Abdullah Abbas Buwair

On August 2, 1990, a neighbor attacked a neighbor, and overnight, Kuwait was at the mercy of the aggressor, who did not consider age or gender, and everyone suffered at the hands of the attacker. The honor of martyrdom comes from the Creator, the Lord of all beings, so do not worry about what has befallen you. God specifically chose your loved ones to receive the honor of martyrdom, and God has wisdom in this.

We remember His words: “Do not think of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision.” And His words: “There is no power nor strength except through Allah, and indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.”

Dear families of the martyrs, the martyrs of our beloved country Kuwait, your loved ones sacrificed their lives during the Iraqi occupation of our beloved Kuwait. Our women and daughters participated alongside men and youth in defending our land, using all means to achieve this. They were captured, tortured, killed, and they received the honor of martyrdom. Their sacrifices are recorded in history. Through these few lines, I express my love for the families of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the soil of our precious homeland. Greetings to you all.

They entered our beloved Kuwait, this small state that has never attacked anyone, and which had no enmity with anyone. A peaceful country, with a peaceful people, whose majority religion is Islam, while respecting other divine religions, as Allah said: “To you your religion, and to me mine.”

The aggressor is a regime based on crime and killing. At the beginning of the 1980s, it plunged its people into a war with another neighboring Muslim country for eight years, resulting in great losses for both nations. Many were captured, many were killed. After this war, the aggressor turned its enmity towards another neighboring Muslim country, our beloved and precious Kuwait. A small country in terms of area, with a small population, but it grew with its heart and faith in God, and the message of His Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

They destroyed all the landmarks of our country Kuwait, from the Kuwait Towers, Seif Palace, the Council of Ministers building, the media building and many other buildings and homes. They did not spare anyone, even the environment; they destroyed it, burned the trees, and set fire to the oil and its wells. They burned over 720 wells, and as the years pass, history will continue to remind future generations of what happened as long as life remains.

During the crisis of Abdul Karim Qasim in June 1961, the then ruler of Iraq gathered with his leaders in the Iraqi ministry of defense and claimed that Iraq had historical rights to Kuwait, stating that it was part of Basra province. At that time, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem, may he rest in peace, was in power. He rejected these claims, stating that Kuwait is an Arab state with sovereignty, supported by its people and its leadership. Kuwait found strong support from Gulf, Arab and Islamic countries against these false claims, and Kuwait joined the Joint Arab Defense Agreement.

I personally did not escape the evil of this regime, and I had a strange story with its henchmen. Dear reader, I remember this day well and cannot forget it. It was at the beginning of the aerial attacks led by the coalition forces to liberate Kuwait, on January 17, 1991. Not long after this date, we were out with my brother and friends, eight of us in total, except the driver who was not a citizen. We intended to go to the Jabriya area.

Upon entering Jabriya, near the roundabout of the Jabriya police station, there was a house seized by one of the leaders of the fallen regime. In front of this building was a checkpoint, known in their language as “control.” A soldier stopped us and asked for our IDs. I was sitting in the front seat next to the driver. The soldier examined the ID, and then accused me of having a forged and new ID, saying it was newly issued and appeared to have been left in the sun to appear old. He said my punishment was execution.

The soldier also asked my brother for his ID, who was sitting in the back seat. Indeed, my brother’s ID had been issued by my brother-in-law, who was in the interior ministry, and it had the ministry’s stamp. I remember the stamp to this day - it had “Ministry of Interior” written on it. The ID stated that we were students, which made the soldier suspicious and furious. He kept repeating that my ID was forged and that the punishment was execution. He then asked my brother to come with him, and I volunteered to go instead. The soldier then kicked the driver and took us to the Jabriya police station, leaving our friends as their IDs were official and not military.

On our way to the police station, the soldier repeatedly said that my punishment was execution and that I should not expect any leniency. The soldier slapped the driver in front of me and accused him of transporting a large group of Kuwaitis. The police station’s entrance was barricaded with cement bags, and the soldiers were dancing and singing. Inside the station, I witnessed many people being tortured. The soldier ordered me to go upstairs to meet the officer in charge, who questioned me and accused me of forging my ID and being a soldier.

I explained that Kuwait had been occupied and that we were a small population with no means to resist. I then offered the soldier my Carter pen and wallet, which he accepted, and allowed me to leave. This incident was a narrow escape from death, and there are many other stories to share in the coming days. May God have mercy on our righteous martyrs. Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.

God, the Homeland and the Amir!           

[email protected]