Drinking a glass of water

Decision to reinstate revoked citizenship ‘wise’

“AS THE holy month of Ramadan is around the corner, I think of the suffering of those who work under extreme conditions when the temperatures shoot up to 50 degrees Celsius in the shade. We don’t need a doctor or a preacher to tell us about the dangers of not drinking water under such circumstances,” columnist Dr Hamad Al-Hamoud wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“Last year, about 1,000 fasting people died in the city of Karachi in Pakistan because of the heat in the month of Ramadan. There are reports which say although passersby saw the men falling due to thirst, they refused to give them a glass of water because the men who had fallen were fasting but left them to die.

“In Pakistan and most Muslim countries, with the exception of Turkey and Tunisia, the interior ministries issue strict laws to punish those who eat and drink in public from dawn to dusk even if it means drinking a glass of water even nonMuslims.

“There is a slight discrepancy between the laws issued by the Ministries of Interior, which prohibit the public breaking the fasting law. In Saudi Arabia, the punishment is imprisonment, lashes and payment of fine in addition to deportation of the foreigners.

“In Kuwait, Law No. 44 of 1968 stipulates punishment for those who eat or drink in public during the Ramadan. The punishment is KD 100 fine and one month imprisonment or one of these punishments. The laws of the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain are similar to those of Kuwait.

“In Iraq, the punishment is five days imprisonment. The law is not clear in Egypt, and punishment is arbitrary. The North Africa countries are characterized by the fact that law prohibits the Muslims from breaking the fasting laws in public but the law does not cover the non-Muslims. This may be due to the fact that Morocco, for instance, is a country whose economy depends on tourism, and there has to be a lot of freedom for tourists.

“In Turkey, the situation is very different and has not changed since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a parliamentary majority more than a decade ago. Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol, a sympathizer of the Justice and Development Party is proud of the way the Turkish State deals with Ramadan. He sees it as an ideal way as far as Muslims are concerned and how they go about during the holy month.

“On June 5, 2016, Akyol wrote an article for the New York Times under the title ‘The Right Way to Observe Ramadan’. In the article he said, ‘Istanbul offers the best example. Here we do not have laws on certain behaviors during Ramadan. There are many who decide to fast and others do not fast. The non-fasting people can go to restaurants and cafés, while the religious are fasting for their convictions. They are not obliged to fast for fear of the government, but for the sake of God. The government does not force them to refrain from drinking water, and in this case the true faith appears.’

“I think the Ramadan in Turkey as mentioned by Akyol is not just because of the secular nature of Ankara, but due to economic reasons. If the Turks had dealt with Ramadan just like the Arabs of the Arabian Gulf, the Turkish economy could have taken a dive.

“We in the Gulf have abundant financial capabilities and that makes us lazy during Ramadan. In fact, we cannot determine who is more religious, the Turks or the Arabs of the Gulf region. However, we can see the practices of the peoples of the Gulf states during the month of Ramadan; they look more like spendthrifts than religious.

“Finally, we are waiting for the Ministry of Interior to issue a statement to warn people against breaking the fasting laws, with a threat to imprison or fine them.

“Over the next few days we will hear reports about a policeman catching a person for breaking the fast laws during day time, even if the violator of the law is not Muslim. Two years ago I read about a policeman arresting a worker for breaking the fast while working near the oil fields. The policeman was sitting in an air-conditioned room and the worker under direct heat of the sun.

“Why are we so sensitive to such an extent it hurts our feeling to see non-Muslims drinking water or a cup of tea in Ramadan? Why are non-Muslims treated in this way which makes it appear as if they are consuming drugs?”

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Al-Hamoud

“Has the visit of the US President Donald Trump to the region has anything to do with the reinstatement of the revoked citizenship of Kuwaitis? The answer is ‘perhaps.’ It is certain here that Mr Trump has stated at more than one time that he is not interested in human rights and that the time of linking foreign policy to human rights is history,” columnist, Professor at Kuwait University, Advisor to Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Chairman of the Arab Human Rights Fund (AHRF) Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar wrote for Al-Jarida daily Thursday.

“It is obvious Trump will necessarily support the countries of the region and turn a blind eye to their violations of human rights. Of course, many leaders who he met will praise Trump for his vision which does not fit international standards of human dignity. I assume that what has been declared is more than what has been concealed.

“Revoking citizenships is unfair and oppressive human practice. It is an unambiguous violation of human rights if the case is related to direct political reasons. Here we talk about those whose citizenships were revoked unjustly and each one of us has to define what ‘unjust’ means.

“It is unacceptable that some people define the term ‘justice’ to their whims and desires that is when we speak of being unfair and oppressive. It is fair only when it favors their group and remains silent and turns a blind eye when their opponents face oppression.

“So the decision to reinstate the citizenships which were revoked unjustly is a wise and prudent decision regardless of the details. However, in the first place we call the decision was unfortunate because it was politically motivated, but we could not help it since it appears we had to wait for political deals to restore our rights.

“How much would the State have saved in terms of efforts, fatigue and social exhaustion if the judiciary had given refuge for the oppressed? It is the absurd situation in which we live.

“In this case, we have the right to speak of ‘Every dark cloud that has a silver lining’, that is to say one should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days. The political deal was about reinstating the citizenships which had been withdrawn for political justifications only and if the revoking had continued, it would be more oppression and more unfairness.

“It is noticeable that in spite of all the fuss about fraud, forgery, manipulations in numbers and exaggerating them, the number of those whose files were examined by the ‘Committee of Citizenships’ did not exceed 200 people.

“Mr Trump comes, and the region is full of destruction. He has prepared us for more destruction and to

silence our guns.”

“German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762 – 1814) blamed the education system for the weakness of Prussian soldiers. Because of that, Germany overhauled its education system, knowing that education is integrated with every aspect concerning everyone living on this earth, such that those who delay in obtaining education falls behind,” Abdulaziz Mohammad Al-Anjari wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“The question that keeps on recurring from time to time here in Kuwait is - Is education a priority in this country?

“We are a community that has transformed from a simple primitive community into a civil modern community. If we do not put education on top of the ladder of our priorities, we will continue to be a country that gets defeated and tops in the corruption index.

“The reform of our education system, which is linked to sectarianism and tribalism, should be done in a manner that elevates the society into a modern one that is governed by the Constitution. If not, why should we blame the young generation of lacking seriousness, creativity and desire to work, instead of blaming or reckoning the one who deprived our youths their right for a better education?

“Do not blame the trees for the lack of fruit when negligence prevailed at the time of plantation.”

“It is now one and a half month after the Council of Ministers, in a meeting on April 3, 2017, issued a decision to form a committee to investigate cases of withdrawal, loss and dropping of Kuwaiti citizenship by reviewing all relevant files,” Ibrahim Adeeb Al-Awadhi wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“The committee was tasked to present its opinion on all cases to the Prime Minister and National Assembly Speaker for deliberations. Since the committee was set up until the end of the time limit given to the public to submit petitions on the cases without exception, it received 184 applications and 33 out of which are preGulf War withdrawal decisions and losses. This is a confirmation of the enormity of the assignment handled by members of the committee, especially since we understand the rate of complexity of such cases.

“The statement released by secretary of the committee and former minister Dr Nayef Al-Ajmi about the presentation of the first report on the outcome of 40 files reviewed with the opinion and recommendations by the end of last week breathed real hope in the ability of the committee to accomplish the assignment as soon as possible.”

“Respect for the capital of the world and assembly of various specters under a single roof before the largehearted leader Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud,” Abdulaziz Al-Tamimi wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“He is the man of the moment, determined and blunt in the face of tyranny, rebellion or illusion. At the same time, he is the father and big brother of Arab and Islamic nations. He brings them together with love and peace under the slogan, ‘There is no god except Allah and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is His Messenger’. Saudi Arabia brings the world together from East to West to form alliance against whoever is arrogant, attacks humanity and intolerant to all religions without exception.

“Riyadh today is the mother of more than 40 Islamic and non-Islamic countries. Islamic tenet calls all of them to frown at violence, oppression and intolerance. Saudi Arabia suffers from terrorism and extremist ideologies like other countries across the world. It sacrificed lives and has been the victim of injustice perpetrated by terrorists day in day out.”

“The fuss over the grilling ended with the victory of the government and the establishment of a new balance of power in favor of the executive authority and its allies. The executive authority now controls the threads of the game in the political arena,” Abdulmohsen Jumaa wrote for Aljarida daily.

“It seems the government and its supporters had learnt a hard lesson from the collapse of former minister of Information and Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Hamoud and had exerted all possible means to control the current parliament

“The country has been facing difficult fateful issues for many years. Our political system proved that it is incapable of dealing with these issues, especially since the National Assembly has become like a tribal council in which social, sectarian, commercial, tribal forces exchange conversations. Contrary to what is happening around the world, modern constitutional tools have been transformed to serve tribal rule and turning political forces to cover it, especially the religious forces.

“With the way things are, there is a conviction that change and reform in Kuwait will not come through the National Assembly, and will not be achieved by the interpellation motions and speeches held within Abdullah Al-Salem Hall.”

“I am sure that the issue of citizenship restoration should not be a subject of negotiation or blackmail. I am also convinced that some people who have lost their citizenship were not involved in the issue but only became victims for reasons only God knows,” Qais Al-Osta wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“The claim that the lawmakers gave the prime ministers the privilege to restore citizenship is politically wrong. Such kind of trade based on barter system, if tens of people benefit from it and if we are sympathetic with them, will affect thousands and even hundreds of thousand others.

“What can we say about those who were cheated when they actually deserved overseas medical treatment to the extent of losing loved ones? What can we say about those people whose certificates were ignored for positions which some people managed to grab because the concerned minister negotiated with a lawmaker or an individual who considered the position as an opportunity?”

“Those who think that Kuwait is fine and in a promising and good position are mistaken,” Prof Mohammed Abdulmohsen Al-Maqate wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“Misled are those who say this in light of the many accumulated problems in this country. There is neither any clear vision nor serious and determined solutions, despite the structural and consumerist rhetoric of ministers and officials during their meetings, speeches, statements and plans on the shelves.

“Whether we like it or not, we see the facts that confirm the deterioration of the situation in the country. The situation is not pleasing at all and is going to get worse.

“Our constitutional system is now in shambles as it has almost lost the essence of its existence, now being a tool in the hands of the executive authority.

“We now have a weak legislative authority that has lost its regulatory role. The National Assembly has become one of the top sources of corruption, as some of the MPs are preoccupied with personal interests and cheap financial and political gains.”

— Compiled by Ahmed Al-Shazli