Global Voices » Kuwait

Kuwait: Parliamentary Election Marred by Violence

Mona Kareem — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:13:41 +0000

Today, 3 February, 2012, Kuwait will hold its parliamentary elections divided by five electoral districts, a system that was only passed in 2006 in response to blogger-led protests.

At the beginning of December 2011, two year-long protests previous led to the replacement of Prime Minister Nasser Al-Mohammed with his cousin Jaber Al-Mubarak and to the dissolution of the parliament for the fourth time since Al-Mohammed was first appointed. Since then, candidates have been working their ways towards reaching voters.

Tribal rage

Mohammed Al-Juwaihel, a candidate who tried his luck last elections but was removed for bribing voters, has always been a controversial person in Kuwaiti society. He went on television several years ago lunching an attack on those who have dual citizenship, comparing them to a sort of parasitic plant with no loyalty to the country, who should be stripped off their Kuwaiti citizenship.

He has also used the same language with the Kuwaiti stateless Bidun community and attacked certain Kuwaiti tribes, some of whom in response have attacked him in return.

On Monday 30 January, Al-Juwaihel gave another speech insulting one of the tribes, Al Mutair, saying he “will step on them”. After his speech, hundreds of Al Mutair tribes people went to his election tent hub in the Al-idailiya area, chanting, ripping up the posters depicting his slogan “Kuwait is for Kuwaitis.. only”, and at last burning the tent.

In this video uploaded to YouTube by yasoo1985, one can see the attack on Al-Juwaihel's center, with tribesmen setting it on fire, celebrating and chanting with threats:

Pictures uploaded by Flickr user Yasoo85, show the crowd as they burn the center.

A picture uploaded to Twitter by @Abd_Rashed also shows the center on fire, from another angle:

Election tent burning in Kuwait. Image by Twitter user @Abd_Rashed

This picture, posted on Twitter by @hwazn, shows a security guard bleeding during the events:

Injured security guard by Twitter user @hwazn

This picture (uploaded by a Twitter parody account @Murad_ALm9ri) shows the center the following morning:

Election tent the morning after. Image uploaded by @Murad_ALm9ri

The following day, some citizens showed support to Al-Juwaihel by leaving flowers near the burned center (image uploaded by Twitter user @Nasser_Aleidan):

Image by Twitter user @Nasser_Aleidan

Attacks on media

On Tuesday, the tribesmen were not satisfied with their Monday attack and headed to scope TV channel to try to break in; they failed after being blocked by security guards. The crowd of protestors were upset that the television station broadcast Al-Juwaihel's insulting speech against their tribe.

Afterwards, they tried to attack another station, Al-Watan, as it was hosting two election candidates in a debate. One of the candidates, named Nabeel Al-Fadil, uses the same discriminatory approach as Al-Juwaihel.

The station stopped the debate but that did not hold the crowd back and the attack led to 15 injuries among security guards, according to local newspapers, and three injured journalists - Yousif Al-Mutairi from Al-Qabas newspaper, Mohammed Al-Sharhan Al-Jarida (who was previously attacked by security and detained during stateless protests) and a photojournalist from Al-Seyassah newspaper.

Here is a clear picture of crowds standing in front of Al-Watan TV, taken from Al-Qabas:

Image by alqabas.com

This picture shows the car of candidate Nabil Al-Fadil, after being smashed in by the enraged crowd:

Image uploaded to Twitter by @AhmedMAlMutairi

Vote For Kuwait

Since the parliament was dissolved, many Kuwaitis have relied on Twitter to discuss their choices or to promote certain candidates. Last elections, Facebook played a big role in elections campaigns, but in this round, Twitter is playing the essential role as it transports faster and reaches a wider audience.

Last November 2011, a group of civil rights advocates named ‘South Al-Kuwait' (The Voice of Kuwait) started a campaign to promote awareness about the national constitution and what rights it guarantees to protect one from discrimination and injustice. For the current elections, the group made the following video to promote their campaign ‘tafreg' (it differs) to encourage people to vote and help make a difference:

A week ago, a group of actors created short videos entitled ‘Sheno ya3ni TV‘ that make fun of election candidates and their deception or shallowness. Some of the videos are directly made about certain candidates. In this video, for example, they make fun of a particular female candidate who does not have a clue about politics and only cares about her expensive clothes:

While this video shows Nizar Al-Qandi playing the typical candidate who is running for elections to gain more power and money:

Another campaign was launched to call on people to monitor elections and not allow violations:

To get the latest updates on Kuwait's elections, follow the hashtag #ommah2012

Kuwait: The Stateless Find A Voice Online

Onnik Krikorian — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:20:17 +0000

Writing on openDemocracy, Bidoun activist and Global Voices author Mona Kareem, profiled here, says that social media is providing the stateless with a voice online.

Video Highlights: Protests, Elections, Culture and GV

Juliana Rincón Parra — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:53:59 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel or by clicking on the regional header links.

Protests

2011 was a year of popular uprisings. The end of the year is no different than the past months, with fed up people turning to the streets in their hope to get their voices heard and make a difference.

Middle East- North Africa

Kuwait: Stateless Protesters Attacked for Demanding Rights
Police attacked stateless protesters in Kuwait, who were demanding their rights to documents, education, healthcare, employment and naturalization.

Egypt: Women Against SCAF - Who Wins?

Egyptians are outraged at the Supreme Council for Armed Forces continuing brutality and abuse against women; this time they beat and in the process, undressed a veiled female protester, an action which was caught on video.

Egypt: Women Rally for Dignity

A couple of days after the events on the previous video, women marched in Cairo protesting against the abuses to women and also called for the fall of military rule as told in Bahrain: A Bloody National Day, a Funeral and More Suppression.

Iran: Where Is My Classmate?

A student campaign was launched on December 7 to remember all those students who have been unable to return to Iran's universities due to religious or political reasons: some banned, others expelled, some in prison and some of them were killed on the streets. Support from other places in the world was shown through videos to remember the departed and repressed students. This video was sent in from Barcelona, Spain.

Saudi Arabia: Netizens Use Online Activism to Draw Attention to Qatif Protests

The month of November marked the return of protests to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in 2011, as the people of Qatif took to the streets to demand reforms, equality, the release of their detainees, and political freedom as many of their slogans and chants have expressed. So far, four protesters have been shot dead by security forces as a result.

Occupy Protests Worldwide

See special coverage page.

USA: Uncertain Future of Student Occupy Movement in California

After the pepper spray incident and video, the University of California's participation in the worldwide Occupy movement gained media attention. They are protesting against a 40% enrollment free increase, the high interest rates for student loans and the decreased availability of state financial aid.

Bahrain: #OccupyBudaiyaSt Continues

Peaceful protesters in Bahrain who are pressuring the government to release political prisoners and pay tribute to the more than 40 people killed by security forces since February have been faced with police attacks, brutality, tear gas, and rubber bullets. This comes after police were caught on different videos brutalizing 25 protesters on a roof with batons and knives.

