‘Muslims’ duty to support truth’

‘Arabs must read writing on the wall’

“I FOLLOWED the recent criminal events on Kuwait, and the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Iranian or Zionist arrogance, and the disappointing remarks of the US President Donald Trump, especially in his press conference with the Crown Prince of Bahrain, and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,” columnist, former MP and former minister of justice

wrote for daily. “I also attended the closed-door seminar held by the Center for Research and Studies with the American Ambassador to Kuwait at the Four Seasons Hotel four days ago, and sent one impression only, that read ‘We will not defend you’, ‘We do not want war’, ‘It is true we are allies and we will help you, but not without a price’.

“However, this impression is nothing new, but certainly this seems to be too obvious today, particularly for the Arab regimes particularly those who had turned their backs on their self might and taken on themselves to defend others.

“Given the above, I immediately recalled how two emerging forces in our region had developed themselves into one of the great powers where others think one thousand times before attacking them.

“The state of the Zionist entity, created in 1948, now possesses bombs and nuclear reactors, makes weapons and military aircraft, and its universities form the most powerful universities in the world, and occupies the lands and holy places of Muslims without any concern about the anger of Arab and Islamic countries.

“As for Iran, in the short period after the end of the war with Iraq, it became a force controlling four countries in the region, and despite the siege, it launches missiles and drones, which the Saudi military spokesman described as the generation of 2019, the latest generation of this kind and threatens its neighbors in the region. The whole world is trying to persuade it to stop making nuclear weapons but to no avail.

“In this connection, one may say that unfortunately, the future of Syria, for instance, can be defined now by Iran and its ally Russia under a complete Arab absence.

“Such being the case, we say it openly to the Arab rulers that we do not want coups and do not support creative and non-creative anarchy, and we reject the regime change by force or foreign conspiracies, but we believe that we must legitimately criticize the policies and general conditions which currently face our countries, our money and our holy places.

“Years ago, the scholar Bin Baz was asked about the attitude of the Islamic countries towards the aggression in Lebanon and Palestine? Is this position consistent with Islamic law? He said: It is the duty of the Islamic countries to support the truth and help Muslims everywhere in Palestine, Lebanon, the Philippines and Afghanistan.”

Ahmad Baqer

“Many years ago, I wrote an article under the title ‘The Time of Hamburger is Over’ in which I had said that the Arabian Gulf states should not depend on the fast and readymade solutions offered by the United States of America in dealing with all our issues,” columnist wrote for

daily. “Likewise, I had said it is necessary these states must adopt independent policies totally away from the American path, but should maintain high level of distinguished relations with Washington.

“Today, our imperative need is to refrain from going for American fast meals (political), because it is obvious the American steak is rife with the flavor of the Iranian ‘Sabzi’.

“In this context, I say the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during his last July visit to Switzerland, was quoted as saying preventing of Iran from exporting its oil, means preventing the export of oil of all countries in the region.

“However, following this statement, the US President Donald Trump said the US doesn’t need the Gulf oil, and as a matter of fact these states must protect themselves.

“Just recently in harmony with the statements of both Rouhani and Trump, we found how some drones belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah on orders from the Iranian government bombed the Saudi oil installations in the cities of Abqaiq and Khuwais in the absence of the American cameras and radars, although the latter, can monitor, if they want the most accurate details of the human being face.

“It was once said one thief was tired when the police officer chased him, then he decided to stop running and asked the officer why are you treating me rough and said if there was no thief there would be no need of a police officer and this means you will remain jobless.

“However, this talk of the thief, convinced the police officer and he decided to work hand in gloves with him instead of chasing him.

“In the framework of the above, we can understand why Trump wants to meet Rouhani, particularly since we know that it is Trump who has repeatedly called for this meeting and has even made offers for the sake of this meeting.

“This happens, while Rouhani still has no time for such a meeting. Hence, we found that the embezzlements from the Middle Eastern states have not stopped as yet since the owner of the American hamburger, has decided to opt for the Iranian Sabzi.”

“From time to time, talks about the tax and VAT law emerge in order to support the economy and the budget. The important question is: Does the government take measures to protect citizens from the effects of such taxes? Considering the living conditions of citizens, the adoption of value added tax agreement paves way for other steps that put more pressure on citizens and add to their financial burdens,” wrote for daily.

