What Next for Kuwait? | The Majalla. On : Tuesday, 7 Feb, 2012 Hearts and Minds Last week, Kuwait followed the dominant electoral trend taking place in the Middle East, when conservative members of the opposition affiliated to religious groups won the majority of the seats in the national assembly. The victory could worsen political tensions in the country. Former Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah In the last few months, Kuwait’s political system has been standing on the brink of instability. In uncharacteristic events for the country, a number of anti-government protests have taken place over corruption allegations against Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, who resigned as Prime Minister in November. Specifically allegations claimed that lawmakers received millions of dollars of unexplained payments and that Sheikh Nasser had transferred public funds into his personal bank accounts.
In a recent report, however, the Foreign Ministry of Kuwait has said that the corruption charges are groundless. Islamists Take Firm Grip On Kuwaiti Politics. Parliament members Hussain al-Gallaf (L) and Abdul Hamid Dashti during the 14th legislative session of the National Assembly in Kuwait City. (photo by REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee) Author: As-Safir (Lebanon) Posted May 11, 2012 Mohammad Dalal, a representative from the "Development and Reform" bloc within the Kuwaiti National Assembly, has proudly stated that the Muslim Brotherhood managed to submit around 1,200 grilling session requests and bills in just a short period of time.
Summary⎙ Print Sunni Islamists have become the strongest force on the Kuwaiti political scene, writes Haifa Zaaiter, because their control of parliament has allowed them to use public institutions to raise private funds. But as sectarian tensions rise, the nation’s liberals are left unrepresented. Author Haifa Zaaiter Posted May 11, 2012 Translator(s)Sahar Ghoussoub Dalal has refused any attempts to assess the experience of the Islamic parliament, which is only three months into its establishment. Kuwait: Court Victory for Women’s Rights. (Beirut) –A court decision on April 22, 2012, cancelling a ministerial order barring women from entry-level jobs at the Justice Ministry is an important victory against legally-sanctioned discrimination in Kuwait, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch urged the Kuwaiti government to act on the decision, to guarantee women equal access to all public jobs, and to amend or repeal gender-based discriminatory provisions from all its legislation. In July 2011, the Justice Ministry announced in local newspapers that it would accept applicants for “entry level legal researcher” – a first step to becoming a prosecutor. The advertisement specified that the positions were only open to male candidates, without providing any rationale for the restriction. “This important ruling reaffirms the principles of equality between men and women that are guaranteed in Kuwait’s constitution and international laws,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
Kuwait's Legislative Absurdity: Kuwaiti MPs Approve Death Penalty for “Cursing God” Where to begin? The 1961 Press and Publications Law in Kuwait stipulates that blasphemy is a crime punishable by a prison sentence that ranges from a few months to several years. Following more stringent laws in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the Kuwaiti Parliament just approved provisionally--pending a second vote--the death penalty for those who defame God, or the Prophet and his wives.
Apparently, ”[t]he move to stiffen penalties for religious crimes came after authorities last month arrested a Shiite tweeter for allegedly cursing the Prophet Mohammed, his wife and some companions.” It also comes in response to increasing incidents of sectarian graffiti on mosques throughout Kuwait since the 2011 Arab uprisings as well as to growing calls to execute Hamza Kashgari in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Some Shi`i Parliament members also demanded the same penalty for those who curse any of the sect’s twelve revered Imams, but to no avail. Again, where to begin? Let’s face it. The “Really?” Chaos in Kuwait: Politics as Usual? On 18 June, the Emir of Kuwait, Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, suspended parliament for a month to head off an escalating row between the cabinet and parliament, the latter of which was about to publicly grill the interior minister over the country’s citizenship laws. Two days later, the constitutional court stepped in with its own ruling that declared the sitting (but newly suspended) parliament to be illegal and called for the reinstatement of the previous parliament.
The court’s rationale was that an emiri decree this past February—which called for elections after the previous parliament was dissolved in December—had been unconstitutional, thereby nullifying the elections that followed. Twenty-four parliamentary members resigned in protest, at least seventeen of whom also belonged to the reinstated (previous) parliament, a move that could prevent the old assembly from reconvening. A Little Context In discussing Kuwaiti politics, it is always difficult to decide where to start.
Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood. Islamist political movements have been sweeping the polls in post Arab uprisings that were sparked not by religious fervor and ideology, but by demands for democracy and freedom. Revolutionaries, who succeeded in toppling dictators such as those in Egypt and Tunisia, resent that Islamists who had little to do with their popular secular rebellions are now reaping the fruits of their efforts and being crowned as victors. More importantly, they are alarmed by the prospects of the formation of religious autocracies similar to those in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Islamist movements boast of better organizational skills and have for decades been in close contact with the poor, providing them with social, educational, and other charitable services.
In doing so, they have built a strong and popular power base among the masses that make up the majority of the population who did not necessarily take part in the different uprisings. Such frustrations and resentment, however, do not run deep in Kuwait.