Philippines: “Occupy” Protests Overcome Police Brutality

Highlighting the theme “sawang-sawa na tayo (we are fed up),” the campout protest tackled a broad range of issues from the Aquino administration's budget cuts for education and social services, nonstop oil and basic commodities price hikes, land reform, migrant issues, urban poor demolitions, and persistent human rights violations.

Elections

Electoral unrest has also motivated thousands out into the streets. In Russia the result reporting more than 140% of voters has already become a meme. And although the Congolese diaspora was unable to vote, they made sure to get their voices heard by the world.

Eastern and Central Europe

With the elections in Russia, online video has proven a useful tool in documenting electoral violations such as disappearing ink pens, paid voters and inflated turnouts as well as the later post electoral protests. Posts like Russia: No Violation of Election Violations and Russia: Second Day of Post-Election Protests explain the motives behind the protests such as election results, blogger arrests and also the clashes with anti-activists groups recruited and shipped into Moscow from other regions to demonstrate support for Vladimir Putin. An example of the electoral violations is the use of erasable pens left in voting booths:

Subsaharan Africa

D.R. of Congo: Congolese Diaspora Erupts Against Kabila

The Congolese nationals based outside the Congo demonstrated in front of embassies in several different countries. Although they weren't granted the possibility to vote in the past presidential and parliamentary elections, they protested to bring awareness to the situation in their country and in some cases to protest the results of the elections and to demand the departure of President Kabila. International governments have already approached the Congolese government to intercede and stop the violence in their capitals.

Culture

Is culture found in the traditions handed down through generations or is it found in the behaviors and activities which get adopted and followed by the population? In Mexico, children are growing up believing they are less because of their skin color. In Cuba, very popular but sexually explicit music gets censored, and in Trinidad, a religious Shia Muslim commemoration has in turn become a festival.

Latin America

Mexico: The Results of a Racism Experiment with Children

These children demonstrate how pervasive racism has become in Mexico. All that was needed was a pair of dolls, one light skinned and one dark for children to express how they felt the whiter doll was better, even if they identified more with the dark-skinned one.

Caribbean

Ashura Commemorations Around the World

The Shia Muslim commemoration of Ashura takes place in many places around the world. In Trinidad and Tobago it has transformed into the festival of Hosay and the ritual is shared with Sunnis, Hindus and Afro-Trinidadians.

Cuba: Reggaeton Hit ‘Chupi Chupi' Denounced by Authorities

A popular reggaeton song which sings explicitly about oral sex has been denounced as obscene by the authorities in Cuba. The debate on censorship has moved online where people debate on the song's merits as part of the actual culture of the island, whether people like it or not, and the impact the authorities comments will have on the songs popularity.

Global Voices Online

I would like to thank you for reading and supporting our work, thanks to which we can bring you these and other stories. Please take a second to read about our new fundraising campaign which comes with a lovely video:

Global Voices is a volunteer community of over 500 writers, translators, and digital media activists who bring you underreported stories and conversations from around the world. Watch our new video highlighting images and quotations from some of our supporters:

The video is also available in multiple languages.

Kuwait: Online Advocacy for the Stateless Bidoun

Onnik Krikorian — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:35:29 +0000

Since hundreds of Kuwait's 100,000 strong Bidoun were attacked by police for protesting in support of others detained earlier in the year, a number of bloggers and international organizations have been stepping up their support for the stateless people in the hope of drawing attention to their plight. The United Nations, for example, launched its own campaign to end the ‘limbo” facing stateless people in August.

Bidoun may be lacking certain legal documents or may have failed to register as citizens when Kuwait became independent in 1961.

“Apart from the misery caused to the people themselves, the effect of marginalizing whole groups of people across generations creates great stress in the societies they live in and is sometimes a source of conflict,” Antonio Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, was quoted as saying in reference to the Bidoun.

Since then, many have also paid tribute to Bidoun activist; Refugees International reports that Global Voices Author Mona Kareem recently spoke at the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC:

[…] it was the testimony of three female statelessness advocates that most moved participants. Mona Kareem, a member of Kuwait's stateless bidoun community, told the audience that despite the hardships she had faced because of her status - harassment, legal troubles, travel restrictions - she was “the luckiest of my community.”

“Many of my friends could only hope to marry a good husband,” who might provide them with Kuwaiti citizenship, “or for death to take them away by committing suicide.” She added, “None of them have hope. None of them even use the word ‘hope'. Bidoun women have to confront both the conservatism of their community and the injustice of their country.”

Image from International Calamity: Human Rights Policy Tumblr

The IbishBlog went further by not only interviewing Kareem, but also by praising her use of Twitter to draw attention to the issue:

One of the most interesting people I've come to know through Twitter is Mona Kareem, a poet, journalist, blogger and tweep who also happens to be bidoun jinsiya - “without citizenship” - from Kuwait. First, it's almost impossible to follow events in Kuwait quickly and efficiently in English — and in many cases at all — without consulting her Twitter feed (@monakareem), which does the work of 20 typical Middle East journalists. I'd go so far as to call it indispensable. More significantly, through her tweets and blogs she's introduced me, and I'm sure a lot of other people, to not only up-to-date information but background details on an issue we either didn't know about or, in my case, knew about only very vaguely: the plight of the stateless of Kuwait. […]

Given this extraordinary combination, I sought out the opportunity to interview Mona in person […] about a variety of issues, particularly that of the bidoun in Kuwait, Kuwaiti politics, and the tweeting and blogging scene in her country. […] It began in a most extraordinary manner: she showed me some documents, the like of which I've never seen before. First, there was her silver Kuwaiti travel document, as opposed to the normal blue Kuwaiti passports issued to citizens, which literally identified her as an “illegal resident” of the country. The visas in it were equally interesting, and in some cases almost as horrifying. […] I'm used to seeing the “travel documents,” “permits,” “IDs,” and other inherently insulting documents issued by some Arab states to Palestinian refugees, particularly those in Lebanon. But I've never seen these, and in themselves they told quite a horrifying story.

And, as I write, today the bidoun in Kuwait are again protesting, and again facing not only severe repression which is not meted to out those deemed “citizens” by the Kuwaiti government, but also facing the added insult of continuously having to show their IDs since protesting is, as she points out, a “right” at best reserved for Kuwaiti “citizens.” It's all being barely covered by the media, particularly in English, but this ongoing outrage deserves serious consideration by all of those who care about human rights, particularly in the Arab world. In Mona, the stateless of Kuwait have, as you'll quickly note, a remarkable young advocate.

Refugees International has also been active on Twitter and this week published an eye witness account of the attack on Bidoun protesters on their blog:

We sat down on the ground, with our backs to the police force. There were at least 30 vehicles from the police and Kuwait intelligence force - more than I have ever seen before.

They attacked us without any notice. Some of us stayed where we were, while the rest ran away. I ran away with my friends, and the police force were followed us into the residential area, in between the houses. I ran for almost eight kilometers and was followed by dark-colored GMC Yukon cars.

They arrested and beat many of those who remained at the protest site, and used cattle prods, smoke bombs, tear gas, and hot water cannons against them.

Another major issue was that they refused to send the injured to the hospital only few steps away. Instead, they sent them to the police hospital in order to cover up their mess.

The issue, of course, is not new and activists such as Kareem and others have raised the problem of statelessness before, but in June 2011, Global Voices reported on how Bidoun and their supporters were increasingly turning to social media to advance their demands for citizenship rights. Mona Kareem can be followed on Twitter at @monakareem while Refugees International is at @RefugeesIntl.

Kareem's most recent post for Global Voices on this week's dispersal of a Bidoun protest in Kuwait is here.

Kuwait: Stateless Protesters Attacked for Demanding Rights

Mona Kareem — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:13:29 +0000

There are more than 100,000 stateless in Kuwait struggling to have the rights to documents, education, health care, employment, and most importantly naturalization. Back in February and March, hundreds of them took to the streets to demonstrate for those rights, where they faced police brutality and arrests.

This month, after the replacement of Kuwait's Prime Minister, following public pressure due to protests, Kuwait's stateless population felt more encouraged to protest again. Last week, there were several small protests in reaction to the trials of protesters. On Friday, the protest led to the arrest of 20 men, later released on Sunday.

On Monday, a bigger protest took place in Taimaa, where protesters gathered, in which police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and smoke bombs to disperse them. Later on in the evening, Kuwaitis wanted to protest side by side with the stateless for their rights in front of the parliament, but security forces decided to not let anyone inside the Erada Square, unless they showed a valid civil ID card, which proved they were citizens.

Monday also marked the arrest of around 30 men who entered a hunger strike on that same day. I tried to cover the protest through Twitter, translating the observations of activists on the ground, tweeting in Arabic.

Here is a run down of some of what happened on Monday.

@monakareem: Activist @NawafAlbader says #Kuwait riot police using rubber bullets, smoke bombs, & water cannons against (est. 500) #stateless protesters

@monakareem: Activist @NawafAlbader says security is using dirty discriminatory language with #stateless protesters & chasing them between houses

Rubber bullets and smoke bombs used against stateless protesters in Kuwait. Photo credit: Shared by @tayartaqadomi on Twitter

Stateless protesters get water-cannoned. Photo shared by KhalefaAlwatan on Twitter.

Protesters marching towards Freedom Square in Taima. Photo shared by @al_saher_666 on Twitter.

Marks of rubber bullets on the back of a stateless protester, who was earlier arrested. Photo shared by @m_f7 on mobypicture.

Kuwaiti citizens lashed out at the treatment of their stateless brethren. Ali Al Saibie tweets:

@AlSaibie: I'm Kuwaiti & I refuse to see ANYone oppressed or disrespected in my country. This is a land of freedom & dignity.

Despite this sentiment, shown by many Kuwaitis, the crackdown continued:

A stateless protester getting arrested. Photo shared by @Alshee3ly78 on Twitter

Security vehicles in Taimaa. Photo shared by @althuwaini on Twitter

Leftist political group “The Progressive Movement” was present to cover the protest and reported violations [ar]:

استخدام طلقات مطاطية على المتجمهرين وإصابات و حالات اختناق من القنابل الدخان

@tayartaqadomi: Rubber bullets were used against protesters, injuries, and suffocating incidents due to smoke bombs.

Kuwaiti activist Khaled Al-Fadala was one of the few citizens who went to Taimaa to protest and tried to help. He reported through Twitter [ar]:

اعتقالات بالعشرات و ضرب بالمطاعات و الغاز.. اعتقال أنور الفكر (الراي) و إصابة محمد الشرهان (الجريدة) و جرح فارس البلهان

@Alfadala: Tens of arrests, protesters getting beaten with batons and attacked with gas. Journalist Anwar Al-Fikr from Al-Rai newspaper was arrested and journalist Mohammed Al-Sharhan from Al-Jarida newspaper was injured. Activist Faris Al-Balhan was injured too.

Security forces attempting to block entrances between houses. Photo shared on Twitter by @fares_albalhan

On Twitter, @nashmiq8 posted this photograph saying it is tear gas. Others said it is more likely to be a smoke bomb.

Protesters marching. Photograph shared on twitpic by @nashmiq8

On Twitter, @faisalalmana shares this photograph showing the arrest of Al-sabah TV correspondent

Moe Qasem reacts:

@MoeQasem: the attack was savage n cruel! Even animals won't be treated like that! Special forces would literally say: move u shit !

Others shared videos they took at the protests. Among them is Althuwaini, who tweets a video he took of the attack on the stateless protesters:

@althuwaini Storming #Bidun protesters in video yfrog.us/28uhsbz

This video (uploaded by Fares AlBalhan) shows the security attack on protesters:

While this video footage (uploaded by a stateless netizen nicknamed 7mgan) puts together different scenes from police attack on protesters:

Other netizens shared still photographs of the attack. Here are some of them:

The attack by security forces begins. Photo credit: @bodalal2, shared on Twitter

Hot water cannons used on protesters. Photo credit: @bodalal2, posted on Twitter

Stateless protester trying to stop forces from attacking the protesters. Photo credit: @bodalal2, shared on Twitter

A close up shot of protesters getting doused with water by riot police using water cannons. Photo credit: @Mohd_AlSalem, shared on Twitter

Kuwait: Christmas in Kuwait

Amira Al Hussaini — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:09:52 +0000

Mark, from Kuwait, lists the places which have put up Christmas decorations in the Arab Sheikhdom. Tune into the comments for reactions.

Kuwait: A New Prime Minister and Detainees Bailed Out

Mona Kareem — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:29:08 +0000

From Right: Kuwait's New Prime Minister, Head of Parliament, and Resigned Prime Minister

Political tension has reached its peak in Kuwait after protesters stormed the parliament more than two weeks ago. More than 20 of those who took part in the action were arrested or have handed themselves in to the public prosecution in solidarity with those arrested. The Cabinet then resigned a day before thousands protested last Monday in Erada Square, demanding the release of detainees and the departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed, who is accused of corruption. At last, by the end of November, the Amir of Kuwait chose not to reappoint Sheikh Nasser for the eighth time and instead appointed the resigned defense minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak as the new prime minister; a decision that was welcomed with feelings of victory on one side and with worries and disappointment over the appointment of Al-Mubarak, on the other side.

Detainees Hunger-Strike

The 31 detainees

On the 25th of November, those detained for storming the parliament entered a hunger strike protesting the refusal of public prosecution to let them be bailed out until their trial dates. The author of this post has published the English version of the detainees' statement regarding their hunger strike which lasted for five days. On December 1, the detainees were bailed out after the appointment of the new prime minister. In the statement, the detainees listed six points to explain their decision:

First: Fixed and false accusations have been charged against all, reaching up to 13 charges to some detainees that could carry a total of lifetime sentences.
Second: 14 different detainees have been accused of stealing the same parliamentary gavel belonging to National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi.
Third: We are currently being held in prison cells that lack the most basic human requirements.
Fourth: One of the detainees needing immediate medical attention was transferred to Mubarak Hospital cuffed by hands and feet, as a provocative act by officials.
Fifth: Our attempts in trying to contact family members has been denied keeping us cut off from any news about them and their situation.
Finally, since the interrogation has already been completed by public prosecutors, and since we are accused and not convicted, and since we are Kuwaiti citizens having no reason to flee, and since we willingly and voluntarily turned ourselves in, we declare that it is unlawful and cruel to deny us bail, therefore we announce the start of a hunger strike.

As detainees were on hunger strike, people gathered in front of the court (Justice Palace) for several days demanding their release. In the sit-in, protesters carried a huge hammer in a sarcastic gesture against the head of parliament Jassim Al-Khurafi who submitted a complaint against those who stormed the parliament accusing them of stealing his hammer.

Monday Erada Protest

Last Monday, the day after the cabinet submitted its resignation, thousands gathered in Erada Square to demand the release of the detainees and the departure of the Prime Minister. Through Twitter, there were four groups responding to this protest:
1) A group that already protested against storming the parliament and in favor of the government.
2) The ‘grey' group that refused to protest as the event was led by those they saw as corrupt and fundamental opposition MPs.
3) The ‘orange' group that used the hash tag #3an_nafsi (on my behalf) to state that their refusal to let those MPs represent them, yet they will protest for the freedom of the detainees.
4) The ‘yellow' group which included people who have been protesting against the prime minister despite the crowd attending or leading it. It also included people who sympathized with detainees and wanted to leave politics aside until they get released.

Kuwaiti tweep Danah Taqi designed this avatar for the orange group

In comment on Monday's protest, Kuwaiti blogger Dahem Al-Qahtani wrote [ar]:

للتو عدت من ساحة الإرادة. عدد الحضور وصل إلى نحو 50 ألف مواطن ومواطنة إن لم يكن أكثر. ما حصل لم يكن مجرد إجتماعا سياسيا بل كان وبإمتياز إستفتاء شعبي عفوي رافض لمنهجية إدارة الدولة عبر الطرق التي تدار بها حالياً

I just came back from Erada Square. The number reached 50,000 male and female citizens, if not more. What happened was not just a political gathering but a spontaneous public poll refusing the methods that the state is being ran by.

Another blogger called ‘what's up‘ wrote a post about the rallies in front of the Justice Palace and the one held in Erada Square last Monday [ar]:

تجمع الحشود في ساحة الارادة وقصر العدل ليس عبث ولكن هو نتيجة تراكم الصراعات السياسية التي عشناها في المجلس الحالي، إلا أن أدت هذه التراكمات الى انفجار “ارادة” الشعب الذي “قمع” وتضرر جراء معادلة حكومية فاسدة نتيجتها “قبض” الأغلب لمبالغ من المال التي أهدرت وسلبت من مال الشعب العام واحتياطي الاجيال القادمة التي قد لا تعيش الرفاهية التي نعيشها اليوم بل وقد نحن أنفسنا لا نعيش هذه الرفاهية بعد عدة سنين ليست بكثيرة

The crowds in front of Justice Palace and in Erada Square did not show up randomly but in reaction to a long political clash that we lived through the time of the current parliament. The people exploded and were repressed, after getting harmed by a corrupt government that bribed and wasted the public funds and the money of the coming generations that might not live the luxury we are living in today. We too might not live this luxury in several years.

The New Prime Minister

After the appointment of the new prime minister, bloggers and Twitter users expressed their opinions about the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Blogger Hamad wrote a post to thank those who have been protesting over the past two years against the resigned prime minister. He emphasized the importance of keeping up the struggle [ar]:

ولازلت أعتقد بأن التحرك ضد الاستفراد السلطوي ومن اجل محاسبة كل المتورطين في قضايا الفساد المليوني هو واجب لابد من الاستمرار في نهجه لحين تحقيق هدف مهم وهو تطبيق القانون و ادانة المتورطين الكبار في الدولة والذين خانوا الامانة ولابد من أن يكونوا عبرة لمن لا يعتبر

I still believe in working against those who want to have the power for themselves, and in questioning all those who were involved in corruption and bribes worth millions of Kuwaiti dinars. Consistency is a duty to achieve an important goal which is to apply the law and to charge those who betrayed trust, so they would be an example for others.

The following video shows the moments the detainees were released on bail, after the appointment of the new prime minister:

Professor of political science Kristin Diwan (@kdiwaniya) wrote in her Twitter account pointing out the value of replacing Kuwait's prime minister:

@kdiwaniya: Replacement of Kuwaiti PM due to popular pressure is a milestone in forcing political accountability in the GCC.

Kuwaiti doctor Fawaz Farhan (@FawazFarhan) actively participated in different protests against the former prime minister and for the freedom of detainees. Despite being secular, Farhan attended political rallies against the prime minister despite the fact some of them were led by Islamist or conservative members of the parliament, a number of them accused of corruption. He refuses their acts and criticizes liberals as well and their absence in the late political scene but at the same does not mind Islamist presence if brought by ballots.

هناك أنباء عن النية بتحويل النواب ذوي الحسابات المتضخمة بعد حل المجلس.. يبدو أن الحراك الشعبي بدأ يؤتي أكلَه.. المجد للشعب

@FawazFarhan: Reports suggest that parliament members with suspicious bank accounts will be investigated after the dissolving the parliament. It seems the public movement is gaining its results. Glory to the people.

مع أنني لست متفائلاً كثيراً ، إلا أن جابر المبارك قد يعيد شيئاً من ثقة الشعب بالحكومات الكويتية لو اتخذ بعض القرارات التاريخية

@FawazFarhan: I am not too optimistic, however Jaber Al-Mubarak might gain back a bit of people's trust in Kuwaiti governments, by taking historical decisions.

قلناها من قبل ونقولها الآن: حتى لو كلفنا التخلص من الدكتاتورية والفساد صعود الإسلاميين فلن نتراجع ، فلنترك المجتمع يجرّب ويتطوَّر

@FawazFarhan: We said it before and will say it again now: if getting rid of dictatorship and corruption will cost us the raise of Islamists, we will still not back off. Let society try and develop.

Hamad Aljudai (@hamadmj) is one more young man who protested against the prime minister. He wrote many comments about the way he sees this developing and in one of his tweets, he talked about the clash inside the ruling family:

أحد يسكّت “رجالات الدولة” من مطالبة الأمير وقف صراع أبناء الأسرة. الصراع طبيعي والي نحتاجه هو وضعه بإطار دستوري ديمقراطي لا أكثر

@hamadmj: Someone silence ‘the state figures' from demanding the Amir to stop the ruling family clash. The clash is natural, what we need is to put it within a constitutional democratic frame.

Abdullah Alsadoun (@AbdullahAlsadon) stated the obvious regarding the appointment of Al-Mubarak as the new prime minister of Kuwait:

تكليف جابر المبارك الشريك الرئيسي في جميع حكومات ناصر المحمد خطوة الى الوراء و لا يعبر عن طموحات الشعب!

@AbdullahAlsadon: The appointment of Jaber Al-Mubarak, the main partner in all Nof asser Al-Mohammed's cabinets, is just a step backwards that doesn't reflect the ambitions of people.

Columnist Ahmad Al Essa (@ahmadaleisa) was one of those who formed the ‘grey' group refusing to participate in protests led by corrupt opposition figures. He comments on “the new era” saying:

الإصلاح يتمثل بتقديم حكومة الرئيس الجديد طلب رفع الحصانة عن النواب المقتحمين واتخاذ الإجراءات القانونية ضد الراشي والمرتشي قبل حل المجلس

@ahmadaleisa: Reform will be seen when the new prime minister submits a request to remove the immunity of the parliament members who stormed the parliament and by taking legal action against the briber and the bribed before dissolving parliament.

Lawyer Bassam Alasousi (@Bassam_Alasousi) was also from the grey group and he was critical of the confusion that liberal politicians had in the past days. Alasousi believes the winner from all of this is Muslim Brotherhood, as he wrote in criticism and sarcasm:

جيش (الإخوان) استخدم مدافعنا الثقيلة في معركته الأخيرة ……. هنيئا لكم النصر ياشباب

@Bassam_Alasousi: The army of Muslim Brotherhood used our heavy cannons in its last battle…. Congrats on your victory, youth!

Kuwait: Protesters Storm the National Assembly

Mona Kareem — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:48:39 +0000

Thousands of angry Kuwaitis stormed the National Assembly building on Wednesday 16 November, 2011, after police and security forces clashed with protestors. Kuwait's political sphere has been extremely tense in the past few years, and with the Arab Spring earlier this year, the situation took a new turn.

Before protests began in Tunisia and Egypt, there were clashes in Kuwait in December 2010 between the parliament and the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, when some MPs were beaten by anti-riot police alongside people attending a political gathering organized in the house of Muslim Brotherhood MP Jimaan Al-Harbish.

MPs subsequently demanded the opportunity to quiz the prime minister and his ministers on charges of corruption; the cabinet resigned, and the prime minister was reappointed for the seventh time since he was first appointed five years ago.

Youth call for protests

After the Arab Spring, calls for protests in Kuwait started in March 2011 and around 1,000 protesters showed up, alongside politicians and MPs, to demand the departure of Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah whom they accuse of corruption.

Recently, the prime minister went to the Constitutional Court to get a valid decision that rules out any quizzing by MPs over accusations of bribery. Opposition members have also been accused of getting bribed or controlled by other figures such as ruling family members, who are battling with the current prime minister to win his chair.

This political wrangling has pushed the country's young people many times to try to organize themselves into a public movement demanding reforms and the resignation of Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah; however, some parliament members keep showing up to these protests in an attempt to take credit, chant, make statements, and lead the crowds to enforce their own agendas.

Storming the National Assembly

On 16 November, Kuwaiti youth who were just starting to camp in the capital Kuwait City's Erada Square in front of the National Assembly - enraged by what the prime minister did to run away from getting questioned - decided to protest in the square to once again demand his departure.

MPs showed up as usual and gave speeches, but when security forces tried to stop one of them from speaking, the situation escalated and clashes began with security forces that caused some injuries. Suddenly, the crowd decided to storm the National Assembly in an attempt to reclaim the parliament, which is referred to by the Kuwaiti constitution as “the house of the people.”

Here are pictures and videos of the event as tweeted by several protesters.

Clashes between protesters and security guards:

Image posted by @AbdullahBoftain on Twitpic

Protesters in the National Assembly's main hall (Abdullah Al-Salem Hall) standing over tables and chairs and chanting that “this their house and they have taken it back”:

Image posted by @waleed_bokubar on Twitpic

One of the protesters on the ground after clashes with security forces:

Image posted by 3asalaswad on Yfrog

One of the protesters who got shot with a rubber bullet:

Image posted by Twitter user @ALI_M_ALMUTAIRI

Security officers start to crack down on protesters:

Image posted to Yfrog

Protesters leaving the parliament after storming it:

Image posted by Twitter user @ALI_M_ALMUTAIRI

7eyad news service posted this video to YouTube, which shows protesters singing “Leave, Leave, Leave” by the gate of the National Assembly:

@Wikileaks_q8 posted this video on twitter of protesters chanting “The people want to topple the president [the prime minister]”:

Sultan Al-Jazzaf (@sjazzaf) posted this video of the protesters and MPs after breaking into the National Assembly:

Video footage of different moments of the protest taken from Al-Youm TV which was live broadcasting the events:

Kuwait: Video Campaign to Teach Citizens about the Constitution

Mona Kareem — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:44:52 +0000

Logo of "Sout Al-Kuwait" group

To mark the 49th anniversary of the Kuwaiti constitution, a group of activists decided to remind citizens of the different clauses of the constitution. Under the theme of Tadry [ar] (Did you know?), Sout Al-Kuwait (Voice of Kuwait) produced six videos, each spanning a few seconds, explaining to citizens six select articles from the constitution.

Formed a few years ago by a group of activists and young liberals, Sout Al-Kuwait aims at promoting awareness regarding democracy and civil rights. The group meets regularly and communicates through social media to organize different events geared at targeting a wider audience and educating them about democracy, the constitution and civil rights. Their work comes at an important time as the Kuwaiti political sphere gets more and more tense as the parliament continues to clash with the prime minister.

On the 11/11/2011, Kuwait celebrated the 49th anniversary of its constitution which was the first constitution in the Gulf region, alongside its parliament that came to life as the first parliament in the GCC back in 1963.

Sout Al-Kuwait's team independently worked on producing the following videos, which have all been uploaded to YouTube, to commemorate the occasion.

The first video explains Article 29, which states: “All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction to race, origin, language, or religion.”

The second video focuses on Article 17, which stipulates: “Public property is inviolable and its protection is the duty of every citizen.”

The third tackles Article 33, which states that: “Punishment is personal.” It explains: “Did you know that if your neighbour is a thief, his son should not be punished for his crime.”

Article 35 is the focus of the fourth video. It says: “Freedom of belief is absolute. The State protects the freedom of practicing religion in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or morals.”

The fifth video focuses on Article 44, which says: “Individuals have the right of private assembly without permission or prior notification, and the police may not attend such private meetings. Public meetings, demonstrations, and gatherings are permitted in accordance with the conditions and manner specified by law.”

And the last video pays attention to Article 48, which reads: “Payment of taxes and public fees is a duty in accordance with the law which regulates exemption of small incomes from taxes in such a way as to maintain the minimum standard of living.”

Kuwait: Twitter Users Arrested then Released for “Insulting” Amir

Mona Kareem — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:18:28 +0000

Four months ago, state security police in Kuwait arrested two Twitter and a YouTube user. On Thursday November 3, 2011, two Twitter users were called in and detained by the public prosecutor for violating the 54th article of the Kuwaiti constitution which states: “The Amir is the Head of the State. His person is immune and inviolable.”

