TV Preacher Fired for Brotherhood Links

AL JAZEERA: Renowned Kuwaiti preacher sacked by Saudi prince from top job at religious TV channel.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has fired a renowned Kuwaiti preacher and motivational speaker from the top job at the religious television channel he owns for what he described as "extremist inclinations" and links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

There is no place for those who carry any deviant thoughts at Al Resalah Channel, Alwaleed wrote in a letter to Tareq al-Suwaidan, according to a news release from the prince's office.

Prince Alwaleed said in the letter that he had repeatedly warned Suwaidan against political affiliation. » | Source: Agencies | Sunday, August 18, 2013

'Abyss of Autocracy': A Protest Movement Simmers in Kuwait

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Why should the citizens of one of the richest countries in the world take to the streets? Fed up with the paternalizing, incompetent leadership of the ruling family, a citizen's movement is waking in Kuwait, much to the fear of its neighbors in the Gulf.

In the beginning was the word. More specifically, in the beginning was a speech. "The speech," says Mundhir al-Habib, a couple dozen words for which he would willingly go to prison. "If need be," he adds.

Ever since al-Habib, a 32-year-old political scientist, took a police boot to the face at a demonstration, his sense of civic engagement has changed. Now he meets with other activists to repeat "the speech" together in public.

It's a dangerous thing to do. "The speech" refers to a handful of thoughts expressed out loud last October by a former member of the Kuwaiti parliament. Too loudly, perhaps. The politician, Musallam al-Barrak, was sentenced in April to five years in prison.

In response, several thousand Kuwaitis gathered in front of a prison at the edge of the city to protest. There were warning shots, tear gas and injuries. Barrak has been out on bail since.

One sentence in particular especially unsettled Sheikh Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, although al-Barrak uttered it in a deferential manner: "We will not allow you, your highness, to take Kuwait into the abyss of autocracy."

These are words every Kuwaiti now knows. They are spread by smartphone or called out spontaneously in parks. Sometimes at night, a car can be heard honking its horn to the rhythm of the sentence: We will not allow you, we will not allow you.

Mundhir al-Habib and 54 others went to stand in front of al-Barrak's house and recite the sentences the former politician had spoken, knowing that doing so would land them in court. There are already three activists in prison for spreading lines of poetry that could be misunderstood or making allegedly insulting comments about the emir.

"Any sentence can be interpreted as criticism," al-Habib says. "You can go to prison for two years for 140 keystrokes." This statement of his, spoken in a tearoom, could be risky as well: "I believe in freedom of speech. So I'm going to start exercising it." 'They Treat Us Like Little Boys' » | Alexander Smoltczyk | Thursday, May 30, 2013

Kuwait: The Prince's Mysterious Conversion
VATICAN INSIDER: In an audio file posted on a Christian satellite TV channel, prince Abdullah al-Sabah declared his faith in Jesus Christ. Muslims have attacked him saying “he isn’t a member of the royal family”

According to reports, a Kuwaiti royal prince has become a follower of Jesus Christ. In an audio file posted with his name, he affirms that if he is killed because of a recording he made where he talks about his conversion, he firmly believes that he will meet Jesus Christ face-to-face. The news comes from Middle Eastern sources which state that al-Haqiqa – a Christian satellite TV channel in Arabic that transmits Christian religious programmes – broadcast an audio file attributed to the Kuwaiti prince, identified asAbdullah al-Sabah. The al-Sabahs are the royal family of Kuwait, a country rich in oil. The name Abdullah (servant of God) frequently appears in the Emir’s family tree.

In his audio file, Abdullah declared: “First of all, I fully agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of it, then I will appear before Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.” In this statement, the prince demonstrates his awareness of the fate in store for a martyr of the faith, according to Christian doctrine. The television channel stated that Abdullah is a member of the royal family, and that he recently renounced his faith in Islam and became a Christian, without specifying which particular branch of Christianity he had chosen. After stating his full name, the prince declared: “I will accept whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me towards the right path.”

In the audio file, Abdullah talks about the Islamic groups that are winning the elections in Egypt and declares: “Islamic communities have always wanted to attack in different parts of the world but God has preserved the world and still protects it. This is why we have recently seen disagreements appearing among Islamic groups who are now fighting with each other. They are about to divide further into different groups.”

Mohabat News, a Christian Iranian website which has been following the fate of Christian minorities in the Middle East closely and which has monitored Abdullah’s statement, confirms that this news was published briefly by Arabic news agencies and also by the Iranian state news agency. Some independent websites with Shiite leanings denied the reports and quoted another Kuwaiti prince, Azbi al-Sabah, who said: “There’s no one by that name in the Kuwaiti royal family.” In actual fact, the name Abdullah does not appear on the list of the 15 members of the royal family who rule this small, extremely wealthy country in different capacities: from the Sheikh down to Princess Nijirah al-Sabah, who testified in the US Congress under the assumed name of "Nurse Nayirah" on the humanitarian situation in the country after the invasion by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and just before the Gulf War. That isn’t to say that this high-profile convert is not hidden somewhere within the extended family, under a different name.

In Kuwait the overwhelming majority of the population is Muslim (only 4% is Christian) and the country’s Constitution states: “Islam is the official religion of the country and Sharia is the main source for legislation.” » | Marco Tosatti | Rome | Monday, January 16, 2012

Related »

Kuwaiti Prince Abdullah Al-Sabah Converted to Christianity

CELEBRITY BUZZ: According to reports, a Kuwaiti royal prince has become a follower of Jesus Christ. In an audio file posted with his name, he affirms that if he is killed because of a recording he made where he talks about his conversion, he firmly believes that he will meet Jesus Christ face-to-face. The news comes from Middle Eastern sources which state that al-Haqiqa – a Christian satellite TV channel in Arabic that transmits Christian religious programmes – broadcast an audio file attributed to the Kuwaiti prince, identified as Abdullah al-Sabah. The al-Sabahs are the royal family of Kuwait, a country rich in oil. The name Abdullah (servant of God) frequently appears in the Emir’s family tree.

In his audio file, Abdullah declared: “First of all, I fully agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of it, then I will appear before Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.” In this statement, the prince demonstrates his awareness of the fate in store for a martyr of the faith, according to Christian doctrine. The television channel stated that Abdullah is a member of the royal family, and that he recently renounced his faith in Islam and became a Christian, without specifying which particular branch of Christianity he had chosen. After stating his full name, the prince declared: “I will accept whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me towards the right path.” » | Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Verwandt »

Oprah Winfrey Interviews the Kuwaiti Princess Zain As-Sabah

Inside Story: Crossing the Gulf's Red Lines?
As dissenting voices are silenced in the region, we ask if this is suppression of speech or the legitimate use of law.

Kuwait Opposition Leader Jailed for Emir Insult
BBC: A prominent Kuwaiti opposition leader has been jailed for five years for insulting the emir.

Mussallam al-Barrak, a former MP, had first been detained in October on suspicion of "undermining the status of the emir".

He had warned the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, in a speech that he would not be allowed to "take Kuwait into the abyss of autocracy".

Several former MPs and tweeters have been jailed for insulting the emir.

Kuwait has not witnessed the same scale of pro-democracy uprisings as in other Arab states, but there has been growing tension between former members of parliament and the government, which is dominated by the al-Sabah family. » | Monday, April 15, 2015

‘Abuse Cannot Harm Islam, Prophet’
ARAB TIMES: KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18, (KUNA): College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Kuwait University has organized a conference entitled ‘Insulting Islam and its Sanctities’, within its role in the government program to highlight moderation of Islam, fighting extremism as well as its role in enlightening and informing the Muslim community through studying the phenomenon of insulting Islam and its sanctities.

College Dean Dr Mubarak Al-Hajri recalled in his speech at the conference the numerous cases in which Islam and its sanctities were defamed and insulted as well as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“We know for sure that these abuses cannot harm our religion, our Prophet and our holy places as it has been proven throughout history that Islam spreads quickly when its enemies start defaming or insulting the faith”. » | Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Kuwaiti Youth Gets 5 Years in Jail for Insulting Emir on Twitter

RT.COM: A Kuwaiti opposition youth activist has been given the maximum sentence of five years in prison for insulting the 'inviolable' emir on Twitter in the third case of its kind since January, following a crackdown on free speech in the country.

Mohammad Eid al-Ajmi will likely appeal his case, despite the fact that his sentence took “immediate effect,” said lawyer Mohammad al-Humaidi, director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights.

The sentencing was the latest in a series of similar prosecutions for criticizing the 'immune' emir on social media. » | Monday, February 04, 2013

Kuwait Forces Disperse Protesters with Stun Grenades
THE GUARDIAN: Several arrests made after latest protest against changes to voting laws enacted in December

Security forces used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of opposition activists trying to stage a march in Kuwait on Sunday and made several arrests.

Protest marches have grown more frequent in the US-allied oil producer since the opposition boycotted a parliamentary election on 1 December over changes to voting laws that they saw as an attempt to favour pro-government candidates.

Witnesses said between 200 and 300 people had barely gathered in an affluent suburb of Kuwait City late on Sunday when security forces ordered them to disperse because their rally was not licensed.

One witness said that when the men and women moved to the middle of the road and began chanting, security forces attacked them with smoke bombs and stun grenades. » | Reuters in Kuwait | Sunday, January 06, 2013

Kuwaiti Emir al-Sabah Begins UK State Visit
BBC: The Queen has welcomed the Emir of Kuwait to the UK for a three-day state visit.

Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah is staying at Windsor Castle, where a state banquet will be held on Tuesday.

Sheikh Sabah, 83, will have a private audience with the Prince of Wales, and meet British industry leaders at an event hosted by the Duke of York.

He will also hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. It is the first state visit from Kuwait for 17 years.

Sheikh Sabah was greeted by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles in the centre of Windsor near one of the town's two stations as well-wishers looked on.

They then returned to the castle in a carriage, with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment providing an escort. (+ video) » | Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Kuwait Emir's Change to Election Rules Stirs Signs of Arab Spring

THE GUARDIAN: Protests and divisions in small, peaceful oil-rich country include calls to boycott ballot which may have repercussions in region

November evenings are balmy on Kuwait City's waterfront, and there is a festive atmosphere in Irada Square as crowds gather for another protest rally. Women swathed in black mix with others in jeans while men in dishdashas and red-checked ghutra headdresses sip tea on Persian rugs spread on the spiky grass.

Speakers are hammering home the call to boycott this Saturday's elections because the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah, has decreed a change to voting rules that will weaken the opposition. Stewards display spent teargas canisters that were fired to break up an unlicensed protest last month.

Unlike elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa , Kuwaitis are not seeking to overthrow their regime. Irada (the Arabic name means "will") is tamer than Cairo's Tahrir Square. Violence is very rare.

Yet there is no mistaking the depth of divisions in this small but fabulously wealthy country – and the anxiety about how they will play out. Its ultraconservative Saudi and Emirati neighbours are watching nervously.

"The emir's decree was the straw that broke the camel's back," said Sultan al-Majrubi, a young activist who was injured when special forces broke up October's big demonstration. "The Sabah family need to change from the inside. They are not thinking about the future and their credit with the people is running out."

• Kuwait is still the most democratic state in the Gulf. Its "springtime" dates back to 2006, long before the overthrow of the autocrats who ruled Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. » | Ian Black in Kuwait City | Sunday, November 25, 2012

Tausende demonstrieren in Kuwait

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Er sitzt seit mehreren Tagen im Gefängnis, Musallam al-Barrak wird Beleidigung des Emir vorgeworfen: In Kuwait haben Tausende Menschen für die Freilassung des Oppositionsführers demonstriert. Bei den Protesten kam es zu massiven Auseinandersetzungen mit der Polizei.

Kuwait - Das Ziel ihres Marsches war das Gefängnis: In Kuwait sind am Mittwoch Tausende Menschen auf die Straße gegangen, um gegen die Inhaftierung von Oppositionsführer Musallam al-Barrak zu demonstrieren. Die Polizei setzte Augenzeugen zufolge Tränengas und Rauchbomben gegen die Menge ein. » | hen/Reuters | Donnerstag, 01. November 2012

Gulf States Urge Citizens to Leave Lebanon over Syria Fears
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon owing to fears the Syrian conflict is spilling over the border.

The warning by the four Arab states comes after a series of kidnappings of Sunni Muslims by Shias.

On Wednesday, rioters blocked the road to Beirut airport, as dozens ofSyrians were kidnapped and their shops vandalised in violence that triggered orders from Gulf nations for citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.

Rioters set fire to tyres on the road, while an Air France flight was diverted to Damascus for refuelling before flying on to Larnaca in Cyprus because of the insecurity, apparently triggered by unconfirmed reports over the fate of Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria in May.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also formally suspended Syria’s membership in protest at the ongoing violence. » | Thursday, August 16, 2012

Kuwait Emir Says No to Death Penalty for Blasphemy
BIKYA MASR: DUBAI – Kuwait’s Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has said no to the passing of a bill previously voted through by parliament that would have allowed Muslims who insult Islam to be executed and would harshly penalize Christians and other non-Muslims in the country.

The bill had been seeking to institute the death penalty for Muslims who insult God, the Qu’ran, or the Prophet and his wives, which was passed with last May.

It also stipulated that Christians and other non-Muslims will be given a minimum sentence of 10 years for the same offense.

Religious tension has been heightened in the country following statements by leaders calling for the destruction of all Churches in the country. » | Bikya Masr Staff | Friday, June 29, 2012

US to Extend Military Presence in Kuwait
The United States is planning to extend its military presence in Kuwait. The latest report from Congress said 15,000 US troops are already stationed in the tiny Gulf country. It said more troops are need to respond to sudden conflicts in the region. Iran, Iraq and the ability to keep oil flowing from Saudi Arabia are major concerns for the world's biggest economy. Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports from Washington.

New Dark Age Alert! Kuwait: New Death Penalty for Blasphemy
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: So what should international human rights organization regard as the threat: the Quran, Quranic instructions, or the people who are just following its recommended path?

Kuwaiti lawmakers have passed a legal amendment authorizing the death penalty for Muslims who curse their God or the Quran, or who defame their Prophet Mohammed or his wife. In the amended article, if the defendant publicly repents and apologizes for the crime, the penalty will be reduced to five years in jail, a fine of 10,000 Kuwaiti Dinars (KD), or both.

The approved article states that non-Muslims who commit the same crime face at least 10 years in jail. Some MPs demanded the death penalty should also apply to them as well. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan boast the same death penalty law for blasphemy. In other Muslim countries, there are different interpretations to executing people who are outspoken and have different opinion. The Islamic States also never tolerate apostasy, conversion, or freedom from religion.

Islam is a belief. It is not clear in any Muslim country why a man before a court in any Muslim country would be termed Muslim if he does not believe in the religion, or possibly any religion, just because he happened to be born into a home in which Islam happened to be the religion of the family living there.

Overriding Kuwaiti disapproval, international human rights organizations, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, expressed deep concern. The Chairman of USCIRF, Leo Leonard, said he judged these penalties as alarming and contrary to international human rights standards.

As the commission recognizes the Quran as a holy script for the Muslims, however, the question arises as to how can the commission can feel concerned about the new law if the law has been derived from the Quranic instructions of which they ostensibly approve?

Although most Islamists formally say that the Quran itself does not prescribe any earthly punishment for apostasy, in fact Sharia Law and Islamic schools of jurisprudence strongly advocate that an apostate must be either executed or imprisoned until he or she re-converts to Islam. In the last 1400 years, Islam has been always harsh and brutal to non-believers, apostates and people who might have different opinions. Here is what Quran says on these issues: » | Mohshin Habib | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Kuwait's Ruler Blocks MPs' Islamic Law Proposal
REUTERS UK: Kuwait's ruler has blocked a proposal by 31 of the 50 elected members of parliament to amend the constitution to make all legislation in the Gulf Arab state comply with Islamic law, an MP said on Thursday.

The approval of Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Saba, is needed for any constitutional change.

"His highness the emir is not in favour," said Mohammad al-Dallal, an Islamist MP and legal expert. The proposal was put forward by the Islamic Justice Bloc and signed by 31 lawmakers, he said.

Political parties are banned in Kuwait so MPs have to rely on forming blocs in parliament. The 15-member cabinet selected by the prime minister can also vote in parliament.

"We must think again about convincing the emir or submitting it again in another format," Dallal said.

"Our society is a conservative society, a lot of people request that laws comply with sharia (Islamic law). We also do not have a stable political system," he said, adding such an amendment could help make lawmaking less chaotic. » | Sylvia Westall | KUWAIT | Editing by Janet Lawrence | Thursday, May 17, 2012

Wife of Former British Diplomat 'Attacked in Kuwait'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dianne Wilton, the wife of a former British ambassador to Kuwait, has been treated for third degree burns after a suspected Islamist threw a pot of boiling water over her in a restaurant.

Mrs Wilton, whose husband is Christopher Wilton, was attacked by a woman while dining with friends and a member of the Kuwait royal family on Monday.

The attacker reportedly fled the scene in the aftermath. » | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Afghan Fury as US Soldier Accused of Massacre Is Flown to Kuwait

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Afghan lawmakers have reacted with fury after the US soldier accused of massacring 16 civilians in Afghanistan was flown out of the country to an American base in Kuwait.

The military said the unnamed staff sergeant had been transferred because there were no suitable facilities for long-term detention in Afghanistan, but the move signalled the US's desire to prevent the criminal case against him from becoming a flashpoint for further violence.

The decision has provoked fury in Afghanistan, where MPs have demanded that the soldier be handed over to the Afghan justice system and called on President Hamid Karzai to suspend all talks with the US until that happens.

“It was the demand of the families of the martyrs of this incident, the people of Kandahar and the people of Afghanistan to try him publicly in Afghanistan,” said Mohammad Naeem Lalai Hamidzai, a Kandahar lawmaker who is part of a parliamentary commission investigating the shootings.

Abdul Khaliq Balakarzai, another Kandahar lawmaker, said President Hamid Karzai should respond to the US decision to move the soldier by refusing to sign a strategic partnership agreement governing the presence of US soldiers in the country after most combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014. » | Raf Sanchez and agencies | Thursday, March 15, 2012