Kuwait Times, Wednesday, Aug 17, 2022 | Muharram 19, 1444
Kuwaitis demand speedy justice over bedoon issue
Kuwait:
Thousands of Kuwaitis are demanding basic rights for the country’s
stateless bedoon community. Under the hashtag #Kuwaitis_demand_solution_for_
bedoon, more than 5,000 tweets have started to trend on Twitter. People are
alarmed due to the rise of unjust actions toward bedoons in Kuwait.
Activist Khaled Al-Awadi affirmed that Kuwaiti citizens are demanding a solution
for their bedoon brethren. “It is unreasonable that a humanitarian country does
not have a solution for people living with us in solidarity. They do not have
another place to live in other than this country. Kuwait must find a radical
approach to this humanitarian issue,” he said.
Sheikh Fahad Duaij Al-Sabah said bedoons are Kuwaiti citizens. “We must be fair
to them. I do not like this label, but they are citizens who have not yet
obtained citizenship due to arbitrary procedures. This situation must come to an
end. Most of them are highly qualified and experienced and wish to serve the
country,” he noted.
Sanam Al-Majed tweeted: “Kuwait is always studying and researching the case of
bedoons. Millions of dinars have been spent on authorities and departments in
charge of these studies, and government has decided on more than one occasion
that a number of them are entitled to naturalization. And yet no outcome. What
is next?!”
For Waleed Al-Muhaini, the bedoon case seems like an endless issue. “We hope
this issue will be resolved as soon as possible. Our families, brothers, cousins
and neighbors understand that many of the bedoon contributed to the liberation
of Kuwait, including bedoon martyrs, families and missing persons. I am fully
confident that the new era will do them justice, hopefully,” he said.
Falah Al-Shammari tweeted: “Kuwaitis demand a solution to the bedoon case for
the millionth time. I say all bedoons have the right to citizenship for a long
time. They have the right to be compensated for all the years they have been
wronged, and have the right to sue those who wronged them.” Sawsan said: “The
case of the bedoons has been ongoing before I was born. Now I am old, and still
the issue has not been resolved after so many generations. How many more
generations have to suffer?”
Noorain tweeted: “We cannot depend on racists to resolve this 70-year-old
catastrophe, because the racists are the ones who caused this crisis since the
early sixties. They suspended naturalization in 1960 for five years that has
continued until today, from which the catastrophe began and is still continuing
today.”
Jazaa Al-Qahs demanded the Kuwaiti government should abolish the Central Agency
for the Remedy of the Situation of Illegal Residents. He also called for
accountability against all those who forged an official report against the
bedoons, and to be fair to every woman who forfeits her right to marry because
of the arbitrariness of this agency. Ahmad advised Kuwait in a tweet to be just
towards bedoons and their grievances for Kuwait’s national security and
reputation, saying this issue must be resolved.
Ali Al-Ali tweeted: “I congratulate the voice of truth of those who seek well
for Kuwait, because they know that the bedoon are our brothers. I don’t agree
with the voice of racists that many Kuwaitis are against. The more honorable
Kuwaiti citizens stand by their partners in the homeland and call to make the
bedoon issue a priority. They constantly demand a just and comprehensive
solution to their issue. This will effectively contribute to putting pressure on
the government and resolving their issue.”