By Nejoud Al-Yagout

For a couple of months, there has been talk that Kuwait is going to pass a decree to raise petrol prices for expatriates. The lawmakers have stipulated that Kuwaitis will not be affected by this. Of course, ensuring that Kuwaitis are privileged, while foreigners are demeaned, means that we continue to go down a self-destructive path of doom. And this decree is not only a testament to that, but perhaps the most bizarre of them all (maybe apart from the one where foreigners can’t own pickup trucks).

One wonders: In what country on our entire planet is the price of petrol cheaper for locals? When the parliament was dissolved earlier this year, one hoped that this would mean that our country would find ways to become more inclusive and egalitarian. After all, it was parliamentarians who hurled racist and xenophobic rhetoric and mocked expatriates. Who imagined that these voices would be found even outside the walls of our parliament?

Of course, in all countries of the world, locals have more benefits than foreigners when it comes to healthcare, pension packages and even job prospects. But charging a foreigner more for services is unheard of. How are they going to go about this if it is put into practice? Will they have segregated pumps for foreigners or civil ID checks at payment points? Will locals protest these hikes in prices or turn a blind eye yet again because it is not affecting them and they feel entitled?

If petrol prices weren’t enough, there is now a draft law looking into scrapping a foreign woman’s right to citizenship if she marries a Kuwaiti. First, they sought to extend the period in which a foreign woman could obtain citizenship; now they are insisting that marrying a Kuwaiti man does not necessarily entail the right to citizenship.

There was also a woman on a popular Instagram account who said that she wished that foreign women divorced or widowed from Kuwaiti men would be stripped of their Kuwaiti nationality. The fact that a local woman is allowed to express racism on a public forum, on a news channel on social media to boot, reflects the collective mentality of our society, a society that seems to applaud any decree in which expats are insulted.

Kuwait prides itself on Islamic culture, but widows are supposed to be protected in Islam, so this remark by a local woman is not only going against universal humanitarian values but religious values as well. And our treatment of foreigners also goes against religious values when travelers are supposed to be welcomed and treated with respect. This means, if Kuwait wants to practice what it preaches, then every foreigner should be treated with dignity. Instead, we do our best to find ways to make the lives of foreigners miserable and ostracize the “other”.

Yes, we currently live under a privileged welfare state, but destiny can change. Will people then feel sorry for us or recall our arrogance and say we deserve it? Why can’t we be grateful for all the beautiful human beings from across the world who have helped us build our country and who continue to help us? They came here for a better life, but we are making their lives miserable by making them feel inferior to us. Thinking that we are superior because of the color of our passports or because we have oil is a delusion that is leading us astray.

Our attachment to privilege and materialism is slowly destroying us. May we awaken so that we stop hurting ourselves and others further. And may we focus on infrastructure and education and tourism and the inclusion of minorities instead of spending (nay, wasting) all our time on insulting foreigners while pumping our egos. Enough!

local@kuwaittimes,com