Within 24 hours, Hamad AlOlayan (@hamadalolayan) and Tariq Al-mutairi (@al_tariq2009) were released. Yet, their cases will continue to be investigated.

Kuwaiti netizens were not happy with the arrests and sent support messages for the two. Many of them were not objecting to the interrogation but to the fact that Hamal AlOlayan was detained before being charged with any violation. Others were trying to show that the the two Twitter users in question did not disrespect the Amir and that what they wrote is open for interpretation.

Hamad AlOlayan, left with his two children and father. Photo by Nusaiba Al Anjeri.

Kuwaiti Blogger Khamis Almutairi (@KhamisAlmutairi) commented on how the process was illegal [ar]:

المشكلة ليست بالتحقيق مع حمد العليان! المشكلة احتجازه! حمد لم يتطاول صراحةً..حمد وما كتبه يحتمل التأويل بكذا معنى، لماذا هذا التعسف بإحتجازه

@KhamisAlmutairi: The problem is not with interrogating Hamad AlOlayan, the problem is with detaining him. Hamad did not directly insult [the Amir] and what he wrote is open for interpretation, so why this unfair detention?

Then he added [ar]:

حمد العليان متهم، يحقق معه …يحتجز! و صباح المحمد يدان بتهمة سب النائب ليحبس لكن يتم اطلاق سراحه لينفذ باقي العقوبة خارج السجن!!..تعسف

@KhamisAlmutairi: Hamad AlOlayan gets interrogated and detained while Sabah Al-Mohammed [of the ruling family] gets charged in court for insulting a parliamentarian then gets released to spend the rest of his sentence out of jail! Injustice!

Political activist Jassim Al-Qames (@JassimQ) tweeted in criticism of this act as well [ar]:

أفهم أن يكون هناك قانون ويتم تجاوزه فيتم التحقيق مع الناس وفق إنسانيتهم وليس ترهيبهم ومعاملتهم كـ”حتة لحمة”.. خصوصا أنهم لا يشكلون خطر مادي

@JassimQ: I do understand that there is a law and when someone violates it then he will be interrogated, but this should happen with respect to his human rights and without terrorizing him or treating him as a “piece of meat”… especially when he is not a physical threat!

الاعتقاد بأنه بإمكانك اعتقال فكرة اعتقاد ساذج، فهو لا يزيدها إلا قوة وصلابة. وللأسف بدل أن نعدل السياسات نلاحق من يشير إليها، أي كان رأيه

@JassimQ: It is naive to think that you can arrest an idea, you are only making the person stronger. Unfortunately, instead of fixing our policies, we are hunting down those who criticize, whatever their opinions.

Blogger Shurouq Muzaffar (@ShurouqM) reacted to the arrests news saying [ar]:

الكويت عمرها ما كان فيها حرية كما يصور البعض.. الخطوط الحمراء قديمة والإجراءات التعسفية أقدم

@ShurouqM: Kuwait has never had freedom the way some describe it. The ‘red' lines are old and the unfair practices are even older.

ماكو قناعة فعلية بالحرية عند الناس قبل السلطة، ولذلك نحن هنا

@ShurouqM: It is not only the authorities that don't have a real belief in freedom, it is also the people and that's why we ended up in this position.

Activist and blogger Dhari Al-Jutaili (@Dhari_) has also condemned the arrests [ar]:

ضد إخراج الكلمات من سياقها لتلبيس التهم غصب طيب، وضد التعسف بحجز المتهمين بما أنهم لايشكلون خطرعلى المجتمع وبالإمكان الاكتفاءبمنعهم من السفر

@Dhari_: I am against putting words out of the context and trying to provoke charges. Against the unfair detention of people who are of no threat to society. Blocking them from traveling is enough.

Lawyer Bassam Alasousi (@Bassam_Alasousi) criticized the small protest that took place in front of the prime minister's house against the detention of the two Twitter users [ar]:

سؤال: حجز المغردين كان بناء على قرار النيابة العامة والذي تقدم بالشكوى هو الديوان الأميري.. فما علاقة ناصر المحمد ليتم التظاهر أمام منزله ؟

@Bassam_Alasousi: Question: the arrests were based on a decision by the public prosecution after a complaint was filed by the Amir's Palace… so what does [Prime Minister] Nasser Al-Mohammed have to do with it for you to protest in front of his house?

On the other hand, journalist Mohammad Al-Baghli (@albaghli74) criticized the participation of parliamentarians in sit-ins for the freedom of the Twitter users [ar]:

بدال ما النائب يشارك في اعتصام يا ريت يشرع لنا قانون للنشر الاليكتروني يحمي الجميع من تعسف اجهزة الامن

@albaghli74: Instead of participating in a sit-in, a parliament member should work on issuing a law for Internet publishing that protects everyone from the injustice of security authorities.

Meanwhile, Haya Alshatti (@hayaalshatti) was curious to know more about this case [ar]:

يبيله ويكيليكس الان..ودّي اشوف السفارة الأمريكية شنو ارسلت لادارتها بواشنطن عن الاعتقالات التويترية بالكويت!

@hayaalshatti: We need WikiLeaks now! I would like to see what the US Embassy has written to [Washington] DC on the arrests of tweeps in Kuwait!

Saudi-Kuwaiti tweep (@AwthahAbs) pointed to the power of Twitter [ar]:

حجز المتوترين وإستدعائهم للتحقيق..لا يؤكد إلا تيقنهم بقوة تأثير تويتر وقدرته على التغيير

@AwthahAbs: Detaining tweeps and calling them for interrogation only confirms that authorities know how powerful Twitter is and how capable it is of making change.

After the release of Hamad AlOlayan, activist Khaled Alfedala (@Alfadala) who was detained when the Prime Minister sued him last year, suggested a gesture for the released tweep [ar]:

حملة شبابية لإيصال متابعين حمد العليان في تويتر الى عشرة الاف متابع

@Alfadala: A youth campaign to make Hamad AlOlayan's account reach 10,000 followers.

Kuwait: After Three Months in Prison, Court Releases Twitter User

Mona Kareem — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:06:57 +0000

Three months ago, with sectarianism reaching its climax in the public sphere after the Bahraini protests, a Kuwaiti Twitter user named Nasser Abul (@NasserAbuL) was arrested for insulting the Bahraini and Saudi regimes.

At first, many people thought arresting Abul was caused by his sectarian tweets, which he wrote to express his anger towards what is happening to adherents of the Shia sect in Bahrain; however, that was not the only charge. Abul spent three months between the state security police and the central jail and his court sessions were postponed several times. Finally, the court decided to release Abul after sentencing him to three months, which he had already served, for insulting the Sunni sect.

Nasser Abul after his release. Picture taken from the Facebook group "We are all with Nasser Abul".

This decision came weeks after the sentencing of a Sunni tweep called Mubarak Al-Bathali (@mubaark) to three years in jail for insulting a religious sect and trying to “hurt national unity”. Al-Bathali, unlike Abul, did not try to deny what he wrote on Twitter. The sentence was later shortened to six months in jail.

Kuwaiti mainstream media has not been transparent about the details of Abul's case and what is generally assured is that he denied writing his tweets, saying that someone hacked into his account and tweeted the controversial posts.

Online, Kuwaiti netizens kept on using the sectarian insulting posts against each other. When looking for reactions to Abul's release, one can hardly find anyone dealing with this case as a human rights or a political case. In the Kuwaiti National Online Forum, a discussion was started after the release of Nasser Abul when a forum member called Al-Ashtar [ar] wrote the following:

ظهر الحق وان تأخر .. نحن في دولة قانون يحاكم ويحاسب كل شخص وفق ما ورد في نص القانون .. لا مكان لشريعة الغاب ان تحكم .. ناصر كان كبش فداء .. فعسى ان يتعظ من يعي ويفهم

Al-Ashtar: The truth is out even if it was late; we are in a country of laws and it is according to those laws that people get put on trial. There is no place for the jungle law to rule. Nasser is not a scapegoat. So we hope people get the lesson.

Another member of the forum named “Bidoon Mojamala” [ar] responded by saying:

نعم ظهر الحق وان تأخر … والحق الذي ظهر وتبين للجميع ان ناصر ابل اخذ اقل من جزاه، وأعلم ياعزيزي ان ناصر ابل الآن ليس ناصر ابل سابقا (أمن الدولة) اعطته درسا كافيا وتعلم منهم كيفية ( المشي تحت الحيط ) .!! والايام القادمه ستثبت لك ذلك وسيحسب لأي كلمة ألف حساب قبل ان يتفوه بها

Bidoon Mojamala: I agree, the truth came out late, but the truth is that Nasser took less than what he deserved in terms of punishment. You should realize that Nasser now is not the previous Nasser because the State Security Police gave him a lesson to teach him how to avoid such trouble! The coming days will prove that to you and he will be more careful before saying any words.

Al-Ashtar wrote another reply in this post, which went on for several pages, saying that sectarianism is very common in Kuwait:

تهمة الاشهر الثلاث كانت بسبب تحقير مذهب ديني .. تأكدي ان هذا القانون لو تم تفعيله لربما نحتاج الى بناء سجون في بر المطلاع لرمي اكثر من نصف الشعب هناك، شخصيا اتمنى تفعيل هذا القانون بشكل صارم على الكل وليس على الواحد

Al-Ashtar: The three months sentence was for insulting a religious sect; be sure, if this law was activated then we will have to build prisons in the desert to throw half of the population in. Personally, I wish this law gets applied strictly on everyone and not only on one person.

Sager [ar] tried to speak the wise word saying that people should defend the Shia Nasser Abul and the Sunni Mubarak Al-Bathali equally:

على من يدعون الديمقراطيه من الطرفين ان يدافع عن الطرفين او يلوم الطرفين

Sager: Those who speak of democracy from both sects should defend or blame both sides.

Further Reading:

Advox: Three Netizens Detained

Kuwait: Fined for Bad Breath

Amira Al Hussaini — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:06:38 +0000

From Kuwait, Mark shares a news item about an Arab motorist who was fined by a policeman for “having bad breath.”
“If they’re issuing tickets for bad breath then my previous joke about how sunglasses should be banned might actually happen,” he blogs.

Syria: World Cities Rally Against and For Bashar

Thalia Rahme — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:23:19 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

As the death toll in Syria increases, the International Community is running out of patience and hardening its tone against Syrian president Bashar Al Assad demanding for change and reforms. Abroad the diaspora has also been involved actively since the beginning of the protests in March 2011. Almost all cities around the world have witnessed rallies and demonstrations, some asking Assad to leave, and others declaring their dying love for him.

From San Francisco (11 June, 2011) and Chicago (July 3), to Washington DC ( 23 July), the US capital, where people chanted: ‘‘Leave Leave Bashar” in front of the White House; almost all big cities in the US witnessed opposition gatherings manifesting their solidarity with the people of Daraa, Homs and Deir el Zor among others.

Here is video uploaded by AhmedIbnAlsham on August 6, where protesters where carrying a poster representing Hafez and Bashar Al Assad and written on it: ”Like father, like son”:

Assad also has his supporters in the US like in California (April 3). Chicago too, held another pro-regime rally on April 3 and June 10 while defenders of the regime met in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York (May 1) to assert their love to their leader.

Wave of rallies hit Latin America as well. On June 26, Syrians in Santiago, Chile, chanted “El Pueblo Quiere Bashar el Assad” or ”The People Want Bashar Al Assad”, as we can see in this footage by Zaizuni:

We move to Europe and start with London (June 18) where Syrians called Assad an assassin, to Brussels (July 23), the headquarters of the European Parliament, to Milano in Italy (12 and 17 July). There, potesters, it seems, are no longer satisfied with reforms or even the call for the toppling of the regime. They want to bring it to trial.

Here's a video by Hazem Daoudi, taken in Geneva on August 6, Switzerland, facing the UN Headquarters:

France which is home to a large Syrian community has been witnessing continuous demonstrations, like in Strasbourg on 2 and 16 July, and this two-week sit-in, facing Place du Châtelet in Paris. YouTube user Mesudh75, posts this video showing a peaceful protest in front of the Syrian consulate and the Syrian Cultural Center in Paris:

In Germany, people took to the streets in Leipzig (July 7), Berlin (July 23) and Bonn on August 6 and August 8, not to forget Munich where on that same day, where this video from HutaafElhurriyyeh shows Germans showing solidarity with Syrians and singing the Syrian National Anthem:

Close to Munich, in Vienna, Austria, another protest took place, where this footage was taken and posted by AhmadSouri during a demo on August 9, in front of the Syrian Embassy:

Anti-Bashar protests also took place in Ukraine (April 22) Romania (June 30), Russia (July 31) and Greece (August 2), calling for the end of fascism:

In Turkey, protesters gathered in front of the Iranian embassy in Istanbul on August 5, denouncing the Islamic Republic stance towards the protest. They were joined on August 7, by members of the Felicity or Saadet party in front of the Syrian Consulate as we can see in this video by khaled111h:

But Assad can also rely on his supporters in Europe, who consider him as the only guarantee for stability and security in Syria. The streets of Paris, France, witnessed severaldemonstrations on June 11 and July 3 , 4 11 and 12 .

Diaspora in Odessa, Ukraine, flew balloons with the Syrian flag on June 4 for Assad. Others marched on June 6 in Kazan City in Russia for the same reason.

Syrians in Armenia also portrayed their support to their president on March 2011:

Despite the turmoil and unrest in the Arab world, and its own inner revolution, its capitals were keen on showing their solidarity and compassion with the Syrians.

