A young bedoonwho committed suicide in Kuwait last week sparked a media uproar andcontroversy on social media. It is regrettable that this issue negativelyaffected Kuwait and key officials who are doing their job. Some tweets, callsand visits seemed like foreign intervention in an internal matter. For allthese reasons, I feel a few things must be clarified.
The bedoon mancommitted suicide by hanging himself with a rope in his room. The suicide ledsome to launch negative comments and even accusations against Kuwait. I wouldlike to clarify that suicide is forbidden by Islam and the law because it is acrime against oneself. Therefore, suicide should not be justified, becausethere might be other reasons that we don't know about that took this man downthis road.
The interiorministry released a statement saying that investigations conducted byspecialized security authorities showed that the deceased was a drug addict.The statement added that 12 cases of misdemeanors, drug-related crimes andforced robbery were recorded against him, pointing out that he was arrested onMay 11, 2019 by the general security on charges of possessing narcoticsubstances and was transferred to state custody.
This incidentalso provoked several reactions, including criticism by Kuwaiti media figureFajer Al-Saeed. She commented on Twitter over a video showing a US officialoffering condolences to the family of the young man. "Why is the politicaladvisor of the embassy at the funeral of the bedoon? Is it the duty of the USEmbassy counselor to attend the man's funeral and investigate the causes of hissuicide?
She was not theonly one who made such comments. MP Ahmad Al-Fadhl also said there are attemptsto exploit the suicide of the bedoon to blackmail Kuwait or harm it, addinginterference by any state in an internal matter of Kuwait is rejected. Fadhlpraised the ministry of interior's quick handling of the case by issuing thestatement on the suicide.
I think it isunfortunate that the bedoons' issue does not seem to have a radical solution sofar, leading it to become a complex and offensive issue for Kuwait. But we mustnot deny efforts by the central agency for illegal residents. SalehAl-Fadhalah, head of the agency, is doing his job as per the law andregulations. In April, the agency said nearly 90 percent of all illegalresidents (bedoons) received ID cards in 2018. So, there are still 10 percentwho are not willing to correct their status by denying or hiding their originalnationality, in the hope of obtaining Kuwaitinationality. I do not know of any international systemin the world that would grant someone an identification card or citizenshipwithout knowledge of the person's origins or their truenationality.
There are a fewmatters that are sadly never mentioned in the news, like what was said by theministry of justice, which announced the issuance of 1,742 legal documents formarriage, divorce and annulment contracts for illegal residents during 2018 incooperation with the central agency. All services provided to illegal residentsare based on continuous cooperation with the central agency to deal with thesituation of bedoons.
I believe thissuicide led to a serious and negative media orientation towards Kuwait, withcalls to demonstrate against the state and threaten public safety, which shouldnot be tolerated or accepted because this poses a security threat to thecountry and people. The ministry of interior is required to confront anyattempts to threaten people and their lives and safety, and such an incidentshould not be a pretext for breaking the law.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
muna@kuwaittimes.net