“The application of VAT will hurt the rights and achievements of citizens. The government should realize that the bill will not sail through in the National Assembly if it will affect incomes and achievements of citizens. The application of tax with inability of the government to control prices that have stuck in the pockets of citizens and control the market is due to its inability to control consumer culture. The risk of rushing towards measures which increase the cost of living of citizens under the pretext of economic reform, value added tax and its repercussions on citizens can be stressful for the citizens. The Ministry of Finance does not indicate any real measures to protect low and middle income earners or clear criteria to measure how the citizens are affected by the application of such a tax.

“Many MPs have warned and expressed reservations about the value added tax, saying that it aims to harm the pockets of citizens and the beginning of other steps that will be followed by the government, which does not take into account conditions of citizens suffering from high prices. Previously, the government approved the Gulf Agreement in terms of value added tax. There is concern that the project, which adds five percent of the cost for each stage of production of goods and services, is an extra burden for the consumer.

“Types of taxes include direct tax, which is the tax collected by the government directly from the people on whom this tax is imposed. It includes the income tax and corporate tax. This is in addition to indirect tax, which is collected through an intermediary, for example, retail stores for the benefit of the government. Paying tax such as VAT is an indirect tax. This tax may sometimes be referred to as a type of consumption tax, and is levied in countries with a VAT system on most goods and services purchased and sold.”

“Those who followed social media in the past few days noticed a large number of rumors affecting national security, discovered a good number of owners of social media accounts and Web pages who wanted obsequies to slap them, and worked to modify everything issued by the official authorities for their narrow interests, while we strongly support the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of opinion and expression.

“This situation, which some have reached, must have a remedy based on pure national sentiment,”

wrote for daily.

“There is no doubt that the current stage is one of the most difficult which the region is going through. There is also no doubt that any misplaced word can be a source of sedition and internal division in which we are indispensable to settle personal scores.

“All this will lead to further turmoil in the internal arena, which currently does not accept any adventure or underestimate this and that.

“Yes, there are fake accounts on some social networking sites, but these accounts are very few, while there are accounts and media known to all.

“They dealt with recent events in a lightly manner which is unprecedented and prioritized personal interests over national interest, forgetting that its role in such circumstances is to intensify cohesion in the internal arena.

“It is not about trolling in turbid waters that will not lead to any place other than chaos and distrust of the official state organs which play a major role at this stage.

“This is equivalent to its role in confronting any aggression, not less than its role during the resistance to the brutal occupation in 1990.

“Therefore, any confusion on this role helped the disintegration of the internal front.

“Personal interests cannot be prioritized over national interest, so little sense of national responsibility is required because it is the basis at this stage.

“I wish those who work will be inspired to achieve it, stop provoking strife and unrest, and realize the real role they have to play now, otherwise they should lend us their silence.”

“The rainy season is approaching while our streets are in a pathetic condition and the maintenance and repair plan is slow and below the expected level.

“In previous articles, we mentioned the condition of our roads in the Capital Governorate and the patching up operations we have been witnessing since the last rainy season to this day,” columnist

wrote for daily. “Everyone is complaining about the general state of our roads and its deteriorated asphalt and potholes, which are widely spread in some of the roads, besides having roads without lines that could contribute to the traffic chaos on the sixth and seventh ring roads.

“Recently, the cabinet urged the government bodies to prepare for the coming rainy season by taking necessary measures that would prevent traffic accidents, which are caused by rain and floods.

“In this regard, we call upon the Minister of Public Works Eng. Jenan Boushehri to oblige officials to submit reports that affirm the preparation and readiness of their sectors in all the governorates, and accountability of the performance of these sectors should be based on the reports they submitted.

“Anyone found to have neglected his or her duty should be held accountable. At the end of the day, the entire responsibility falls on the minister’s shoulders, as this will put her in the line of parliamentary questions.”

“Messages delivered by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to the Army, Ministry of Interior and National Guard during his visits have always been very precise and specific,” columnist wrote for

daily. “Now, it is clear that the region is sitting on a timebomb after the recent attacks on the Saudi oil facilities, in which Houthis were held responsible at first before the accusations hit Iran. The attack resulted in a US and international threats against Tehran, especially as the matter affects global energy supplies and it’s necessary to prepare contingency plans while taking the utmost precaution.

“His Highness the Amir conveyed messages to the army, police and National Guard on his visits last Ramadan by stressing the importance of preserving the national facilities, then shed light on the importance of full readiness toward maintaining security and stability of our country in light of the escalating situation in the region at present.

“To conclude, we have an inspiring leader who feels the danger before it happens and we must listen to his guidance and with great care in order not to miss the opportunity in protecting our nation from opportunists and greedy people seeking to harm our country by promoting devastating ideologies and suspicious actions in the society. God to save Kuwait, the Amir and Kuwaiti people from all evil.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb