Drawing from Raphael Lemkin's discussion on the "techniques of genocide involving a coordinated attack up elements of nationhood, discuss how vulnerable populations in Kuwait are "primed" to become targets of violence. Consider the following elements: political, social, cultural, economic, biological, physical, religious, moral.
What lessons do we learn from the Rwanda genocide and other cases of political violence discussed in class? How would you apply those lessons to preventing conflicts and violence from erupting in Kuwait?
No sooner is a vulnerable group primed than a trigger is pulled to initiate attack. Vulnerability may differ from one group’s classification to another, but the threat remains present. It is arguable to suggest a group’s defenselessness based on a state’s political apparatus in their regard, but how accurately can other discriminative state domains be measured? Looking intently into the vulnerability of the homosexual population in Kuwait, various domains of everyday life denote indications of prejudice whether blatantly or covertly. The simultaneous coordination of political, social, cultural, economic, biological, physical, religious, and moral components of the state produce overpowering emotions of hate and ignorant ideologies, consequently leading to the priming of such groups.
ReplyDeleteLargely cornering homosexuals is the political factor of the state. Homosexuals receive no formal representation in parliament and are addressed as an “issue” that must be “solved”. They are not recognized as an entity by the state and are deprived of marriage rights while still being subject to punishment. Moreover, they are condemned by members of parliament that claim them to be “delinquent deviants” who will “destroy humanity” if further interaction were to be tolerated. Interference of reputable human rights organizations had received harsh backlash by members of the Kuwaiti parliament suggesting the organizations cease from attempting to amend religious values and principles, making the abusive treatment towards homosexuals in Kuwait an indefinite matter. Socially, they are ostracized and tolerated by few. They are referred to in derogatory terms, which correspondingly act as insults with undesirable connotations. Homosexuality is further degraded by media portrayals of homosexuality as mortification in many programs and TV series.
A traditional cultural point of view of homosexuals would deem them to be a relatively recent group principally identified by their easily masked sexual preferences. Today, they are seen to be identified in accordance to dress, body posture, tone of voice, etc. which are stigmatized and generally avoided by heterosexuals. This perspective contributes in posing an economical strain on homosexuals regarding employment and job opportunities. Homosexuals are subject to harassment in the work place and are often denied employment due to many companies’ conservative natures and representational concerns.
Debates on how homosexuality may be proven continue today with no formal winning argument, but the state of Kuwait has decidedly stood on medical grounds concerning the matter. Theorized and concrete biological reasoning has been used to justify much of the implemented laws and has manipulated the situation in order to seem like a “fixable” matter. Arguments of hormonal deficiency have held up strongly as reasons to why these individuals are “deviant” and the impracticality of same gender reproduction puts an end to many opposing discussions. Homosexuals are notoriously victims of physical and verbal violence. Harassment and physical abuse is likely to take place in virtually any situation without much response from police officials.
Undoubtedly, the core center to these outlooks and policies are religious principles and beliefs. Islam categorizes homosexuality as a sin not to be tolerated. Religious leaders further imply it being unnatural, and act as pronounced forces on societal attitudes and policy makers. Morally, homosexuals are given no sympathy as they are seen as “corrupters of society” by spreading and influencing others with their sinful practices.
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....It becomes apparent that the state’s components for priming act in a chain-like sequenced manner, each initiating the next. It would be practical to say that the key factor that may have commenced the course of the priming is religion, but would matters have changed if the society had adapted different ideas of gender norms? This loophole may direct us to a middle ground in which genders are not confined to human anatomy or social constructs of masculinity or femininity but rather left ambiguous with no forced assertions or pressures to be heterosexual or homosexual.
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The vulnerable population that Lemkin’s techniques may apply to in my opinion is a gender identity: homosexuals.
ReplyDeleteHomosexuals do not have any representatives in the government; hence, they have no rights. Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized. When the topic of homosexuality is brought up in the news, it is always described as an “issue” that needs to be solved; the following is an example. According to Alrai newspaper, expats will be medically tested in order to detect homosexuality. If homosexuality is proven, they will be forbidden from entering Kuwait.
The combination of politics and religion, contribute to the formation of the public’s negative opinion toward homosexuals. In Islam, homosexuality is forbidden, and its punishment is eternal hell. Therefore, homosexuals are viewed as sinners that spread corruption and have questionable morals. Calling someone who isn’t gay a ‘homosexual ‘ is like cursing or insulting them. Homosexuals are viewed as deviants and are ostracized. They are looked down upon and in many cases disowned by their families because they are considered to bring shame and dishonor to the traditional Kuwaiti family. In school, they are susceptible to bullying and physical abuse. Later on, it is hard for them to find a job that would accept or hire them.
The gay medical detection example mentioned previously suggests that homosexuality is a disease. Marriage and reproduction is one of the main concerns of Kuwaiti citizens, but being homosexual gets in the way of achieving that goal.
Coming out of the closet in Kuwait comes with many hardships, but at the end of the day homosexuals are humans and I wish society could see that. They share the common wants and needs as the rest of humanity. Despite of whether we think they are right or wrong, and that Islam is against it, if being who they are makes them happy and does not harm others then that should be up to them. The public should not punish them for being what they know they should be. And, if society thinks that it’s something biological that may be “detected” then homosexuality should not be seen as an issue because humans cannot control and change their biology;the way they were born.
In the case of priming a group, I believe that the most vulnerable groups to such acts of violence and injustice in Kuwait are the religious groups who represent the minority. even though that there are many minorities of sects and religions in Kuwait I will be using the Shia as an example of how a minority can be primed to collective acts of violence due to them historically being the only minority in constant conflict with the Sunni Salafites who are the majority and the fact that some of these techniques mentioned by lemkin have already been applied since the late 1970's on the Shia alone. To start off in priming the Shia in Kuwait the majority would begin attacking what can be very visible of the Shia's existence , socially the Shia would be prevented from having their own court of law that would pass judgments based on their own teachings and scriptures, instead the Sunni court of law would be imposed on them and they would have to be forced to bind themselves to the judgments passed by the law and act in accordance to it which usually defies their teachings. The Shia will also face an attack on their cultural heritage through banishing Shia teachings from schools and the print media and only allowing Sunni beliefs to be taught and published, in fact the Shia would be targeted and attacked indirectly in schools and the print media through implications as in saying those who do X are blasphemous infidels who should be killed and the Shia are the ones who're doing X. In doing this the majority is raising generations of Kuwaitis who will see the killing of their classmates as morally right which will make way for the physical and biological techniques of genocide to be applied easily in the future. The Shia would be banned from building new mosques of their own which can spread their culture and heritage or express their beliefs in the artistic media through drawings and sculptures. Breaking Shia means of power is crucial to make way for the collective acts of violence, this would occur by preventing them from having any economical or political power by either limiting the number of seats in parliament that the Shia can have and put as many restrictions as possible on what the Shia MP's can do with the authority that is given to them. economically the Shia would be prevented to have any independent economical foundations and if any existed they would be destroyed, the only way the Shia's would be allowed to participate economically is only if they show that these economic foundations are being used in a way that benefits Kuwait as a state and not only the Shia and their own policies and agendas. The Shia would finally face a campaign of denationalization under the accusation of betrayal or high treason due to their connections with their scholars and Imams in other Shia majority countries like Iran and Iraq who have their own share of conflicts with Kuwait, this accusation of betrayal will be a good justification for the acts of violence towards the Shia even to the lay man, for it will threat the safety and sovereignty of the state and if anything does threaten the state in such ways then people will see it as the priming of the Shia justified due to them being a potential future threat.
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The priming of the Bedoons as a minority group allows for the destruction of thrir status as being part of a nation, and compels dominant Kuwaiti nationals to continue to resist their efforts to create a nation-state that provides them with equal rights. Raphael Lemkin's techniques of genocide can be applied to the Bedoon in Kuwait as they do have limited social, political and economic rights.
ReplyDeleteSince Bedoons do not hold the Kuwaiti nationality, they are forbidden to vote or to partake in any national poles which determine the country's political position. Due to their lack of representation they cannot voice their complaints or demands which undermines their position as a group striving for their basic rights. They are also often excluded or overlooked in certain political parties where they are deemed unable to contribute to the party because of their lack of state influence and weak economic positions.
The difficulty of obtaining a well-paid job also places the Bedoon at a disadvantage because of their lack of citizenship. There may be an element of instability, both politically and socially so the most secure jobs would go to the most secure Kuwaiti citizen, leaving the Bedoon in a vulnerable financial position. This would in turn encourage stereotypes of Bedoons as poor thus are unlawful and a burden to thr Kuwaiti society. This stereotype is strongly justified by the fact that they lack political representation.
If Kuwaiti nationals believe in these stereotypes then the Bedoons would be denied property ownership, the right to free education and health care. Unless the Bedoon can prove that they are Kuwaiti through biometrics, they will be shunned from participating in national and cultural occasions. While a Bedoon could live in Kuwait his whole life, he is still seen as an outsider when it comes to participating in cultural rituals. By allowing them to participate, Kuwaitis are including them in the national spirit, however there has to be a distance and a certain attitude that would dissociate Kuwaitis from the Bedoon.
When looking back at the history of Bedoons and Kuwaitis, one finds that the Bedoons are an ethnic group that was made up (they have few things in common other than the fact that they are stateless people). They come from different nationalities, backgrounds and cultures but they were all rounded under one category and excluded from society. Depriving the Bedoons of citizenships means that they have no political rights, and as a result, no political representation in the government. That makes it easier remove them seeing as they are almost nonexistent, politically speaking. But political rejection is not enough to prime the people for genocide.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Bedoons may not be acknowledged by the government, they are still a part of society; therefore, there must be some social priming involved as well. Social isolation is the most important part of social priming. If a targeted group is too integrated in society, they are bound to create social bonds that will hinder any acts of violence against the group. To apply this to Bedoons, they would be prohibited to live in the same areas as Kuwaitis do or go to the same schools.
Cultural priming could be related to moral priming because cultural priming mainly consists of stigmatizing any targeted group and to do that, they need to be vilified or belittled. By bringing attention to any and all improper actions committed by the Bedoons, they become labeled as troublemakers. Also, dehumanizing them by referring to them as pests, leeches or any other equally offensive terms. Some people may consider them as outsiders who are taking advantage of the country and its resources without giving anything back, which is part of the economic priming. If they are tagged as an economic burden, it is easier to take action against them.
As for biological priming, that could be accomplished by biometric authentication to verify if they can be traced back to Kuwaiti ancestors, or not allowing marriage between Bedoons and Kuwaitis to prevent any "biological fusion" between the two groups. Prohibiting marriage can be helped by placing them in distant areas where no contact can be made with them. After imposing such extreme regulations, it would be easy to commit acts of violence against this group and justify it by saying that they violated the rules and regulations.
Seeing as most of them are Muslims, it would be hard to use their religion against them because Islam does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity or culture. All of these factors combined make this minority group all the more vulnerable to acts of violence where any small incident can trigger violent behavior.
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The Bedoon population in Kuwait are being primed to become victims of violence by the Kuwaitis. Raphael Lemkin believes that genocide does not happen overnight, it is a long process of either oppressing the vulnerable population subtly or in an overt manner which culminates in an explosion of mass violence against these threatened groups of people.
ReplyDeleteThere are several ways in which vulnerable populations are set up to become victims of genocide or other acts of violence. In the case of the Bedoon in Kuwait, they are stripped of their right to vote in Parliament. Bedoons are stereotyped as being uncivilized and rootless, and are seen as a burden to Kuwaiti society. Kuwaitis cannot identify with them and typically the two groups do not marry into each other. The reason for that could be because Bedoons are rarely given the chance of pursuing a good career, and they do not have the privileges a Kuwaiti spouse has to offer.
Though Bedoons have adopted the culture of Kuwaitis, Kuwaitis strive to create a distinction between the two to disassociate themselves from Bedoons. Not only are Bedoons excluded from participating in the political and social sphere of life in Kuwait, they are also beaten down and silenced if they even attempt to stand up for themselves against Kuwaitis and have a voice of their own.
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In Kuwait, Bedouns have generated a high source of controversy, regarding their living situations, basic civil rights, citizenship and much more. They are considered to be greatly vulnerable to some, and not at all to others. This part of society has been primed in countless ways to become targets of violence by people in this country.
ReplyDeleteThey have become “primed”:
Politically: By stripping them of their basic civil rights, their rights to education, lack political representation, and even their right to vote.
Socially: Being outcasted, verbally abused, and discriminated against.
Culturally: Not really having a culture, or not being part of the Kuwaiti culture, and lacking cultural identity.
Economically: It is difficult for Bedouns to prosper economically, they live on minimum wage jobs, and have trouble finding jobs to begin with.
Biologically: Bedouns have been wanted for DNA testing to have more of an understanding about where they originally come from.
Physically: The Bedouns cannot really be distinguished physically by their features, or race, but physically they live in very poor “houses”, they live far away from the city in the outskirts.
Religiously: The Bedouns practice the same religion as Kuwaitis which is Islam
Morally: The Bedouns are primed morally by mistreating them, or making them feel as inferior as possible.
The Bedouns fall under Raphael Lemkin's discussion on the "techniques of genocide involving a coordinated attack up elements of nationhood” because they are inferior, they lack identity, and they have no place but Kuwait. They are fighting for their rights, but little action is being taken to give the Bedouns and they have little representation.
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If hypothetically speaking genocide were to occur my hypothetical victim group would be the expats primarily the working labor force (indians, phillipinos, sirlankins, bangladish and so forth) The victim group would be primed for;
ReplyDeletePolitically, they are not given any benefits such as free health care, as well as not having a voice in politics or a representative; they just have to go along with what changes and do not have a control over the matter.
Socially, the expats live in marginalized communities in which they live far away from where kuwaiti residence as located. Also they are considered outsiders of a social group.
Culturally, they are not always allowed to practice their own traditions for example hindus.
Economically, in some cases they are not even being payed with minimum wage, and are not entitled to benefits, such as owing property or getting a loan.
Physically, they are distinguished by their passport, civil ids.
Religiously, the dominant group would want to control the believes of the population.
Morally, Kuwaitis consider the working expect as inferior to them as well as considering and treating them as servants.
Bottom line is genocide can be made based on the premises and characteristics that one group might consist of or not. These characterizes enable others to justify their actions towards the other.
Why I truly consider that if genocide where to occur it would happen with the expats (of the work force) ?
First they make up the majority of the population.
Second, These people who come from a different country and have the same unfair treatments would come together and form a union with or without the help of their own country.
Third When it comes to weapons and how genocide would lead too, consider Rwanda they did not always use high-end technology, they would use machetes, clubs, or knives to kill a mass-population. Therefore if a genocide were too occur they would use what they had around them, and if they were creative could create their own weapon example bombs. For the technology that is available to use today enables horrible, inhuman acts to be carried out.
Another skepticism about this genocide is that it would never occur because Kuwaitis are dominant?
Kuwaitis are the minority of the population, culturally Kuwait is more traditional therefore woman will be left out of the genocide and seen as to be protected. Also most of the new generation is a bit spoiled therefore tasks as such would be new concept and uncommon ground. Thus not including the woman, old people and kids of the kuwaiti population and there you roughly have about 45% of males able to control and "defeat" the others. Remember this would be against middle-aged people who if passionate enough for revenge will be willing to die for it.
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Kuwait can easily be separated into two groups; the Kuwaitis and the expatriates. The expatriates can be considered primed to become targets of violence. There is this constant clash between the two but at the same time the Kuwaitis need the expatriates as much as the expatriates need them. constant stories are broadcasted everywhere on the mistreatment of the Kuwaitis by the expatriates which is incorrect just to pinpoint the red line that divides the two groups and emphasize which group is on the 'bad side' and which is the innocent. The expatriates are definitely mistreated and can be viewed as victims and the whole sponsorship arrangement is proof on how the society deals with the rights and treatment of expatriates; especially the labor workers such as the maids, drivers, waiters, street cleaners and construction workers. Politically, the expatriates are not under unions and groups but are under individuals or companies. By eliminating the sponsorship arrangements and allowing expatriates to enter under unions these unions will be able to protect these workers and enforce certain rights on the companies and individuals that these expatriates are working under. Socially, the expatriates are not considered part of the society when it comes to events, groups and organizations. By involving the expatriates in these social gatherings then they will rise up and be a part of the community. by socially involving them this red line will start to slowly fade away because the strongest way to eliminate any form of hatred toward a group is through the social aspect of the society. Culturally, we musty acknowledge the differences in the different cultures; however, not disrespect these differences but actually try and understand them. By understanding the culture and the way these expatriates express it will help in communication between both sides and there will be a sense of understanding and being able to coop with the differences. Economically, the expatriates differently have lower incomes and are considered at the bottom of the hierarchy in Kuwait however, we must not block any form of promotion because they are not Kuwaiti. Biologically, Kuwait just came up with a new law that all expatriates should be tested biologically to determine their sexual orientation. This is an example on how in Kuwait they want to detect a socially looked down upon aspect, homosexuality, on the expatriates ONLY. Physically, the expatriates can only live in certain areas in Kuwait and are not allowed to own permanent housing and this physically pushes the expatriates on one side of this red line and distances them from the Kuwaitis. Religiously, some of the expatriates are not Muslim like the Kuwaitis and may be looked down upon by religious groups and may reach a point where they prevent these expatriates from practicing their religion. Morally, the media may emphasize certain traits and may be even crimes that are associated with expatriates and show the society how these expatriates have different moral standards and may even contaminate our society.
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In Kuwait I believe there are more than one group that could be chosen but for now ill be talking about the Bedoons. I believe that the bedoons are being primed and victimized in Kuwait. According to Raphael Lemkins there are different ways to prime one. In the bedoons case they are not allowed to vote and don’t have their full rights which is part of the political part of Lemkins idea. Many of the people treat them as though they are not humans; many people see them as if they are barbarians and uncivilized people. In addition, when it comes to the economic part they are not really able to help the state because they can barely help themselves, as they do not have the jobs and money that some of the Kuwaiti citizens have. Furthermore, not only do they have barely have any rights and no nationality but the people have stereotypes about them. As I mentioned people think they are barbarians and poor as well as uneducated. But this could be changed if people did not stereotype and they were given rights to vote and health care. The moral to it is that many are loyal to Kuwait and only have Kuwait as their home, they have no where else to go, therefore I don’t see why some of the bedoons have to be treated and thought of the way they are.
ReplyDeleteOne of the vulnerable populations being "primed" to become a target of violence in Kuwait is the Bedoon population. We can apply Raphael Lemkin's techniques of genocide to the Bedoon population in the following fields:
ReplyDeletePolitically, Bedoons have no nationality or citizenship. They also have no representation in the law and are not given their political rights. They occupy a liminal space in Kuwait because they are not considered to be Kuwaiti but at the same time they do not belong anywhere else.
Socially, they are stigmatized and shunned by socket. Their marriageability is highly affected and any opportunities in life are limited.
Culturally, they're culture is basically the Kuwaiti culture but Kuwaitis do not accept them as belonging to their culture so they are Otherised.
Economically, they lack job opportunities as well as money-making opportunities and the jobs they carry are low wage jobs.
Biologically, there are suggestions for their DNA to be tested for lineage.
Physically, they live in low income, poor areas and housing and at the same time their traveling is restricted. They have no freedom of movement.
Religiously, they are Muslims so they are not discriminated against from this area.
Morally, they are seen as less moral and criminal and made to feel inferior when any incident involving them occurs.
This is how Bedoons are "primed" to be victims of violence in Kuwait.
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ReplyDeleteThe people that could be primed in Kuwait, Bedoons for example, are primed and found based on their papers and id’s. they are also constantly attacked by the media at every turn. People might not use religion to prime them due to Islamic rules, but people will exclude them socially, example schools dewanyas etc… a large amount of Bedoons live in Sulybiya, a far area in Kuwait, making them excluded from the rest of Kuwait. Economically they don’t have as much access to medical treatment and people tend to not give them jobs or seats in universities, because they believe it would be unfair to Kuwaiti citizens.
ReplyDeleteI believe that some groups of expats are more prone to be targeted for acts of violence and hypothetically speaking “primed”. Raphael Lemkin’s techniques of genocide may be applied to these expats.
ReplyDeletePolitically, they are not protected and or represented. In some cases, the government does not persecute human trafficking offenders despite having anti trafficking laws.
Culturally, language comes into play. Some schools, such as Indian and Filipino schools give students the option to choose several languages to learn, Indian or Filipino being part of the list. The government could prohibit such schools from giving students that option.
Economically, expats do not share the same benefits as Kuwaiti citizen do. They are not given free healthcare, scholarship or housing benefits as they are not eligible.
Biologically, the government could also prohibit marrying non Kuwaitis
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ReplyDeleteDrawing from Raphael Lemkin’s discussion on the techniques of genocide and coordinated attacks on nationhood, the Bedoon are a vulnerable population that could be considered “primed for violence”. I do not think Kuwait would be able to use religious or moral elements of nationhood against the Bedoon, but as for the other elements mentioned:
ReplyDeletePolitically, as stateless people, the Bedoon are denied all the benefits that come with citizenship. Birth, marriage, and death certificates are not issued to the Bedoon. They have no representation in government, no voting power, and none of the many other perks that being Kuwaiti implies in Kuwait.
This ties in with the economic factor. The subsidies and welfare packages that are available to Kuwaitis in terms of education, childcare, living and household expenses, etc., are all not available to the Bedoon. It can be harder to get certain jobs as a stigmatized Bedoon. With difficulties in getting jobs, less wealthy Bedoon may not be able to afford expensive higher education costs for several children. They may opt to have less children to be able to support their children’s livelihoods.
If the birthrate of Bedoons were to drop because of this, it could be seen as a biological factor against their nationhood. On the other hand, Kuwaitis receive monetary welfare packages for each child born to the family, and many means are taken to support their livelihood. Also, the monthly staple food subsidy for Kuwaitis is not given to Bedoons, nor are they afforded free health care, which could be considered part of the physical element.
Socially, the Bedoon are generally segregated geographically. For example, they tend to live in neighborhoods far from the capital and do not integrate with Kuwaiti home owners in the more upscale neighborhoods. They are also denied equal access to education, with no free education available, which puts them at disadvantage in the labor market. They are generally expected to fill positions as unskilled labor or low-level jobs, which can further the stigma held by some regarding them as less sophisticated. Both of these factors make it harder for them to integrate socially even when there are no fundamental differences in their general culture in Kuwait.
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Vulnerable populations in Kuwait are “primed” to become targets of violence through various elements which make up a “coordinated attack upon elements of nationhood”, including political, social, cultural, economic, biological, physical, religious, moral. The vulnerable population in Kuwait who I will be discussing are homosexuals, who are persecuted against; this could be considered an initial stage of priming for genocide.
ReplyDeletePolitically, homosexuals in Kuwait are discussed in the nation’s Parliament as a nuisance, as a national issue that needs to be addressed. This in itself reflects both the sentiment and the mentality carried towards homosexuals; the Parliament acts as a median between the citizens and the state, and is meant to represent the concerns and needs of the citizens. Though many Kuwaiti citizens, as of late, would say otherwise, if the representatives of the nation are expressing such aggressive sentiment towards homosexuals, it is safe to assume that the citizens who voted them into Parliament share similar views. As a result, homosexuals lack basic political rights, such as the right to marry and the right to adopt. Though they are given the rest of their rights (education, health care) as Kuwaitis, they are discriminated against as homosexuals.
Socially, they are ostracized for the most part, in the more ‘traditional’ environments of Kuwait. However, it is interesting to note the recent openly-gay phenomenon that has prevailed in Kuwait; in fashion scenes and places where magazine and media experts gather, their sexuality is embraced and welcomed by the women present. Naturally, the majority of the males present are homosexual, while the females are ‘sexually liberal’.
Culturally, the definition of homosexuality has evolved over generations. From the 40s onwards, in a male-male sexual encounter, only one of them would be labeled a homosexual: he who is on the ‘receiving end’; the second male would simply be another heterosexual man exercising his sexual abilities. Today, this definition has evolved to encompass appearance, attitude, dress, talk, lifestyle. It is now used as a method of questioning manhood.
Biologically, there is a belief that homosexuality is ‘unnatural’ and that it is a mental illness which must be treated – local psychiatric clinics openly state that they help ‘treat homosexuality’. It is deemed to be an inherent genetic deformity, and a lifestyle that is meaningless because it doesn’t lead to reproduction. Religion is used to emphasize this, at weekly Friday prayer sermons, where it is addressed as a sin that goes against nature and God’s will.
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When speaking of genocide, it is important to remember not to commit the mistake of simplifying it and categorizing it under "Nazi Germany", or as the stereotypical, black and white machine that kills a certain race or ethnicity. Genocide is a much more complex term. It is an intricate, slow-developing, and stealthy phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteIn his discussion, Raphael Lemkin explores the techniques of genocide, and explains how it is a coordinated attack against "vulnerable populations" in nation states.
When looking at Kuwait, the population i would call vulnerable is the "stateless citizens", or more technically, the Bedoons.
This population is slowly being primed for being targets of collective violence and perhaps even, genocide.
Firstly, they have no political representation, and are not permitted to vote.
So despite the fact that these people are literally stranded in Kuwait because they dont own a normal passport, they are not granted the right of participating in local political affairs.
Secondly, they are socially and culturally stigmatized. They are seen as potential traitors to the country. They are seen as pollutants. They are stereotyped to be arms dealers, drug dealers, etc.
What's sad as, we fail to see the bigger picture. Bedoons aren't welcomed into the education system with open arms. As a result, a lot of them live in the slums, and surrender to menial jobs and low pay. So we shouldn't be surprised if we see a story in the paper about a criminal bedoon. He/she probably had no other choice. We're partially at fault because we're allowing this discrimination to happen while we look the other way.
Marriage is another issue. No Kuwaiti woman would want to marry a stateless man, thus leading to a growing number of bachelor bedoons. Moreover, Bedoons are economically stagnant, and are not offered the economical benefits "true Kuwaities" are granted.
Thirdly, the infamous 'pseudoscientistic' biological priming in which the "true Kuwaiti" of the Bedoons would be verified through biometric authentication. Another sign of stealthy and impending social danger.
A myriad of little aspects exist that dichotomize Kuwaiti & stateless, making the stateless weak & crippled.
The combining of the above mentioned elements, and more, creates the coldblooded stream of indifference, which as history dictates, leads to genocide.
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Prior to the 1960’s some people did not enter the national records and therefore, failed to be recognized by the state, through this process they failed to get proper paperwork and could not, till this day, establish themselves as citizens of Kuwait, or any country. The issue that arises with stateless people is that of a human rights issue. Bedoons do not receive adequate rights, or any rights in actual fact causing stress on both a political level and a humanitarian level.
ReplyDeleteStateless individuals have been “primed” to be the victims of genocide from many aspects. Politically they are not represented in parliament, and not allowed to establish any union. Further, socially they are stigmatized and the word “bedoon” has been conditioned to have a bad connotation, it could be and is used as a curse word. Most of them if not all have to hide the fact that they are stateless so they can make friends or have a social life. Also, they’re not seen to have a Kuwaiti culture even if they were born and raised in Kuwait for generations. Economically, bedoons struggle to find jobs and barely have job opportunities, but when they do they’re usually low status jobs and do not get paid equally to others. Years ago the stateless did not even have the right to get a job. Moreover, they are primed physically, by making them live in poor conditions and bad parts of the state. Also, the media portrays them as criminals and outlaws; usually the criminals that are published are mostly bedoon rather than Kuwaiti. Biologically, they are wanted for DNA testing to prove their kuwaitiness. Religiously speaking there is no regard for their religious beliefs which is usually Islam.
In my opinion, Bedoons could be seen as a target of violence in kuwait.
ReplyDeletepolitical:They are not considered kuwaiti and are deprived of any identity that could allow them political rights or any legal representation. They can't even leave the country to seek a better life because they don't have passports.
social: They face much racism and stereotyping, they get avoided, viewd as primitve beings which affects them in many ways including no appropriate education and very slim chances of marriage.
cultural: They share the same cultural identity with Kuwaitis but are not viewd as the same or equals by kuwaitis.
economic:Very bad job opportunities
biological: Lineage testing is being considered to prove they are bedoon.
physical: Very poor life settings, barely survivng, and again travelling is restricted.
religious: this is probably the only aspect of which they do not face criticism for because they share the same religion of the majority which is islam
moral: They are viewed as very immoral, uncivilised and again, primitive and also inferior, making them again a direct target for discremination
Bedoons, are primed and found based on their papers, passports and id’s. They are attacked by the media, lowering their reputation amongst all of Kuwait, resulting in very low marriage opportunities. There is also DNA testing to see if you are bedoon or not, the largest amount of Bedoons live in distant faraway areas keeping their “kind” as some people might say away from the Kuwaitis. Economically they don’t have as much access to medical treatment nor jobs or universities, Thus living circumstances are really bad they mostly have accesses for low quality institutes, but that is also hard for them to get into and even if they do, it wont do much for them.. its like they are destined to be doomed…. Even if they want to go abroad for urgent medical care they have to go through a big process which is unnecessary dehumanizing and eventually 90%of the time theyre denied access..Religiusly they do not face any discrimination because they are of the same religion as the majority which is islam.
ReplyDeleteThe group that is being primed and victimized in kuwait are definitely the bedoons. The bedoons lack any freedom that are your enaliable rights. Politically bedoons dont have any civil right and they are considered illegal because of no passport. Socially they are outcasted and dont feel they belong because they are looked down upon. Also their dialect is somewhat different than kuwaitis. There culture is unknown because they are extremely diverse and each bedoon family has a different background and a different story of where they came from. Economically they are unstable because of limited job opportunities. Also they don't have the chance to exceed at their job because the don't have a citizenship. The jobs that they can work at are limited they don't have a wide variety to choose from. The areas that they live in are considered ghettos of kuwait. They cant own a house so they usually live in governmental houses. Morally in society they are seen as responsible for most crimes. However any group of people that don't have a voice or their full rights commit the most crimes because they feel they need to be heard.
ReplyDeleteBedoons are victimized!
ReplyDeleteBedoon 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 Bedoons must pay to obtain any official documentation 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. 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 childen can obtain Kuwaiti citizenship but when? Mybe after more than 5 years!!
If you go to Sulaybia North on 5th Ring Road towards the area of Jahra, where most of the bedoons live. Many of bedoons have been waiting for government to solve their problem since 40 years.
They are dying to have their basic rights like divorce, death,
birth certificates, education, travelling, etc. they need rights, they need to be heared.
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