Desert Causes

Cabinet wants to end bedoons' suffering

2010-01-10T03:34:00.000-08:00

Cabinet wants to end bedoons' suffering

Published Date: January 10, 2010

Kuwait Times

KUWAIT: Although the government continues to oppose introducing new legislation on bedoon (stateless) residents' rights, it is determined to introduce rulings that will help to resolve the humanitarian and social problems they face, according to State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan.

Speaking after the latest fruitless parliamentary session to discuss the subject, the minister said that the cabinet is set to meet with the National Assembly committee on bedoon issues to discuss the matter shortly, during which the cabinet will explain its ideas to resolve the problems.

Al-Roudhan also spoke about the government's development plan, following the revelation that the National Assembly's Secretariat General has received a request signed by 14 MPs to allocate the January 12 parliamentary session for discussion of the issue.

The cabinet affairs minister voiced hope that the government and parliament could work together on implementing the measures outlined in the plan, also expressing a wish that the 14 MPs would coordinate with the cabinet, which he said is ready and willing to discuss this critically important subject.

Al-Roudhan stressed his own confidence in the ability of the parliament and cabinet to reach agreement on the development process, reported Al-Qabas.

On the issue of developments concerning the grilling motion presented by MPs Musallam Al-Barrak and Dr. Faisal Al-Mislem against information minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, Al-Roudhan said that the general mood is against the motion after the two MPs recent unsuccessful motions against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah and three other ministers.

The minister for cabinet affairs suggested that MPs Walid Al-Tabtabae and Dr. Jamaan Al-Harbish are unlikely to support this motion after their previous failed motion against the minister. Al-Roudhan said that it therefore improbable that an MP can be found to be present the grilling itself since the interpellator would have to be chosen from a list of MPs who have not previously taken part in a grilling session.

Refugees International Latest Bulletin on Bidoon

2008-10-07T21:47:00.001-07:00

The following is a copy of the Refugees International Bulletin on Bidun in Kuwait, dated September 17, 2008:

KUWAIT:
HONOR NATIONALITY RIGHTS OF THE BIDUN

The Government of Kuwait must move to resolve statelessness within its borders. Despite a new parliamentary initiative to grant some civil and social rights to the bidun, an estimated 80,000 to 140,000 people continue to reside in the country without an effective nationality. Every time the citizenship issue comes up for debate, other matters arise that preclude concrete action to rectify the situation. But human rights are not open to discussion. Unless Kuwait takes steps now to grant citizenship to bidun children at birth and undertakes the process to naturalize existing bidun cases, coming years will witness a dwindling of the Kuwaiti proportion of the population thereby potentially threatening the sustainability of the nation itself.

100,000 People with Nowhere to Go
Kuwait’s 1959 Nationality Law defined nationals as persons who settled in the country before 1920 and maintained normal residence there until enactment of the law. At that time, about one third of the population was recognized as founding families, another third was naturalized, and the remainder was classified as bidun jinsiya (without nationality) which now numbers 80,000-140,000. The irony is that while the bidun self-identify as Kuwaiti, expressing love and loyalty for the land of Kuwait, a deep-rooted concern to protect the Kuwaiti identity has contributed to the intractability of the statelessness problem.

Lack of legal status impacts all areas of life for bidun: their identity, mental health, family life, residence, health, livelihood, and lack of a political voice. The problem starts at birth. Bidun children are not given a birth certificate but are instead issued a paper that specifies gender but not a name. Without birth certificates, children can not access government education. Parents must pay for private, poorer-quality schooling.

Adults who have managed to obtain identification describe ID card renewal as interrogation. “They try to prove your family roots are derived from any other country,” one man stated. Then there are forms to be completed, supporting documentation, photographs, and a KWD 82 fee ($306). “If after this you are willing to leave the country, they will treat you gently. Otherwise you are referred for DNA and blood tests and finger printing.” Some succumb to the lure of counterfeit passports. One family may hold documents identifying brothers as Dominican and Eritrean.

Employment in the formal sector is precarious and only possible through “favors”, so bidun seek livelihoods in the underground economy – selling produce on the street, hawking bootleg DVDs, or selling blood and organs. Their vulnerable status and lack of institutional protection renders them exploitable in what one source described as “a new form of slavery.” Many young bidun rule out marriage entirely: “I know 38 men who purposely stayed single,” one man recounted, adding in his case, “I see the painful example of my brothers and their kids trying to survive without citizenship.” A father noted, “Psychologically, I feel frustrated and angry, that I’m a failure. But I keep quiet and endure so as not to jeopardize my children’s future.”

The Kuwaiti Red Crescent provides food assistance on a bi-monthly basis to a limited number of families and distributes clothes at Ramadan. The International Committee of the Red Cross pursues missing person cases from the time of the Iraqi occupation as well as carrying out detention visits to Iraqis, stateless and Palestinian detainees, some of whom were detained in connection with the 2nd Gulf War. The UN, dependent on Kuwaiti funding, has not seen fit to act in a robust way but did commission a study, with the resulting report insisting that the issue is a priority. Still, there has been little action discernable by bidun themselves. “Our lives are wasted in limbo,” expressed one woman. “With no driver’s license, people lined up to take my job, and no hope of a pension, the anger builds up in me like a mighty volcano,” said another man.

A Year of Progress?
There is little agreement on the character of developments since Refugees International’s last assessment in July 2007. People attuned to the issue alternatively suggest “nothing has changed,” “the situation is worse,” or “there is some evidence of change, some small positive steps.” An article in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas, entitled “The Thorny Issue of the Bidun,” described the situation succinctly: “Citizenship has been the most important issue on the table of the executive and legislative authorities for long years… like a snow ball that has now grown too large to handle easily. There is… hesitation among members of parliament when it comes to resolving this issue…There are plenty of suggestions but there is no serious will to…close this file.”

Those who try to see the glass half full cite more press attention, supportive leaning of some members of Parliament, scheduling of sessions and workshops on the issue, government eagerness to exchange counterfeit passports for reinstatement of stateless status, and the fact that bidun are speaking out. Conversely, the annually published list of would-be new citizens was altered to exclude children of Kuwaiti mothers and bidun fathers (citizenship in Kuwait is conveyed only by males and advancement toward equal rights for women is slow), some bidun lost government jobs, and at least one person remains detained outside Kuwait on a false passport. There was alarming talk of mass “transfer” of bidun to the Comoros Islands, but this has since been denounced as rumor.

There is a new proposal in parliament to honor some civil and social rights of the bidun, but there is little hope that this will move forward as previous proposals have not even been discussed on the floor. Last year saw some action on plans to admit 100 bidun at Kuwait University for children of foreigners or children of Kuwaiti mothers but not children of bidun fathers and mothers. A proposal that some police, nursing, and teaching jobs be open to bidun was never realized. The release of tens of stateless individuals from detention constituted a welcome gesture, but remained only that, as no procedure was activated, or legal precedent created, to avoid future detentions without cause. Several sources indicate that one stateless man has been detained for several years without a hearing.

Conclusion
Kuwait is a responsible member of the international community, helping people through multilateral and bilateral aid programs. The same generosity applied to the case of the bidun would have a tremendous impact at home. One possible solution would be to grant citizenship to newborns and then begin the process of reviewing all open cases.

While some regard the bidun issue as a migration problem, it is more accurate to consider it one involving human rights. “When Iraq occupied Kuwait,” recalled one man, “the main argument for assistance for liberation was Iraq’s violation of international law and the global community’s obligation to respond. The same obligations ought to apply to regularizing the status of bidun. You can’t cherry-pick statutes of international law.” Ultimately, the bidun are simply looking for the dignity of being recognized as human beings with a legitimate sense of belonging.

Policy Recommendations

Kuwait must begin immediate and transparent reviews of all bidun cases towards providing naturalization and at the same time consider undertaking a tolerance campaign to address discrimination in the society at large.

Kuwait should provide civil registry and social services equitably, particularly ensuring that birth certificates, inclusive of name, are provided for all children.

Kuwait should follow the example of progressive Islamic-majority nations in granting equal rights to women and men under the country’s nationality law.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees should facilitate dissemination of its previously commissioned study of statelessness. UNICEF should develop an action plan in conjunction with the Kuwait government on birth registration and child education.

Contact:
Maureen Lynch
Senior Advocate for Statelessness Initiatives
Refugees International
www.refintl.org

Link to World:Bridge; a Refugees International Blog
Stateless in Jahra

Donate Items to Kuwait's Handicapped?

2008-05-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Handicapped Welfare Administration of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor needs donations. As the Director of the Handicapped Care Deparment said, "People think that just because we are a Ministry, we have a lot of money and don't need help."

They currently need beds, TV's, and recreational/activity items.

Their number is 4876035 and they are located right off the UN Circle in Sulaibikhat.

ISO Bidoon Friends who would like to tell their story

2007-11-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

I have received a number of requests from journalists from various countries who would like to interview bidoon people in Kuwait to get their perspectives. If you are bidoon or have a friend(s) who would like to be on my mailing list to receive information or these requests, please write to me at amerab@gmail.com. You can write to me anonymously and I will forward you contact information.

Refugees International Latest Report on Bidoon in Kuwait

2007-10-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Photos by Refugees International. For the latest report, please go to the RI link. About Being Without: Stories of Stateless in Kuwait
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/files/10235_file_Kuwaitstatelessrpt.pdf

Kuwait: State of Exclusion - Refugees International Report

2007-07-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

Refugees International
Bulletin
Kuwait: State of Exclusion
July 25, 2007

The estimated number of bidun in Kuwait ranges from 90,000 to 130,000, less than half the number who resided in the country prior to Iraq’s invasion in 1990. Those who remain are subject to systematic discrimination and their future is uncertain.

Many bidun are descendants of Bedouin tribes such as the Shammar and Aneza that roamed freely across the borders of present day Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq. Either because their ancestors failed to understand the importance of citizenship or, given their centuries-old nomadic way of life, demurred at the idea of belonging to any one country, or because they were living outside the city walls, in the desert or “badiya,” and often illiterate, they could not furnish adequate proof that they were settled in the country and were consequently classified as stateless.

Denied the right to register officially a birth, marriage, or death, bidun are relegated to a bureaucratic no man’s land. In Kuwait, nationality is deemed a matter relating to sovereignty and by law courts can not review sovereign actions of the state. Accordingly, the bidun can not petition the courts to have their citizenship claims adjudicated. Their children are barred from free education in public school. They are not permitted to own property, register a vehicle, obtain a telephone line or purchase a SIM card for a cellular telephone. Healthcare offered free of charge to citizens is withheld from them. On driving licenses they are characterized as “illegal residents.” Their passports, grey in color and valid for five years, must be renewed after only one journey.

The majority of the bidun live in virtual exile, in squalid housing projects in Sulaibiya and Jahra, in Ahmadi and the rundown neighborhood of Jilib ash-Shuyukh. They are nevertheless indistinguishable from citizens and for years enjoyed the same services and privileges. They share a common language and culture. It is common that families comprise members who are citizens and others who are bidun.

Bidun once made up the bulk of the armed forces and police and served their country loyally. They believed that eventually the government would extend them citizenship. After 1985, however, the government took a number of punitive steps to disabuse them of this belief. Bidun were dismissed from their jobs, children were barred from public and private schools, and driving licenses were revoked. They could no longer carry passports (known as Article 17 passports) unless they left the country and renounced the right to return.

Following the liberation of the country from Iraqi occupation in 1991, the government stepped up its efforts to strip the bidun of their rights. They were fired en masse from positions in the military and police, and only a small fraction was rehired. Those dismissed could not collect their severance pay unless they produced a passport, either Kuwaiti or foreign, or left the country. Tens of thousands of bidun who had fled the country or were forced to the leave subsequently were not allowed to return.

With a foreign passport, bidun would have been able to obtain five-year residence permits like other guest workers. In desperation, many bidun bought counterfeit passports from countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea and the Dominican Republic. There have been instances when bidun traveling with forged documents were forcibly returned to Kuwait, and the country was compelled to admit them. There are now 15 bidun in prison awaiting deportation. They can not be deported, however, because no country will take them in, and so they languish in jail.
The country’s 1959 Nationality Law defined Kuwaiti nationals as persons who were settled in Kuwait prior to 1920 and who maintained their normal residence there until the date of the publication of the law. Approximately one third of the population was recognized as bone fide citizens, the founding families of the country. Another third was naturalized and
granted partial citizenship rights. The remaining third was classified as “bidun jinsiya.” The law has been amended 14 times since and with almost every amendment, it has become more restrictive. For example, the 1959 law (Article 3) granted citizenship to children of a Kuwaiti mother when at least one of four circumstances existed: the father was unknown, paternity could not be proven, the father’s nationality was unknown, or he was stateless. When amended in 1980, the mention of unknown nationality and statelessness was omitted.

Citizenship in Kuwait is passed on to children through their fathers, not their mothers. Consequently, the children of a Kuwaiti woman and a bidun husband are also bidun. A child of a divorced Kuwaiti woman or widow can acquire citizenship, so that there is an incentive for couples to divorce to guarantee their children’s future.

Several legal experts in Kuwait are of the opinion that the country’s nationality law is in need of revision. More liberal nationality laws of other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, where long-time residents can apply for citizenship, limit the problem of statelessness. Laws in Algeria and Tunisia, which grant mothers the right to pass on their nationality to their children, could serve as models for revisions in Kuwait’s law.

In June 2000, the National Assembly passed a law requiring the bidun to register with the government to begin a process that would allow some of them to be documented as citizens. The last step in this process entails DNA testing to prove that family members are in fact blood relatives. Those who failed to register would be considered illegal residents at risk of being deported. Many bidun are able to demonstrate convincingly their families’ presence in the country for several generations, and their applications for citizenship deserve consideration.
Feelings of distress, frustration, resentment, disappointment and anger among the bidun are palpable. An older generation of bidun, who once served or still do in the military and police force, are reluctant to protest their plight too strenuously. Their children however are more impatient. Unable to afford the cost of tuition, they are prevented from accessing higher education. Barred from employment in the public sector, they have to accept work that is poorly paid and intermittent. Many are reluctant to marry, because they can not support a family and fear that their children would face the same hardships. The suicide rate among bidun is reportedly high.

There is perhaps greater interest in the plight of Kuwait’s stateless now than there has been in many years. In July 2006 Kuwait’s parliament created a committee to address the issue of the bidun and earlier this year the parliament approved a law granting citizenship to 2,000. A list of those to be granted citizenship will be approved in October. In January, the Ministry of Interior announced that it would issue driving licenses to bidun. Loath to be identified as illegal residents, however, many if not most refuse to apply for one. More constructively, the government recently announced that 100 places in Kuwaiti universities would be designated for bidun. The bidun themselves and sympathetic citizens have formed a Popular Committee for Support of the Bidun.

There is general agreement in Kuwait that the humanitarian consequences of statelessness should be addressed immediately, leaving the contentious issue of citizenship rights to a later date. At the same time, however, many Kuwaitis acknowledge that the problems associated with statelessness will escalate. There is concern that young disenfranchised bidun may resort to crime, turn to alcohol and drugs, and subscribe to extremist ideologies. It would therefore be in the best interests of the state to find a just and equitable solution to the plight of the stateless sooner rather than later.

Refugees International Recommends:

The government of Kuwait:

Immediately undertake transparent evaluation of unresolved bidun cases, with intent to grant citizenship for qualifying individuals and families.
Revise nationality law to bring it into conformity with more progressive legislation in the region, particularly regarding the equal right of women to pass on nationality to children.
Become signatory to the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons and the 1961 Convention on the prevention of statelessness.
Amend law barring nationality from court jurisdiction to allow bidun access to due process.
Provide all civil registry and social services equitably and without discrimination.
Refrain from arresting or detaining stateless persons solely on the basis of their being stateless.
Include tuition fees for children of bidun in the national budget.

United nations High commissioner for Refugees:

Translate and publish its previously completed survey of bidun in Kuwait.
Actively support government efforts to end statelessness in Kuwait.

United nations Human Rights Bodies:

Appoint a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Kuwait and address the issue in the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Establish presence in Kuwait to assess and recommend resolution to the bidun situation.

Senior Advocate Maureen Lynch and Patrick Barbieri just returned from a two-week assessment of the situation of bidun in Kuwait

Contacts:
Maureen Lynch and Patrick Barbieri
1705 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
phone: [202] 828–0110 facsimile:
[202] 828–0819
e-mail: ri@refintl.org
www.refugeesinternational.org

Calling Bidoon Friends

2007-06-24T05:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

Within the next several months, a representative of Refugees International ( www.refintl.org) will be here in Kuwait. Refugees International has expanded it's scope to include stateless people around the world.

I would like to ask for your help. We are trying to arrange for the representative to talk to Bidoon people while she is here. We believe that the more personal stories she hears and the more data she can collect, the more it will help the Bidoon cause.

If you would like to meet with the representative while she is here, please e-mail me at amerab@gmail.com. All information will be kept in strict confidence. You don't have to provide your name - just give me an e-mail address and I will send her contact information as I get it.

Become an Organ Donor in Kuwait

2007-06-23T04:48:00.000-07:00

I recently contacted the Kuwait Transplant Society (phone 252-0147 or 252-0230) to find out how to become an organ donor in Kuwait. I'm an organ donor in the US and it says so right on my drivers license. With all the traffic accidents here, it is better to give someone else the gift of life incase God forbid something happens. You have to call or write the transplant society and they will send you a card to be witnessed and sent back to them. The VP of the KTS is Dr. Mustafa Al-Mousawi and his email is DRMOSAWI@YAHOO.COM. Very nice guy.

Animal "Rights" in Kuwait

2007-01-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

... lack thereof.

Kuwait is not the animal rights capitol of the world. The list of abhorrent abuses is long and generally not often discussed. To bring to light some of the abuses happening here:

No regulations for animal pet shops. Cats and dogs are often kept in tiny cages for months at a time in dirty conditions.
Dog fighting. Although betting/gambling is forbidden by Islam, it happens. There are a large number of pit bulls and Indian-breed dogs in the country used for dog fights.
Poor treatment of race horses. Lack of proper medical care, lack of conditioning often leads to inhumane euthanization by government-approved lethal injection of T61 – a terribly inhumane way for an animal to die.
Overwhelming cases of animal torture and cruelty, mostly due to lack of education.
Hunting of wildlife in government “protected” areas. “Kill anything that moves” philosophy when it comes to hunting.
Neglect
Use of inappropriate feed.
Lack of proper sheltering -– often in temperatures upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Lack proper vaccinations and grooming
Import of endangered species: Monkeys, orangutans, tigers, and others.
Sheep import trade: inhumane shipping and slaughter conditions. Sheep arrive in Kuwait from Australia on ships holding up to 80,000 after weeks being crammed together – often leaving their home country in winter, arriving in blazing heat of Kuwait summers.
In-humane conditions in slaughter houses: Livestock is brought to slaughter houses where they see/hear/smell animals before them dying while they slip on bloody floors. They are not stunned before their throats are slit, leaving a 30-40 second delay to death while choking on their own blood.
Strays: Large stray cat population throughout the country. Stray dogs are often either poisoned or shot by authorities.
Zoos in Kuwait are full of animal abuses. Animals are caged in improperly sized enclosures. They have no activity, so they often display “kennel stress” by pacing up and down.
Animal shows/circuses. The Little Jungle is probably the most notorious, but Kuwait brings in several circuses where animal abuse is high, as is the case in the dolphin shows which are regularly brought to small swimming pools throughout the country.

AGEC Horse Update

2007-01-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

3 more horse carcasses have been dumped this week outside the Ahmadi Governorate Equestrian Club. Club representatives "claim" that the horses aren't coming from inside the club, but that others in the area are dumping them there. Hmmmmm.... fishy.

Have the authorities at the Kuwait Municipality gone back to smoking cigarettes and drinking tea?

Meanwhile, PAAAFR has begun weekly inspections of all stables at equestrian clubs in the country. Dr. Fareeda Al-Mulla - you go girl!

Bidoon Information Links

2007-01-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

Kuwait Bidoon English Forum:
http://www.kuwaitibedoons.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=11

http://www.hrinfo.net/hotcase/04/bedwn.shtml

http://www.hrw.org/arabic/mena/list/text/bidun.htm

http://www.watan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=3297

http://wa7damasrya.blogspot.com/2005/04/blog-post_111385493733956457.html

http://kuwbedmov.org/index.php

http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AA

Links to information on Bedoon issues in Kuwait

http://www.bedoon.org.kw/index.php?

http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/kuwa.html

Articles:

Scores of bidoon kick off campaign to press for their basic rights in Kuwait. Published 2006-11-07. http://195.224.230.11/english/kuwait/?id=18169

Kuwaiti Bidoon, Kuwaiti Bidoon Human Rights Organization (KBHRO), by Lafy Almutairy
http://www.achr.nu/newen2-filer/achrnews.en20.htm

Central Chronical, November 8, 2006: http://www.centralchronicle.com/20061108/0811192.htm

DG's Bidoon Friends: More "With" than "Without"

2007-01-15T04:41:00.000-08:00

I used to think that the bidoon/ bedoon/ bidun [depending on how you want to spell it – meaning “stateless” “without (nationality)”] issue was something limited only to Kuwait. I was wrong. There are many places in the world where people are without nationality; Bahrain, UAE, and Iraq are some examples.

Long before the imperialists carved up the world into parcels, we were all without nationality, weren’t we? Now, bidoon fight to gain the same types of basic rights that many of us take for granted: the ability to move freely from one country to another; documentation and identification papers; healthcare; education; and more.

I have dear friends in Kuwait who are bidoon. You wouldn’t know it from looking at them, or by their family names. It isn’t like they are any different than anybody else. It is only after hearing their stories that I have come to understand how deep the problem is and how much they suffer.

I met one of my funniest friends on the internet. He’s bidoon and he fights to make things right. In ‘merican, he’d be known as a “ball buster”. He’s always pushing and it works for him. I love him because of his strength and courage. When he is the most upset and down, the guy always makes jokes. He was afraid to tell me at first that he is bidoon. The way he was acting, I thought he was going to tell me that he had some kind of an infectious disease. His hands were all shaky and he found it hard to speak. He was muttering something about “Kuwaitis” and “people who don’t have citizenship” and I’m like, “Oh, so you’re bidoon? Big phuckin deal!” Anyways, he’s always at the Bidoon Council stirring up trouble and he’s on all the bidoon forums out there and in diwaniyas around Kuwait raising hell for the bidoon cause. You go, boyyyyy!

Some bidoon friends I know are held prisoner by members of their own families with Kuwaiti nationality (yes, that happens); having to depend on these relatives for “names on paper” to provide car titles, business licenses, etc. One friend’s Kuwaiti wife holds so much power over him that he has trouble moving. He is constantly depressed and sees no way out. The Landcruiser HE paid for is in her name and she takes it back when she's pissed off at him. The apartment is in her name. The kids would go with her if he left and he probably wouldn't get visitation. When he first told me he was bidoon, I thought he was going to cry. When I told him I couldn’t care less if he was green and lived on Mars – that I liked him for the person he was – he was shocked. He literally expected me to run away.

My kind-hearted friend, Hilal, who took his own life in 1997. He had given up all hope. He was a gentle giant and I used to think of him as the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz. I think about him and how his life could have been different with a piece of paper. I think about how much I have and how much I take for granted and what my life could have been like if I had been born in a different country to a different family.

One of my Kuwaiti friends told me, “I don’t understand why they are bidoon. My father went to school with their grandfather.” A few years later, the 2 brothers I worked with received their Kuwaiti nationality after years of trying. I remember congratulating them at the time; yet it happened at a time when I was new to Kuwait, so I didn’t understand full implication of what it meant. I see how their lives have changed now and how they appear to have rocks lifted from their shoulders. They have better jobs and they laugh a lot more often.

I have a friend whose whole family moved to New Zealand to get nationality there. Generations of their family had been brought up bidoon in Kuwait and they never saw an end, so they headed to a place they had never been before and returned after years to live here again with the rest of their family. They now have options they never had before.

Some people choose to go to other countries to get nationality (either through naturalization or through purchase of nationality with willing governments). Others refuse saying (as I have heard), “No. I am Kuwaiti. I will someday get my citizenship.”

There are a lot of stories and no one will know about them unless people openly discuss the bidoon issue. So, go ahead, send comments.

Through this blog, I won’t tolerate intolerance, hatred, finger-pointing or nay-sayers. If I even get those types of comments, I will most likely delete them because I believe it defeats the purpose of positive efforts and energy. Stop the hate, find a solution.

Operation Hope Needs Toothpaste/Magazines/Cosmetics

2007-01-15T01:06:00.000-08:00

Operation Hope needs help:

"I’ve received a request from a TB Hospital staff member for toothpaste. The recipients of these goods are TCN’s who have no one except us to help them. Anyone wishing to contribute a tube or two may drop your donation at my homeat your earliest convenience. Also any old magazines or novels would begreatly appreciated. They have nothing but time on their hands!", says Sheryll Miarza.

...if all they are asking for is toothpaste, they might also want cosmetics as well.

Contact: Sheryll Miarza - sheryll105@hotmail.com

PAWS Needs a Porta-Cabin

2007-01-15T01:05:00.000-08:00

January 21, 2007 Update
PAWS has obtained a portacabin!

PAWS animal rescue league (http://www.paws-kuwait.org/) is looking for a portacabin (new or used) that someone would like to either sell at low cost or donate. This is an excellent opportunity for free publicity for organizations willing to assist.

"We are trying to secure a portacabin that we can use as an isolation cabin - we desperately need this and have shopped around but the going rate seems to be 8-10,000 KD - our budget barely makes a dent in this - if you know anyone who can get us a much better price - or ideally donate! - please can you let me know."

pawsq8@yahoo.com

Operation Hope

2007-01-15T01:04:00.000-08:00

Operation Hope is a grass-roots organization started by an American lady, Sheryll Miarza who is married to a Kuwaiti. Sheryll has been working for several years now, coordinating efforts to help those in need in Kuwait.

OH benefits underprivileged workers in Kuwait. Too often these third world employees are under dressed for the winter season and are without the means in which to purchase extra clothing and basic necessities for themselves. Most of them live in sub-standard housing located in large camps.

“It is our intention to bring hope to many who are in a seemingly hopeless situation by organizing a gift bag for approximately 3,500 men and women. Each bag will contain a warm hat, scarf, gloves, socks and thermal under-clothing. Additionally some bags may contain a brush, comb and other hygienic products.”

This is an on-going effort by Operation Hope and they welcome donations and volunteers (for packing and distribution).

You can help! Please contact Sheryll for further details. sheryll105@hotmail.com

Field of Dead Horses

2007-01-15T00:46:00.000-08:00

Field of Dead Horses

Yesterday I took Desert Dawg to IVH because her hair was mangled while I was away. She stays with a very nice family who doesn’t seem to understand that yuh – you do have to comb out her hair (just like a little kids) when you give her a bath because otherwise, she’ll be a matted mess of snarls (which is just what happened). Anyhoo, on the way back, The Romanian and I looked over and saw a field of dead horses. It looked like a battleground and they had lost. I sent pics (the one shown here is from the Arab Times) and a little story to the Arab Times and they ran the story today. They have promised to do a follow-up because they are equally disgusted. It was so horrific and appalling that I still can’t believe that nothing has been mentioned in the papers before (and if they have, I haven’t seen the stories). This is unlike dead cattle; cattle generally isn’t regarded as someone’s beloved pet. I was shocked at myself for being not-as-shocked as I probably should have been; but alas – nothing much in Kuwait truly shocks me anymore. Had I seen these dead horses 15 years ago, I probably would have started crying and not stopped. It just saddens and disgusts me.

At the very least, they should have been covered in sand. Best case scenario – maybe a mass horse grave. I speak from personal experience when I say that in the US, a horse must be burried 6 feet under (even in February when the ground is frozen so hard that you have to hire a backho to the tune of $1,000 to put it in the ground) so that disease is not spread. Gee, I guess no one in Kuwait cares about disease, do they? Obviously not too much because there were camps purty close to the field.

Since relaying the story to other people, I have heard “maybe they died from the cold” “Maybe they died from a disease…” Well yeah, but in any case, they should have been buried – not left out for other animals to cannibalize or spread disease. These horses are lying in a field not 200 meters away from the front gate of Ahmadi Equestrian Club – in plain sight from the road (306 towards Wafra). You would think that the Ahmadi Equestrian Club would NOT want the negative advertising brought about by dead horses from their club! Yes yes, come to our club – board your horse here. We will put it right next to these other ones…

January 7 Update: Arab Times published a follow-up story January 7, 2006. After the race... a fall from grace: Dumping carcasses of horses in open areas is the normal method used by all horse owners and members of the Ahmadi Governorate Equestiran Club (AGEC) with the full awareness of the administration, says a trainer at the club. "...any horse which fails to keep up with competition due to broken bones or sickness will either be shot or injected with poison at the request of its owner and then dumped outside." Apparently, the Kuwait Riding Center on 6th Ring Road adopts a completely different attitude than the AGEC. January 8 Update: The Arab Times published another front-page story. Because of their efforts, the horse carcasses have been removed from the field!!! The next step in the game is to ensure that the horses aren't being needlessly slaughtered by people who just don't care. And if they are indeed "salvageable", to find people who will adopt them. From what we have been able to learn, the Kuwait Sports Federation is responsible for the AGEC. Are they in compliance with Kuwait law?? It has been a very busy week!

Are their Blinders to Blame

2007-01-15T00:45:00.000-08:00

It is interesting that the Chairman of AGEC's board of directors didn't see the carcasses of dead horses, not 50 feet from the side of the road and not 200 meters from their own front driveway; regardless of the time of day. Further, as Mr. Haif Al-Howaila states in your front-page article of January 13th, "some of the carcasses found dumped outside the clubs are Arabian breeds while the horses within AGEC's stables are thoroughbreds."

It is interesting because in the same paper on January 13, on page 41 in the Sports Section, under the heading "Ahmadi Equestiran Club hosts weekly horse race", the photos of the horses running are not all thoroughbreds! Further, many of the carcasses I personally saw in that field on January 8 had ankle/hoof bandages similar to those used on racing horses for endurance.

Carcasses of large animals do not decompose overnight. I have heard this week from people who have passed by these same carcasses for the past several years - not weeks, not months. How is it possible that they could have been overlooked? And if one chairman doesn't see them - right outside the gates - is he not responsible for the workers in his charge? Has everyone at the club turned a blind eye?

Further, if people in camps in the surrounding areas are indeed dumping horses right next to their club, why isn't the club doing something about it? Why not post signs? Put up a fence? Notify authorities? Why would a group of people who supposedly love horses not want to do something about this horrific situation; especially if -as they claim - it is coming from an outside source? Why did the media have to bring this to public attention?

Why not take responsibility and see that it doesn't happen again? Why is it that some people find it necessary to "pass the buck" and not just do the right thing? Acknowledge that there have been and continue to be problems, and do something to resolve it and make it better for everyone - especially the horses. "Not our problem" is never the answer.

Do Something!

2007-01-15T00:43:00.000-08:00

Incase you haven’t tuned in lately to happenings in the desert, the horse slaughter saga in Ahmadi continues – and probably will continue until someone higher up champions the case. Do you (yes you, reading this) want to do something about it? You can help. Make your voice known. Write to newspapers. Send a letter to the Emir. Write to the ministers in any ministry in Kuwait. Write to animal rights organizations around the world. Damn - write to Oprah! All of the contact information is available on the web through a simple search. Get the word out. Public pressure gets things accomplished - especially here where "face" is the name of the game. It is a national disgrace to Kuwait!

Arabs and horses have been together throughout history. Horses are part of the culture, the civilization, the folklore of the Middle East. They are beloved animals. Why are we turning a blind eye while a small group of people cruely slaughters them right here??? 25 minutes (without traffic) from downtown Kuwait and 10 minutes from the largest US base in Kuwait, Arifjan?

Here is the story: At the Ahmadi Governorate Equestrian Club (AGEC), horse owners are running the horses to win prizes - sometimes as large as cars. The horses are often not trained or conditioned for racing. They might not even be race horses, but these guys think that if they whip them hard enough, they'll win a race and they'll get something out of it. As for the horse - it runs like hell, often injuring itself or just collapsing from exhaustion. Then, these prize-crazed barbarians (who can often be seen in the paper, smiling with their honorary plaques, all happy with themselves) either shoot the horse in the head (which is actually the more humane solution as compared to the alternate) or inject it with a combination of drugs which has been banned in the US called T-61.

T-61 shuts down the heart and lungs, but the horse remains conscious, and drowns on its own blood. That is why many of the horses found dead outside the Ahmadi Governorate Equestrian Club (AGEC) have their hooves tied because the horse will struggle to live. T-61 has been banned in the US as inhumane. The horses are sometimes walked out to the field among other carcasses (although most have been recently removed) to suffer its own death, slowly and in agony.

As per the Arab Times article of Saturday, January 13, the chairman of the Ahmadi Equestrian Governorate Club, Haif Al-Howaila, denies that his club has anything to do with it; odd, because it is happening not 100 feet from their club. As he stated in the paper that members of the club didn't notice these carcasses immediately, "we usually come to the culb after sunset when it is difficult to spot them." Where do these mysterious horses with their ankles wrapped for racing endurance come from, pray tell? I don't think that anyone trying to go to a party 2.5 kilometers into the desert on a night with no moon has any problem finding a tent (stone cold drunk even), and yet these guys can't see 14 dead horses left there for years right outside their premises? Come on, give me a break!

Bedoon

2007-01-13T03:44:00.000-08:00

Bedoon: Kuwait's Dirty Little Secret
http://www.humanrightsblog.org/archives/cat_stateless_people.html

Kuwait, a strategic US ally, harbors a startling little-known civil rights secret: its stateless people, the Bedoon.

Bedoon means "without" in Arabic (Bedoon is different than "Bedouin" meaning nomadic/formerly nomadic tribes.) Bedoon refers to people with no nationality.
Kuwait is one of the only few countries in the world where there are citizens within the country who have no nationality. In Kuwait, Bedoon must pay to obtain any official documentation (if they are lucky enough to get that far) including: permission to marry, birth and death certificates, drivers licenses, identification, etc. They have to go to the official Kuwaiti office called the "Bedoon Council" and beg to get any rights at all. Many are not allowed to work. They can not own property. Many can't obtain travel papers. Recently, the Kuwaiti authorities agreed to issue travel documents for the religious journey, Haj, to Bedoon – on the condition that they "solve their identity problem" before returning to Kuwait (therefore not being allowed back into their country).

If a Bedoon man marries a Kuwaiti woman, their children are Bedoon (it is the opposite if a Kuwaiti man marries a Bedoon woman – both she and her children can obtain Kuwaiti citizenship). If the Bedoon man has any difficulties and wants a divorce, the Kuwaiti x-wife can not only be granted full custody of their children, but ask for alimony and child support in almost the full amount of the husband's salary, leaving him destitute. Therefore, Bedoon men are at the mercy of their Kuwaiti wives.

If you drive by Sulaybia, Kuwait, North on 5th Ring Road towards the area of Jahra, you will notice a tin shanty town which is inhabited mainly by Bedoon. Depending on the whims of the Kuwaiti government, there have been several attempts to destroy this area and "relocate" the Bedoon living there. To where? It is often said that they can "go back to their countries". Where are their countries if several generations (some going back to the 1964 census) have been born and raised in Kuwait? If a Bedoon person speaks out, he/she is ostracized and may face legal action including deportation (again – to where?).

Many Bedoon fought for Kuwait; many were in the Kuwaiti military and stayed in Kuwait, fighting as resistance. In a radio address while in exile in Saudi Arabia during the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq, the late Emir, Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, stated that those Bedoon who fought for their country would be granted their Kuwaiti citizenship. Like the promise of women's suffrage, perhaps it is just a long time in coming, but it isn't being discussed at the top levels YET. Kuwait is openly pleased about its ties with the US and foray into world democracy, and yet the Kuwaiti Government is doing nothing to solve the inhumane Bedoon issue.
Often, you can't tell who is Bedoon and who isn't within the same tribes or families; sometimes cousins have Kuwaiti citizenship and others don't. Familial links can be easily established by DNA tests, and yet when they are conducted by the Kuwaiti Government (at the 80 KD expense per person of the Bedoon) the results are locked away and kept from the families.
The older generations of Bedoon were/are mostly proud people who blended into society without discussion of suffering or hardships. As younger generations of Bedoon are coming up, they are learning more about democracy and civil rights. They are an intensely angry group. When people face oppression, stress and psychological abuse take tolls: Petty crimes have been growing (and are likely to continue to grow) in this small country. If people feel that they have no hope, no future, no care – they become desperate. It is a tremendous security risk to an already security-strained nation.

If Kuwait strives to be a pillar of democracy in the Middle East, why not put an end to the suffering of so many of its inhabitants.