, we were involved in cooperation with Major Abu Gharbiya, one of the PLO military elements.

“Meanwhile, the honorable Kuwaiti attitude was repeated through the participation in the 1967 war by the then Kuwaiti Al-Yarmouk Brigade under the command of the late Sheikh Saleh Mohammad Al-Sabah (the former Chiefof-Staff of Kuwait Army).

“This brigade was stationed in Sinai front of Egypt since the Kuwaiti Brigade had joined the Egyptian troops in Al-Areesh area of Sinai. This brigade played its role in association with the Egyptian and Arab troops throughout the period of the War of Attrition up to 1973 (from 1967 to 1973).

“However, the Kuwaiti honorable attitudes once again returned to the forefront during the 1973-1974 war where the Kuwaiti army participation on the Egyptian front was represented by the deployment of the brigade. Its participation along the Syrian Golan Heights front was represented by the Kuwaiti Al-Jahra force equals to that of the brigade and I had the honor to lead this force.

“In this connection, we say that the effective participation of the Kuwaiti troops along the two fronts was memorable in spite of Kuwait’s limited human potential.

“Anyway, the Kuwaiti march towards extending effective support to mitigate the tragedy of the Palestinians and support their issues and their right for Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital continues and this keeps in line with the Kuwaiti policy where His Highness through his recent impactful speech at the Istanbul Conference confirmed it.

“His speech actually touched the sentiments of every Kuwaiti, and the sacrifices of the Kuwaiti Army for the sake of the Arab causes and the holy city of Jerusalem.

“However, this march will be completed whatsoever the volume of sacrifices. We pray to Almighty Allah to bless our intention.”

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Al-Mo’min

“The Palestinian cause, shall always remain the major cause for both the Arab and Muslim nations in view of the religious significances of the City of Jerusalem and the historical Palestine at large for us as Muslims,” columnist Khaled Al-Hamad wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“In this context, we say that Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem), for instance, was the second mosque that was built in the history of mankind following the Holy House of Almighty Allah in Makkah Al-Mukarramah where Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was taken on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque (Al-Aqsa Mosque) and from there the Prophet (PBUH) ascended to Heaven.

“Apart from the above, Al-Quds is the Quds of Omar Ben Al-Khattab, May God Be Pleased with Him. It is also the Quds of Al-Nasser Salahuddine (Saladin) AlAyoubi, where all of the above confirms that Palestine is historically an Arab land and the owners of this land are the Palestinians and this was evident through the fact referring that the Hebrews came from Egypt and the Prophet Moses (PBUH), was Egyptian.

“Not just that, the Hebrews had refused to have access to Palestine on the pretext that ‘There are giant people living there’. Such historical and religious facts, however, history confirms that Palestine is Arab land and as such Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque represent the Islamic Waqf (Endowment).

“Based on the above, the notorious pledge by Arthur James Balfour (the former British foreign secretary), for founding a Jewish state in Palestine was a political and historical mistake, let alone the decision of US President Donald Trump to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was a religious and political mistake.

“Through his decision in question, Trump actually ignored the emotions of the Arabs, Muslims as well as that of the Palestinians — the owner of the sovereign land and this is a flagrant and irresponsible challenge.

“But the Palestinians, were and still confirm their ownership to Palestine land and history through its sacrifices and challenges against the occupation authorities, the last of which (challenges) is the Return March in Gaza Strip where hundreds of thousands of the Palestinian youth, participated to have an access to their villages that were destroyed by the Zionist gangs in 1948 and in 1967.”

“Episodes of the drama between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his embassy officials in Kuwait on one hand, and the Kuwaiti Government on the other hand has come to an end with the signing of an agreement that entailed nothing more than what is already stated by Kuwaiti laws, which led to the lifting of ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait,” columnist Adnan Abdullah Al-Othman wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“Personally, I object to President Duterte’s demand, and I suppose all Kuwaiti families that fear God and respect laws of the State have no problem with such demands, especially with the idea of keeping passports of Filipino workers with their embassy and not in the sponsor’s possession. According to Kuwaiti laws, sponsors are prohibited from keeping laborers’ passports.

“The problem could be in the specification of working hours and weekends. It’s also connected to the culture of Kuwaiti families that prefer to live with domestic workers. It became a custom that domestic workers wake up before the lady and the children to prepare breakfast and help the children get ready, besides washing the cars in some cases. She’ll then go back to tidy up the rooms and do the laundry before heading for the kitchen to prepare lunch. After serving lunch, the domestic worker will help the children with their homework, while the lady takes a nap.

“Some Kuwaiti housewives order their domestic workers to make pastry to sell on Instagram. The poor domestic will not find any means to go to rest until all members of the family sleep. She hardly gets 5 to 6 hours sleep. Some families feel the domestic will escape or engage in indecent relationship in case she is allowed to spend the weekend alone. A domestic has the right to enjoy the weekend just like any other employee, and she is free to spend it the way she wants.

“The real problem is in the inherited wrong culture some families follow on impulse, which neither makes us innocent before Rodrigo Duterte nor Kuwaiti laws or before Allah. Thank you Rodrigo, because you stirred up the stagnant water and drew our attention to the dangers of depending 100 percent on others instead of ourselves.”

“What do the youths want? The government often speaks about its interest in the youths who make up the majority in our society, by about 70 percent. However, the reality shows the opposite,” Dr Bader Al-Daihani wrote for Aljarida daily.

“In today’s world, the youths want a state of constitutional citizenship, institutions and the rule of law where there are equal opportunities for all as well as active participation in policy making and decision making.

“The sad truth is all of these cannot be achieved by the government’s constructive and repetitive statements about its interest in youths. They cannot be achieved by the policy of disbursements from state coffers for small commercial projects mostly restaurants and cafes that benefit only a few and does not provide jobs or add value to GDP.

“Real interest in youths requires a new political approach towards equal constitutional citizenship whereby political allocation is eradicated, political corruption is combated, constitutional institutions are not marginalized, plundering of public funds is eliminated, unequal opportunities in public offices is dealt with and there is protection and safeguarding of public and personal freedoms as well as there are no security pursuits against youths who are concerned about the public affairs as a result of their peaceful expression of their views and opinion.”

“The political and economic scene in Kuwait seems very foggy due to the overlapping of priorities of citizens, MPs and the government,” Fahad Dawood AlSabah wrote for Al-Nahar daily.

“Those who observe this situation can easily figure out the contradiction among the viewpoints of the abovementioned trio.

“Citizens are supposed to trust MPs to secure their ambitions in terms of the highest a level of various services including education, health, housing and employment in a just manner based on the Kuwaiti Constitution and the relevant laws. Nevertheless, such an image is fading with the citizens’ involvement in electoral bribery as a result of disappearance of real and serious electoral programs of the candidates.

“Instead of exerting efforts for developing the medical services, the issue has become limited to illegal requests for overseas treatment with the help of MPs in order to increase their chances of winning the next elections. This is part of the strategy in terms of providing free services without real production. This has caused citizens to lose their trust in the executive and legislative authorities to secure their future and supply them with the best level of services as long as they are not real producers.

“Actually, it is the citizens who offer the services and it is they who should receive them as well. This fact must be the headline of the relation that connects citizens and the MPs. Almost 90 percent of the MPs find it much better to depend on providing personal services to their voters rather than committing to their electoral programs that they basically do not have. Even those candidates who adopt some programs during their electoral campaigns forget about them as soon as they find their place in the National Assembly.

“The third aspect of the triangle is the government which is supposed to bear the responsibility of providing services to citizens and ensuring political and economic stability. However, it has adopted a different policy represented by being submissive to the MPs to the extent that this policy serves as an obstacle to the progress of developmental programs.”

“Despite the fact that Kuwait’s modern history managed to survive various crises and disasters such as the explosions and plane hijacks during the Iran-Iraq war, and then the Iraqi invasion in Kuwait in 1990, the worst crisis that we have not been able to survive is the ethical and moral crisis,” Waleed Al-Rujaib wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“Deterioration of ethical and moral crisis starts with cutting queues, legalizing cheating in schools, lack of driving ethics on the streets, violation of simplest laws, abuse of power, nepotism and favoritism in job appointments, looting of the public wealth and silencing the voice of truth and free opinion.

“To add to the list is suppressing creativity and fine culture, and claims of protecting fake traditions which are not ours, to the extent that we no longer know our original customs and traditions.

“Degenerating morals have become the prevailing culture to a point where integrity and ethics have become rare and a mockery in the society where the high voice of religious clerics mislead and distort religious facts for political interests.

“Whenever ethical values and moral standards degenerate, communities and societies fall. At this time, the voice of the oppressor is heard and the oppressed is ignored. It is when the aggressor is celebrated and the aggrieved is shunned. It is when the education and knowledge degenerate, and families become the center of corruption, when children learn lies, scams and fraud.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb