‘Threat from Iraq remains reality’

‘Kuwait must tread cautiously’

“OUR experiments in dealing with our northern neighbor during the past eighty years have been of a bitter nature,” columnist and former MP wrote for daily.

“In this context, we say Iraq has contributed to the instability of Kuwait during the past century and until now. In this connection, we want to elucidate that Iraq has supported the movement that surfaced in Kuwait in 1938 and dedicated the then Al-Basra Radio to supporting the then revolution.

“At the beginning of the 1960s the then Iraqi president Abdulkarim Qassim declared Kuwait as the ‘ravished province’. After that, the State of Kuwait during the reign of Saddam Hussein witnessed the assassination of many Iraqi political symbols inside Kuwait.

“Not just that, the regime of Saddam carried out its violations against Kuwait by invading and occupying the country motivated by its grudge and hatred and destroyed the country’s infrastructure. As a matter of fact, this historical serial gives us an impression about the nature this neighbor.

“Today, the Iraqis have woken up to see the pro-Iran militias dominating Baghdad to support Iran through its confrontation with the sisterly country of the King- dom of Saudi Arabia.

“Not just that in spite of Iran alleging hostility against America, the Iraqis have witnessed how these militias are currently dominating the Iraqi government, let alone these militias at the moment have a representation in the Iraqi parliament and this shall allow them to support Iran against its opponents in the Gulf region.

“And why not, since we know that Iran is currently controlling most of the Iraqi state’s joints through its armed militias which roam freely the streets of Baghdad.

“In this context, we have observed, how the Iranians marred Iraq as a country to such an extent the Arabs in Iraq (Sunnis or Shiites) it makes no difference, are treated as second grade citizens because their rights have been looted.

“Such being the case, the persecuted Iraqi people have started feeling the pain and bitterness, hence, the spark has moved the stagnant water, and the winds of the Iraqi Spring are felt.

“However, this happened, when Iran showed its determined to send three millions Iranians to the holy places in Basra without entry visas and without any official and valid passports and the Iraqis started feeling they had lost their country which has become an open arena for Iran and as such they revolted where the Arab Shiites moved and were supported by the sheikhs from the Sunni tribes.

“In other words, the Iraqis erupted in anger against the Iranian elements and the latter failed to respect the religious and doctrinal emotions of the Iraqis.

“As a matter of fact, Iran was striving to dominate Iraq including its southern part, in a bid to constitute an actual threat against the American interests in Kuwait and use this trump card prior to begin direct negotiations between Iran and America.

“By doing so, Iran would like to keep Americans under the impression that the game eventually proves it has the upper hand in the Gulf region and as such it is currently dominating this part of the world from its northern part (Iraq and Kuwait) to its southern part (Yemen), and also boast of distinguished relations with the eastern coast of the Gulf (Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) in addition to its remarkable existence in Bahrain and the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“Given the above, the American President Donald Trump, will think a thousand times before any stupid action against Iran.

“Consequently, we suggest that we have to deal cautiously with what is currently taking place in Iraq, because our experiments with the Iraqi Sunnis and before it the Shiites were not encouraging and this entails that, we should hasten to take preventive measures, particularly in case the southern part of Iraq moves in harmony with the Arab revolution against the Persians.

“This is because any move in the south is likely to significantly and negatively affect the situations here in the State of Kuwait, because the revolutionaries or may be the Iraqis see that the expansion towards the south is likely to constitute a solution for many of their problems, particularly in case of exposure to aggression from the Iranian forces and militias since we have heard about the latter’s gross intervention in the Iraqi areas which currently witness a popular Intifada (uprising).”

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Al-Duwailah

“Iraq is witnessing popular demonstrations calling on the government to stop the financial mess and administrative corruption,” columnist wrote for daily.

“However, the scenario projected some pictures and video clips showing firing, bloodshed and the state of turmoil, and the demonstrators called for the resignation of the current government, end corruption, and get rid of some principles that had are seemingly engineered to serve partisan and personal interests of some parties.

“As a matter of fact, Iraq as a state consists of many components belonging to various entities, ideologies, doctrines and religions, let alone that this country has financial resources that make it different from other countries to such an extent we venture to say Iraq derives its might from its various components and financial resources.

“Given the above, Iraq has been transformed into a fertile land for the greed of the imperialists and the aggressive powers which are dealing with Iraq through the eye of a devastator and not through the eye that is striving to achieve stability

“In this context, we refer to some intelligence resources which have revealed through some media channels the existence of some agents and instigators among the demonstrators in addition to a scheme for the assassination of some religious terms of references in the holy city of Al-Najaf and how some of the demonstrators set fire to the headquarters of specific political parties but not all the parties and this signifies that there are some clandestine hands which are involved in manipulating the Iraqi political scene.

“In the meantime, the honest Iraqis say have been negatively affected by the government injustice against them and this can be attributed to a level of administrative and financial corruption which currently prevails there and this is a defect that cannot be ignored.

“Such being the case, these people found themselves between the hammer and the anvil – the hammer of the imperialistic scheme in Iraq and the anvil of the Iraqi nationalists who are striving to fight the corruption.

“Consequently, we found how some Iraqis are no longer involved in demonstrations under the current critical phase, particularly since we know that the Iraqis are accustomed to receiving visitors to the tomb of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him to mark the anniversary of his martyrdom.

“In this context, we call on the Iraqis to be patient and protect the country’s stability during the current critical phase in the region in general and Iraq in particular and prevent the greedy and the opportunists from taking advantage to hurt Iraq and the Iraqis.”

“The residents of Yarmouk have been living in a state of fear in the wake of complaints about increasing theft cases in houses. Another gang burgled several houses in the Riqqa, Jaber Al-Ali and Fahad Al-Ahmad areas thinking the occupants had traveled. The theft, which coincided with Eid Al-Adha festival, amounted to about 90 cases while the stolen items included passports, citizenship cards, gold, and other documents such as marriage and divorce contracts,” wrote for

daily. “In Jahra, a four-kilometer power cable was stolen and it’ll cost the state more than four million dinars. An armed robbery incident took place in a bank at Hawalli in September 2018 when an expatriate entered the bank and threatened those present with a weapon. He seized 5,000 dinars and escaped. Another thief entered the Police Fund Administration in Doha to steal funds and found no money except papers and documents.

“At Kuwait airport, eight Asians took advantage of their job with the service company and began digging passengers’ bags, stealing jewelry and money. The owners complained to four airlines and the news reached the airport detectives. After thorough monitoring and investigation, they managed to arrest the thieves who had to rent an apartment in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh to hide the loot. The place was raided and detectives found the missing items, some of which had been concealed in a rice container, including jewelry.

“These are a few examples. However, it is dangerous for thieves to have been able to rob the Jahra Traffic Department on April 22, 2017, as they broke into two stamp machines and the treasury. Theft is generally considered the most common crime in Kuwaiti society, followed by drugs and robbery, so we are suggesting to the Ministry of Interior an opinion that may be useful. Surveillance cameras should be installed in the corners of all areas to monitor activities around the clock. For example, cameras should be placed on the street corner pillars here and there, and then linked electronically to the area police stations where police officers or security officers will monitor the street on a computer screen. The day and night shifts will be an opportunity for hiring Kuwaiti youth.

“Supposing the surveillance devices are held by Kuwaitis at four intervals throughout the day, the ministry can provide them with training courses on security affairs, so that they periodically move from surveillance to the ports of Kuwait or the borders if they become fed up with electronic surveillance with time. In this way, the government can provide security and safety for the people, and at the same time, reduce unemployment among young people.

“I watched a television program, English or American, where the interior officer was watching people on the street. And to say Oxford Street in central London, for example, the camera is installed on a pole in the corner of the street. When the person came out of a shop, the policeman was pointing the camera at him to view him closely. He puts the “computer mouse” on the person’s face and the data appears on the screen showing his name and other information.

“The number of expatriates has increased and contributed to an increase in crime but the idea of electronic surveillance may reduce the rate of burglary and theft, and if the security agencies protect oil installations and places of utmost importance, some expatriates would not thank God that they work in a country such as Kuwait. We must not allow people with weak souls to violate the laws of the country. We say this because the press has a message that will influence the political decision-makers and benefit human development, while exposing the trouble spots and corruption in society to encourage.”

“A video circulating on the social networking sites shows a member of the teaching staff in one of the institutes of higher learning, urging members of his tribe to put their internal affairs in order so that people of the tribe could win the parliamentary and cooperative societies elections, and even students elections,” columnist Dr

wrote for daily. “Other circulated videos showed enthusiastic students celebrating the winning of their tribe in the student elections. As a result, a number of sincere columnists confronted the strange attitude and called on the administration of Kuwait University and the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training to put an end to such sectarian and racist attitude, which is contrary to the concept of a modern civil State. We have to inquire frankly about the source of those behavior leading the youth to boast about their fanaticism in favor of a tribe or sect in a democratic country.

“Despite the fact that both Kuwait University and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training are the most relevant bodies to confront the spread of this negative phenomenon among students, it does not mean they are the only relevant bodies. We need to admit that a number of officials and even policies adopted by some official bodies contribute to the spread of such negative attitudes in society.

“We need to ask about those who allowed by-elections to be held in order to illuminate National Assembly candidates according to tribes despite the fact that such action is criminalized by law. The result is that most of the seats have been reserved by the major tribes while they should have been reserved for the most sufficient candidates regardless of the name of their tribes.

“Everybody, including the Government, the official bodies, educational institutes, media and individuals are to exert maximum efforts to confront the growing tribalism and sectarianism by emphasizing the importance of loyalty to the State. The nation is for all, and Kuwait is above any other identity.”

“Any call aimed at abandoning the sovereignty of the State and undermining national unity is dismissed. Any allegation aimed at worsening the demographic imbalance is rejected regardless of who adopts it,” columnist

wrote for daily. “Kuwait announced that the new law will find radical solutions to the Bedoun issue as stated by a number of senior officials including HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak. The new law will give this right to everybody. Whoever deserves the Kuwaiti nationality will obtain it except the forgers and liars. The law is applicable to three categories: the first consists of those proven deserving of Kuwaiti citizenship, the second will be granted permanent residency and the third will be granted five years residency renewable. The State does not grant rights to those proven to have concealed their original documents and those holding fake documents. The necessary action will be taken against them at the right time.

“Somebody released a miserable statement pretending to have adopted human rights principles. In fact, this is aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Kuwait in the international community although the country is considered the global humanitarian center. Somebody thinks the Bedoun issue must be referred to the court to be judged individually. However, the Court of Cassation stated this is a sovereignty issue under the jurisdiction of the government which represents a ruling authority rather than an administrative body. Thus, the issue is not part of the judicial authority’s tasks.

“Those calling for referral of the issue to the court have adopted a form of democracy which is not straightforward. They fabricated a big tragic story about the Bedoun who committed suicide even before it was found out that he did so under the influence of drugs, not because of the injustice he suffered in the hands of the government as alleged by those who issued the statement. I would like to remind them that Kuwait will not deal lightly with liars and the unjust.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb