Apply the basic questions of genocide to Kuwait, as discussed in exercise one. What categories of people you believe are most vulnerable to collective acts of violence and why? What can be done to prevent such violence from happening and/or protects vulnerable populations? As future leaders in your respective fields outline a plan that promotes peaceful resolutions.
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?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDue to the sectarian tensions that are going on in the middle east between the Shia and Sunni Salafite sects I believe that the minority Shia sect in Kuwait which are about 30-35 % of the population are the most vulnerable group of people to acts of collective violence. The reason for this huge on going tension between the two is the conflict happening in Syria which even though I don't believe to be a sectarian conflict for the Syrian regime happens to have people of all sects such as the Shia,Sunni,Alawite and even Christians but due to the media the conflict has taken a sectarian image. The Syrian conflict had its effect on many countries in the middle east one of them being Kuwait and we have seen this effect through the actions of the Sunni salafites who have been giving material aid ( money, weapons and even Kuwaiti fighters ) to the rebels in Syria and lately they have been very extreme in their speeches to the extent that one of them known as Shafi Al-Ajmi said in a public protest in front of the Lebanese embassy that they find killing of the Shia an enjoyable thing ! and this tension between the two is growing day by day. To prevent any form of act of violence that might erupt the Government must be very firm and rough with the extremists and prevent them from intervening in the Syrian conflict which is the source of problem as well as preventing them from giving public lectures for these lectures contain extreme and violent values and ideologies which are effecting the ordinary Kuwaiti person. We must also prevent the broadcasting of the channels that contain these extreme ideologies and monitor the Islamic channels to make sure that they are not making the situation in Kuwait worse.
ReplyDelete20821
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf HYPOTHTICALLY speaking genocide were to occur in Kuwait. The category of people that I believe are most vulnerable to collective acts of violence would definitely be The Working Class of expats ( primarily southern Asians; Filipinos, Indians, Pakistani, Bangladesh). Simply, because of 4 basic reason, First they aren't given all their rights. Secondly, they over work for long hours in a day. Thirdly, they get paid very little money in equivalent to the work they must do. Lastly, in some cases these workers would encounter physical or verbal abuses from their employers. Some steps that can prevent such destruction of order would be and should be taken essentially by the employers are that they should take into consideration human needs of the workers as well as not to cross-the -line between employer and worker and not abuse another. On the other hand the Kuwaiti government should construct and emphasis on appropriate minimum wage that should be given to the worker, and to give them basic human rights. A peaceful resolution could be promoted if employers respect or take into consideration the effort workers do, thus promoting peaceful behavior. For in return if fair-treatment and appropriate payments were given to workers they would possibly not have a sense of resentment or hate toward Kuwaiti employers.
ReplyDelete27295
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere are several groups that are vulnerable to collective acts of violence. These groups tend to share one thing in common: disempowerment or disfranchisement. Religious minorities like are seen as targets and those in power, or those who wish to gain more power, often scapegoated these minorities as the cause of the nation’s problems. Ethnic minorities are treated as fifth columns for retaining their cultural and ethnic ties to places outside the Arabian Peninsula and even families or individuals that do undergo a process of Arabization are seen being lesser or suspicious. Political groups and movements and those associated with such movements are also at risk of collective acts of violences whether such movements were religious or secular in nature. Sexual minorities are also vulnerable to collective acts of violence these can be attacks against individuals whose sexual predisposition or gender identification might not be accepted as natural.
ReplyDeleteThere isn’t a single solution to preventing violence against these groups, there are several solutions ranging from the legal (enshrining the right’s of people), political (ensuring the protection of such rights) and civic (creating an environment where people come to at least tolerate each other’s differences). I think what’s even more important is establishing a system where those who have been attacked can go to, to find shelter and support. I write this because such attacks happen and will happen no mater how hard some of us endeavor to prevent them. Thus it is imperative that we create a system that rehabilitates the victims while meting out justice to the perpetrators.
I have no intention of being a future leader. Leave me be with my books and cats.
In my opinion, the most vulnerable category of people to acts of violence in Kuwait are the majority of the population, expats. There may in fact be some Kuwaiti citizens that feel they are a minority within their own country. And since these expats make up a large number of the labor workforce, some citizens may feel that it is unfair to them. Those who we may call “national extremists” may find deportation a slow process of fixing the problem, being the minority, hence resorting to violent acts. These “national extremists” may have the ideology that people should not be a minority in their own country despite having the highest rank in social stratification. Now, although we are talking about acts of violence hypothetically, we do in fact hear stories of rape, killing and domestic abuse leading to a number of suicides reported in newspapers where the victims are expats. However, if we take Maj. Gen. Abdelfattah’s movement to better traffic control by deporting “illegal” residents it could act as a catalyst that could lead to the idea of “expat cleansing” by said “National extremists”
ReplyDeleteIn terms of protection and/or prevention, the Kuwaiti government should take expat rights more seriously and/or implement harsh laws protecting such rights. If the Kuwaiti government decides not to do so, then a petition proposing that the UN looks into the matter.
24211
I think the bedoon are the people who would be the most vulnerable to collective acts of violence because they lack official identification which states their nationality. As a result, Kuwaiti Hathar often see them as the 'others' who have intruded upon their country. Since the Bedoons' background is sometimes hard to trace due to the lack of documentation, Kuwaiti Hathar find it difficult to find anything in common with the Bedoon to build a relationship on. Therefore, many Bedoons are cast away as insignificant and are seen as easy targets for applying the blame of state issues. Though the issue cannot be easily resolved, I think they should be awarded basic human rights of health, however, when it comes to rights of education, work, or property ownership, I think they should be taxed. Since there is no rightful (legal) place for the Bedoon, they should be allowed to stay in Kuwait and have the same rights as Kuwaitis, but must earn these rights by contributing taxes to the Kuwaiti government and abstaining from legal misdemeanors.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn matters of vulnerability, the deprivation usually lies with those without protection, who are fewer in numbers, and defenseless to the opposition. In terms of the Kuwaiti population, that would translate to stateless residents denoted as “bidun”. The very word itself is a translation of the Arabic term “without”, virtually summing up the theme of their entitlements- without property, without full rights, and without citizenship.
ReplyDeleteAn estimated 100,000 bidun fall victim to discrimination for being “illegal residents” and the general public attitude towards them is rarely sympathetic as they are often accused of having deliberately terminated their original documents of nationality in hope of gaining Kuwaiti citizenship accompanied by state benefits. Many bidun do trace back to nomadic Bedouin tribes who may have belittled or undervalued the importance of registration for citizenship in favor of their way of life, and therefore live with the consequences of their ancestors’ decisions. Nevertheless, the bidun are recognized as a threat by some, namely middle-class Hadar Kuwaiti citizens, who are unwilling to share citizen-bound privileges and work towards enhancing a notion of exclusivity with Kuwaiti citizenship.
The rationale behind a terrorizing act of violence as genocide against the bidun would most likely be primed and justified on the grounds that they are “non-Kuwaiti, stateless residents who are taking up our [Kuwaiti citizens] space and resources with no other country inclined to accommodate them, and thus they must be killed to relieve this issue at hand.” Such corruption may only lead to severe scarring of the society with further negative implications on the stigma attached to the term bidun, and thereafter being something that is unspoken of and forgotten. Furthermore, such an act would give rise to massacres against comparatively recent Kuwaiti settlers and may even exceed to non-Kuwaiti long-time residents as an affirmation to the superiority of the “Aseel.”
The classification of people, as with any society, is usually unconsciously internalized by members of that society. The ideas and feelings of the general public towards the bidun can never be changed without preliminary steps taken on by the government by amending the country’s 1959 Nationality Law. A more liberal and less restrictive approach should be sought out by providing citizenship to long-term residents and reintegrating the omitted clause of Article 3 of the Nationality Law, in which a Kuwaiti mother may provide her children with citizenship if the father is claimed to be stateless. Additionally, reopening unresolved cases of bidun and painstakingly studying their ancestry and history in Kuwait to decidedly hold them qualified for citizenship or not.
As a final remark, I would like to stress the importance of immediate action before peaceful demonstrations turn into concerningly violent ones. Generation by generation the bidun grow less tolerant as laws become more restrictive. Their minimal access to education and job opportunities pose a greater threat to society than if they were integrated in them. Negligent bidun teens have become essential characters to crime cases across the country, much of which could have been avoided by preoccupation with valuable education that can then be reintegrated to the state’s workforce and staff.
S00026144
I believe the category who is most vulnerable collective acts of violence are the bedoon. Bedoon is considered as citizens without probative identity and stateless. They don’t have the right to demand any human rights. They don’t have birth or death certificate which is the least right of human being. One of the most important requirements that they don’t have any job opportunities, which is the basic of the decent life. Most of these categories live on charities. Because of these circumstances, which are being enforced on them, a lot of them depends on stealing and illegal works to gain money. This is the fourth generation of bedoon which are uneducated and rise up under harsh conditions, this leads bedoon to commit most of the recent crimes in Kuwait. We can avoid the violence acts by giving them all human rights and citizenship, or allowing them to travel to countries which offers them the decent life.
ReplyDelete24913
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe case of what they call “bidoun” is underrated and is only the tip of the ice berg. If a local genocide were to happen they would most likely be the ones affected. The reason is that the government perceives them as a threat, and outsiders that are thirsty for that exclusive pacifier made of oil. Some are also seen as ex invaders that don’t have the courtesy to leave and choose to hide their identifications instead. Bidouns are even judged upon what they call “acts of violence” which in reality are just plain rebellious actions that any other unlabeled group of people would do to be recognized if they were deprived from their rights and equality. If this problem were to be solved, an outside intervention has to occur. Any human rights organization might actually succeed at intimidating the system. Things will temporarily change into peaceful resolutions to best fit a certain image that the system has to keep.
ReplyDelete27405
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is highly likely that the most vulnerable people to face collective acts of violence would be the “bidouns” since they already have been differently categorized by the government by getting different id’s, passports, etc...; they also have fewer rights and have restricted access if any between different countries , making them easy targets to find. Some of the ways to prevent such actions are to grant more rights to the “bidouns” or grant them what could be called a semi citizenship making them part of the country with equal human rights. Also government activities are to be made to resolve issues that both sides have with each other, and make each side tolerate the other. This will hopefully keep both sides from committing crimes against one another and if acts of violence where to occur, fingers are not to be pointed at groups but at the committers of the crime only, denying unrest of the perpetrators group from occurring, keeping peace and prosperity between the population.
ReplyDelete27514
S00021231
ReplyDeleteThere is potential from many types of groups that are considered to be vulnerable to collective acts of violence in Kuwait. However, most probably the main group that falls under this are the bedouns. The bedouns in Kuwaiti are seen as people without a nationality; they are not considered Kuwaiti and do not have the same privileges as the Kuwaiti citizens but have been living in Kuwait for almost 50 years and are still denied the Kuwaiti citizenship. Many issues have been rising and penetrating the relationship between the bedouns and the state. For example, according to bedoonrights.org issues such as being more restrictive on bedoun driving licenses, and Ministry of Social affairs stopping the salaries of bedoun employees, and Kuwaiti teachers assaulting and insulting bedoun students have all been moving to the forefront of headlines. These constant issues and those similar to these will eventually blow up and the bedouns will react to them as they have been recently with some acts of violence such as the demonstrations that occurred on June 10, 2013 where the special forces had to end up using tear gas to stop these demonstrations. This anger also comes from the bedouns not feeling like they belong to a specific group. They are not considered foreigners because they speak the same language and are considered Arabs and ‘Khaleeji’ and some may come from similar descendants however are not acknowledged with the citizenship and as Kuwaitis. To stop this and prevent violence from happening the government can create a process the bedouns should go through for example completing Kuwaiti education and having a clean record and knowing the plan after receiving the citizenship can determine their right for this citizenship. Having a stable, specific, precise process the bedouns will feel respected and acknowledged and will feel progress exists in addressing this issue. That something is actually being done and they are not put on the side. As a leader my plan would have to be first acknowledging this issue and explaining the process of getting this citizenship for bedouns only. And as a leader I would want to hear from the bedouns of what they would give back to Kuwait and how they would enhance the state and in return what Kuwait would offer them.
I believe the people that are most vulnerable to collective acts of violence are the bedoon, because they are almost lost. They don’t have citizenship and don’t have all the rights. They do have rights but their rights are not the same as those of the Kuwaiti citizens. In addition, they have a lack of jobs and education; they are oppressed to some extent. Things that can be done to prevent such violence from happening is to try and give some of the ones that deserve the citizenship, it would leave Kuwait with less people upset and therefore would protect the population. It would also give the rest of the bedoon some hope as to the fact that they are giving the citizenship to some of the bedoon. In addition, give them more rights to education, more educated people would be better than uneducated people; with more education they have a higher opportunity to find a job. As a future leader I would try to come to some sort of an agreement with everyone that leaves them happier and gives everyone a semi peaceful life.
ReplyDeleteThe category that are willing to commit an act of violences in the state of kuwait will be the bedoons. Which is a group of people from diverse countries such as iraq ,saudi ,iran..etc that settled in kuwait during 1960s but they don't have a kuwaiti citzenship due to their missing documents during that period of time , because of that kuwait has practice a system of established discrimination against these nomads and labeled them as " illegal residents ".They are now considered stateless . Result of that, they are restricted in their movements,Denied from employment , denied from owning a land, denied education for their children ,denied from traveling abroad , denied in participating in any political acts and they are constantly violated and threaten and living under the subject of arrest and deportation .many of the bedoons have lived in Kuwait for a very long period of time and most of them fought for kuwait and also even participate in the Kuwati military fighting to defend kuwait’s land and that later on they would be arranged to have Kuwaiti citizenship but yet the Kuwaiti government denied their request to have a Kuwaiti citizenship and time passes by the Kuwaiti government has still denied their request . As the generation goes by the bedoon are acknowledging more about democracy and civil right so they become more intense and full anger and stress due to not receiving any rights. Result of that, crimes rates such as (murdering, thieving, kidnaping ,rebelling ,etc..) have been growing and it is more likely to grow because of the desperation of needing their rights to own a Kuwaiti citizen ship and to own their equal rights. The solution to prevents such acts of violence is to let the parliament to vote for civil and social right for the bedoon group, let the GCC cooperate to press kuwait to respect the rights of these bedoons as individuals and statement their objections in a fair and clear manner, and also let the Kuwaiti citizens vote for the equal rights of the bedoon.
ReplyDeleteIf a genocidal situation were to hypothetically occur in Kuwait, I think the victims would be laborers in the lower working class of expatriates outside and perhaps, to a much lesser extent, inside the home. This segment of Kuwait’s residents is often portrayed negatively or blamed when a situation such as theft occurs, and can be portrayed as an unknown outsider or a cause for suspicion and insecurity in the household or the country.
ReplyDeleteMany laborers arrive in Kuwait without the support of financial independence, shared language or culture, or the possibility of help from their families. They arrive with little to no rights, and the societal expectation that they remain mostly invisible. Their situation makes them easy to take advantage of, and since the length of their stay is expected to be temporary – rather than Kuwait becoming their new permanent family home – they can be easily ignored, and denied representation or basic rights.
I think this group, rather than other, Arab, minorities, would be more susceptible to collective acts of violence because of their lack of representation and lower social status. Attacks on an Arab community would likely be opposed much more violently or vehemently by the local and regional external community because of the closer relations between the peoples of Arab nations.
If genocide or collective acts of violence were to occur, I suppose it would be from the sense of superiority that some (not all) privileged members of society feel, and from fear of “the other”. The position of laborers with poor living conditions and limited rights could cause a fear of retaliatory actions against those responsible. The average resident of Kuwait’s limited knowledge of the different countries, cultures, and life experiences that the laborer class comes from may also contribute to this fear.
However, while instances of discrimination, poor treatment, and probably even outright violence take place against members of the laboring class, I find genocide to be a highly unlikely path of action. Deportation of groups of, or individual laborers, or continued poor treatment are much more likely to occur than other methods of “getting rid of” this large segment of Kuwaiti society.
Since the topic of human rights of domestic workers is becoming prominent in recent years, perhaps the interest in the laboring class beginning to appear with films like "Tokai: Street Cleaner" (available on YouTube after it was banned from screening in theaters during the Kuwait International Film Retreat) will catch on more over time and start to change their situation for the better.
-7431
Some Bedouns are people who did not supply proper citizenship paperwork prior to 1960 or they are people who established themselves in Kuwait since 1960 but are not citizens of the country. Some Bedouns are stateless because their ancestor did not file for citizenship in 1960 due to allowing limited time to apply. Given that the stateless are a significant part of the population of Kuwait, the issues of their civil, legal and social rights cause constant stress. I believe Bedouns are subjected and are vulnerable because they’re seen as a liability due to them “not belonging” to Kuwait and consuming resources. They are stuck in a dilemma, kept in between. They continuously protest and ask to be heard but are shut down. Even though they are given some rights, within these given rights they are still labeled as stateless. For instance, they are given civil ids and license but the identification they have labels them as stateless. The solution would be to asses each and every one of them and base their merit of getting a nationally on how much they’ve achieved and benefitted this country.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are the weakest are the most vulnerable to collective acts of violence, in my opinion. In the case of Kuwait, this vulnerable population would be the bidoon. The word bidoon literally means without- without a state. The bidoon also suffer from not having rights which marginalizes them. If collective acts of violence were to be taken against the bidoon, those in favor of it may argue that: they do not belong. An argument that is commonly used against them is that they are purposely hiding their original documents.
ReplyDeletePeople with the title bidoon are stigmatized and marginalized which is why I believe that in order to prevent such violence from happening, first, Kuwaiti citizens should be educated and taught to accept people no matter their background. The government should also stop using wasta in distributing citizenships or passports and instead distribute them fairly. According to rightnow.org.au, some bidoons were forced to get an illegal passport in order to travel and be able to support their families. Honest steps towards bettering their situation, standard of living, granting them rights and recognition should be taken.
Although there are several categories of people that could potentially be vulnerable to collective acts of violence, I believe that the bedoons are the most vulnerable population of them all. The bedoons in Kuwait are a group of people that are stateless and without citizenship despite living in Kuwait for several decades. They lack the basic rights that all citizens are entitled to. These rights include the right to permanent residence in Kuwait, the lack of travel documents, the restriction of their movement, the lack of employment and tough living conditions. The amount of violations that this category sees is extreme. The rationale behind the discrimination of the bedoons is that they take up the resources of the country and that they are a burden for the state. Bedoons are stigmatized and discriminated against by being socially shunned from the Kuwaiti society; they are seen as unworthy. There is a lot that can be done to fix the situation of bedoons in Kuwait. To prevent all this injustice from happening, the government must recognize them as lawful citizens of Kuwait. At the very least, the children of bedoons should be given the Kuwaiti citizenship. They should also be allowed to travel and move freely within and outside the country. We as Kuwaitis must recognize the inhumanity that bedoons face and change the negative attitudes towards them and see them as part of Kuwait. We need to start taking action against all the discrimination that all these people face. Bedoons should not be treated like villains, they should be respected and given autonomy.
ReplyDeleteI think the Bedoon are the most vulnerable category to collective acts of violence. The Bedoon are a stateless population that exists in Kuwait and other regions such as Bahrain. They are identified as stateless people and there are at least 120,000 Bedoons in Kuwait (bedoonrights.org).
ReplyDeleteBedoons have been experiencing different acts of discrimination; they have been denied equal opportunity for employment, education and in some cases they have been deprived of employment in certain government agencies in addition to the fact that they are not granted citizenship thus not being able to practice their political rights. Since a large number of Bedoons are illegal residents, they are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse seeing as they are fearful of reporting incidents to authorities and bringing attention to themselves.
Many view the Bedoon as intruders who are illegally taking advantage of the country's resources and that is how they justify any acts of violence against them. Stopping acts of violence against the Bedoon would first require that they be granted citizenships, or those who can trace their family to Kuwaiti origins and/or are entitled for citizenship by marriage or long residency in Kuwait. In addition to that, they should receive fair treatment by authorities and governmental institutes.
28051
Addressing and exploring the questions of Kuwaiti national identity or image within state policy may better clarify the positions of different groups in the social hierarchy and thereby reveal their vulnerabilities. Presumed threats against a nation's "way of life" propels governments to reassure and promise its people security and protected interests through the invocation of nationalistic ideals and appeals to patriotic sentiments. The state, here, possesses the adequate resources to politically define who we are, and in the process, define who we are not - thus, creating the Other: the potential victims in this hypothetical genocide.
ReplyDeleteMany people here have referenced the plight of the Bidoons as the most significant example, and while I completely agree with this, it should be noted that other segments of the Kuwaiti population can hardly be safe from violence either, certainly not when most institutions already systemize discrimination on the basis of nationality, gender, class, religion/sectarianism, class, sexual orientation and identification or familial connections. Such institutionalized discrimination is very rarely confronted in public spaces and discourses among Kuwaitis, but rather normalized as the state of affairs. It may follow from our internalization and acceptance of these discriminatory laws that its protesters deserve punishment. And this is one of the ways in which killable subjects are created. Those who fail to live up to the Kuwaiti identity - who reject and go against the Kuwaiti way and system rather than abide by it - are offed.
Consider the migrant labor force in Kuwait as an example. Taken for granted, abuses can fill a book - verbal, physical, sexual; overworked as hell, salaries are habitually withheld, lack of protection or unions. We can go on and on. And yet, we're shocked and disgusted to come across another story of a Filipina maid deciding to take her own life from the highest balcony, or another Indian cook deciding to stab her employer in the chest multiple times. We're shocked that they're not just going along with the system and accepting their abuse. So spoiled.
We come across reports concerning domestic workers "finally losing it" more than we do come across reports concerning the actual abuse they've endured throughout their employment period. We've dismissed their exploitation because we do, in fact, benefit from it, live off it and are very dependent on it. The Kuwaiti state is economically empowered by this exploitative labor system. So how have we not already rendered some groups of people acceptable targets of violence?
As for preventing genocide, well, education and awareness is important, sure, but it's never really stopped a genocide. And in the case of Kuwait, where to begin. Our laws are not always effectively enforced. Many current sociopolitical systems ought to be honestly discussed and actively challenged, from the top to the bottom. But I don't think any positive change is possible so long as the state does not criminalize abuse of workers, or pardons crimes of some Kuwaitis so long as they have a Wasta in hand, or refuses to protect women from assault in certain "male-dominated" professional fields, etcetera. As long as such laws exist in Kuwait, violence is accepted.
16297
It is not always easy to tell the perpetrator from the victim because the lines between them usually overlap, and in most cases the victim later becomes the perpetrator. In the case of Bidoon in Kuwait, it can be said that they are the most vulnerable group to collective acts of violence committed by Kuwaitis. As Arabs, Kuwaitis may have been subject to acts of violence by Western countries, though maybe not to the extreme of being exterminated, but nevertheless, they were discriminated against and were treated in a degrading manner. That could have been the cause for their behavior towards Bidoon. Bidoon are those who do not have official documentations that clearly state who they are and where they come from. They are stateless and have no roots to go back to. The state of Kuwait provides them with documentation that state that they are Bidoon, and recently that meant that they have the right for education, healthcare, etc. However, Bidoon are seen as a nuisance because Kuwaitis do not know who to relate to them because of their lack of “official” identity, and so they are often portrayed as the Other who are almost always criminals, troublemakers and other negative images. They are also used as a scapegoat; whenever there is a burglary, a riot, or anything with drugs or alcohol; it is always said to be a Bidoon person that is responsible for all state issues. Some Kuwaitis might feel that the Bidoon are taking up space in the country and are not contributing anything, instead they are “stealing” from a generous country that has “taken them in” and “taken care of their needs”.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that can be done to prevent these collective acts of violence from happening to Bidoon and other groups that might be at risk, is to create a sort of organization that protects the rights of all regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religious beliefs, and any other factor that might be used as an excuse to discriminate against those people or commit violent acts against them.
13995
Vulnerable populations, such as minorities or otherwise ‘inferior’ groups, are most susceptible to collective acts of violence in general. Kuwait, in specific, suffers from a staggering 100,000 stateless citizens who the state deems as ‘illegal residents’. This is an issue that is only superficially addressed and seriously ignored by officials and delegates of Kuwait’s governmental and representative institutions alike. These subjects, I believe, would be most vulnerable to a hypothetical genocide in Kuwait.
ReplyDeleteGenocide is a gradual process, which does not arise out of a sudden desire to commit mass murder. The victims who are finally targeted by certain perpetrators usually share some form of history with them, and the perpetrators harbor a sense of resentment towards the victims, which eventually explodes in the form of genocide. In Kuwait’s case with the ‘bidoon’, one can already observe preliminary signs of genocide in the state’s treatment of this group when they exert any sort of effort to express their natural frustration with their status; it is important to note that nearly all of their protests have been peaceful, but ended violently. The bidoon make a point of choosing areas that are, one: close to their own less-than-modest homes where there is a high number of stateless citizens – usually up North of Kuwait – and two: away from city areas so as not to disrupt citizen activity, as that would hinder their cause. However, each and every attempt to peacefully demand their basic human rights was met with National Security dispersing the crowd with tear gas and batons, the (unnecessary) polar opposite reaction of the attitude they were initially confronted with. These kinds of actions certainly lay the foundation necessary that would lead to a genocide, especially since National Security’s actions are generally justified by citizens, or receive little no attention – passivity. There is general acceptance for that form of oppression and violence towards bidoon, and so the state would feel encouraged to commit more drastic actions.
To begin with, the state of Kuwait needs to develop more tolerant policies of peaceful protests. Kuwait’s history of protests is not one that reflects sound governmental judgment, as there is little to no acceptance of protests, regardless of their generally peaceful nature. Vulnerable populations such as the bidoon naturally feel threatened, and cannot stand by idly as they wait for the government to decide what to do with them; thus, the only action they can take is peaceful protests. Accepting and understanding their right to this is the first step to preventing violence in its more drastic forms.
Second, public empathy needs to be stirred through state-run media. Citizens generally perceive this group to be a burden, a pest taking up space and time; understanding the difficult nature of their lives, and realizing that the only difference between the ones they are watching on TV and the viewers themselves is literally a piece of paper, would further help prevent collective acts of violence. When empathy is developed, the general population would not stand by passively in case the state behaves in a way that the general population disapproves of.
S00025767
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe first "category" of people that comes to my mind when I'm faced with the question 'who are the victims of collective violence in Kuwait?' is the Asian labor force.
ReplyDeleteFor decades Kuwait and its neighboring nations have been infamous for stories of abuse against their maids and even drivers. In addition, our bengali street cleaners are on the same boat.
Women from different parts of Asia and Africa have been victims of low pay, terrible never-ending working hours, verbal abuse/ in some cases physical or sexual, no breaks, no holidays and the list goes on, in various homes in Kuwait. The street cleaners are paid next to nothing, their shifts starts at terrible hours, they're not given the right equipments for their jobs so they settle with sweeping streets with dead palm tree leaves, and their homes are little ratholes stuffed with way too many people.
To answer the question of why these people have fallen into our category of victims? I'd say its because there are no proper laws that are carried out to protect them. They arrive to this country and are bombarded with the reality that we are all apart of.
In order to resolve this issue, we need to change the reality.
Maids and drivers need to have an equal right to choose the house they want to work in. They need to have as much right as the "madam" to whether or not they are comfortable to stay and live in the house that's been chosen.
The kafala system is definitely outdated. It screams slavery and it creates a negatively complex relationship between employer and employee. It creates resentment, and tension, and weakens the human connection that needs to occur between subjects at hand.
The same goes to the street cleaners. There's so much that can be done to make their lives less of a living and literally burning hell.
First of all, there needs to be clearcut and implemented laws against littering. Various working-models exist around the world, and I'm positive that Kuwait, with a little push, can make it. This would decrease dependency on street cleaners.
Second of all, companies that bring in these workers need to have certain standards they need to create and implement regarding their workers. Firstly, they need to make sure that the living conditions they provide are actually comfortable and satisfying as apposed to merely and literally "living" conditions. The cleaners need to have a home. Also, proper equipment and uniform, as well as a fair amount of pay needs to be attended to.
There needs to be some sort of dedicated body or organization responsible of actively keeping all the above in check.
Dalal al Mohanna
(continued..)
ReplyDeleteAnother category of people who I believe are victims of collective violence in Kuwait are women.
Various laws against women in Kuwait exist and place women as secondary citizens. From marriage laws, to ownership, to even being able to rent a little hotel room on a weekend to spend time with the kids, discrimination can be found hidden in almost every little corner in a Kuwaiti women's life in Kuwait.
It breaks my heart writing about women on the same blogpost i used to write about the expat blue-collar workers in Kuwait. However, this is our reality and this is one tiny step to change it.
The topic of women's rights in Kuwait is a tricky one. Religion, tradition, education, and politics are all intricately woven in a chaotic web where its hard to pin point the beginning and the end. Its hard to say. Nevertheless, there's one thing I'm certain of. Most women in Kuwait don't even know that they're being discriminated against, and this is a major part of the problem.
It's up to the youth to create a balance and bridge the gap between the valley of "women are good for nothing except bearing and raising children so they shouldn't be allowed to own/inherit lands or travel for education, but instead get married and live to please their husband" to the mountain of "men and women are equal, this is the 21st century, Kuwait needs all its citizens to work together in harmony, and balance in order to move forward and reach the optimum potential".
Dalal al Mohanna
The consideration of the vulnerable population in Kuwait would be the Bedoons. Because of their condition of being stateless they are considered as an illegal residence in kuwait due to that they are forbidden to be associated with any political acts such as voting they have no medical nor educational support. Because they are considered as " illegal residence " the kuwait society looks down upon them . For example ,because they are not allowed to vote so they don’t feel sense of belonging to the society , so they become isolated from a social group and become a burden to a kuwaity society . their access to education are very limited they are only allowed to get diplomas , they are accepted in a certain school and institution also their job opportunity are limited they can only be working in a low status job such a security guard or a nurse , because of that their income are not beneficial to support their necessity compare to a kuwaity they are constantly moving to further area , Bedoon can be recognized through their physical characteristic and by testing their DNA . because they are constantly fighting for their rights, some kuwaities symbolize their behavior as a criminalized behavior.
ReplyDeleteIn 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.
s00028287
I believe that the most vulnerable category of people in Kuwait are the "expact workers"
ReplyDeleteThey have no rights, they are being mistreated from their sponsors or owners if campanies in which they work in. Not only from their sponsors, even from people around them!
They came to kuwait hoping to achieve the dream of getting a better life for themselves and their families as well. Most of kuwaiti people don't treat them well! Why? Because they are not Kuwaities!
They don't respect them, yell at them, harm them physically and emotionally. Their rights are violating and they can't complain, knowing that no one will hear them.
S00012522