This is Tunis on August 6, in a video by wadoodfreesyrian where people were chanting:” Syria is Free! Bashar get out!”:

In Egypt on August 1, OmawiTV shows angry people following the Hama Massacre and calling for the expulsion of the Syrian Ambassador:

In Lebanon, the situation is a bit delicate due to the complex relation between both countries. Quite often, opponents and loyalists of the Damascus regime clashed and the army had to intervene to separate both parties. The latest rally in solidarity with the Syrian people was held on Monday, August 8 in Martyrs Square in Beirut. This was a gathering which was attended by a lot of intellectuals, journalists and activists among which we note the presence of prominent Lebanese composer and singer Marcel Khalife. You can check Mahmoud Ghazayel's photos of the event, on Facebook.

Participants were chanting “This a shout from Lebanon - Calling for Human Rights”:

Jordanians conducted Taraweeh, the nightly Ramadan prayers, on August 2 in front of the Syrian Embassy as we can see in this video taken directly from the scene of events by Basemaggad. Bassem recorded another video in August 8 too.

Similar rallies took places in the Gulf monarchies cities, like in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, on August 8, where we can hear people shouting “Syria is for us and not for the Assad Family”:

Here is another video from Jeddah at night on the same day by hama19822011:

In Kuwait (August 5 and 7) and Bahrain (August 5, 8 and 9, protesters are demanding the expulsion of Syrian Ambassador from both respective countries and the freezing of the bilateral ties with Damascus. Protests were attended by several political figures and members of both parliaments.

This video by daraahoran shows people in Kuwait in front of Syrian Embassy, calling for the overthrow of the Baath party.

Syrians and Bahrainis rallied in Manama on August 9, chanting“Daraa, we're with you, till death !”

We conclude our round up in the Australian continent, where seems the Assad opponents and partisans also voiced their support and vice versa.

In Auckland, New Zealand, approximately 200 people gathered in protest against the regime for killing innocent Syrian civilians on July 30.

Demonstrations were also held in Sydney, Australia, on August 2 against the regime:

In another demonstration in Sydney on April 3, protested to say that ”Bashar is the best president in the whole Middle East and the world there will be no one like him”.

Protests against the Syrian regime, are penciled in for London, Paris and Tunis tomorrow (August 13).

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

Thumbnail and featured image ‘Protest to support Syrian opposition at State Department - Berlin', by Thorsten Strasas, copyright Demotix (06/08/11).

MENA: Can a Hashtag Spread Hatred?

Tarek Amr — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:00:59 +0000

Over the past few days, more than 250,000 Israelis have protested in the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities over the rising costs of housing and food. The protesters there borrowed much from the Arab Spring. They even carried banners that read “Leave, here is Egypt” in both Arabic and Hebrew, and used the well known Arab Spring chant where they kept the first part of it in Arabic and added a Hebrew part to it to become “Al-Shaab yurid Tzedek Chevrati” (The People demand Social Justice”).

A call for the ruler to leave: In Tunisia they used it in French (Dégagé), then in Egypt it was used translated into Arabic (Erhal), and finally in Israel they also used to Arabic text in this banner. Photo taken by Elizabeth Tsurkov (@Elizrael)

Tel Aviv, Israel - 7 August 2011

On Twitter, Egyptians followed the protests, using a derogatory hash tag that makes funny analogies [Ar] between the events the took place during the Egyptian revolution, and imaginary similar events using names of Israeli officials and mock characters instead. However the name of the hashtag #ThawretWeladElKalb, which literally translates to “Sons of Dogs Revolution,” sparked lot of debate on both sides.

Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov noticed the hashtag and tweeted her disappointment with it.

@Elizrael: Heartbreaking, coming back from the demo to twitter and seeing Arabs tweeting about #j14 with the anti-Semitic tag #ThawretWeladElKalb

She also added:

@Elizrael: While we chanted for equality and an end to the occupation, Arabs on twitter are calling #j14 “the revolution of sons of a dog”. Sick

On the other side of the border, people were divided. While some defended the hashtag, others found it inappropriate.

Palestinian Abla Awadallah asked people to dig into history before criticizing the hashtag, while Nabil Kabalan mocked what he saw as people protesting in a land that is not theirs:

@cold0shoulder: An Israeli exclusive: protesting in someone else's occupied land!

Comr4da - who agrees with Ramy Zreik [Ar] that such protests might only lead to building new settlements on occupied land - said:

@Comr4de: الى المعاتيه اللى بيأيدوا مظاهرات الصهاينه.الحل الوحيد لمشكلة السكن اللى هى سبب التظاهر هو سرقه أرض جديده لبناء مستوطنات

@Comr4de: To all those crazy people who support the Zionist protests, the only solution for their housing problem, which is the reason for the protests, is to occupy more land to build settlements.

Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff also tweeted:

@CarlosLatuff: Egyptians don't be fooled. Protests in Israel have more to do with middle class living costs than against occupation

From Tunisia, Marwan-el-Tounisi added:

@Marwouantounsi: I am Tunisian and I support this: #ThawretWeladElKalb 10000%, Die Zionists.

On the other hand many others opposed the hashtag. Sara Abdelazim believes that generalization is bad. She added:

@Lujee: So for years ppl complain that nobody in Israel speaks up against what their government is doing and when they do, they get insulted for it?

Differentiation between Jews, Israelis and Zionists in daily Arabic language is sometimes not that clear. So, Nada Iskandar - who believes the hash tag is racist - tweeted that we should pay attention to such differences. Essam El-Zamil also decided to stop using the hashtag since some of the participants in the protests are Arabs. Ahmed Saker and Amr El Gohary found the hashtag childish and non-constructive respectively.

Despite how the education systems in both sides raises hate, Kuwaiti blogger, Mona Kareem, blogged against the hashtag.

I do not hate Israelis (although the Arab educational system raises you up to hate Jews automatically, and to feel superior towards others in general) but I definitely oppose and hate the crimes done by the state of Israel, just the way I do with our Arab dictatorships (keeping in my mind that Israel has been acting way more merciful with its own citizens, unlike our almighty police-state regimes). On the other hand, I also have the same feelings towards Arab suicide bombers who kill people in a night club or a school bus. I believe killing a human cannot be justified what so ever, regardless of the ideology, identity, or religion of the victim and the victimizer.

Mona then added how the peaceful protest of Arabs in their Arab Spring shouldn't be stopped there.

Arabs cannot give up the peaceful path they chose, just when the subject comes to their “classical enemy” Israel. Arab revolutionaries should act more responsible not to contradict themselves and clearly understand what Gandhi once said “an eye for an eye makes the world blind”. They should give up their long heritage that is filled with epics about revenge represented within heroic frames.
Arabs should also understand that their revolutions will only stand up truly when they strongly believe that the revolutions are not only against figures of their regimes but also revolutions to reconstruct their cultures and root out all forms of discrimination because simply discrimination can never be justified and verbal abuse only makes you look worse. Arabs cannot label every Israeli as a criminal, and ironically enough, they do not know that people who protested recently in Israel come from different backgrounds including anti-occupation activists and Arab-Israelis.

Another Israeli blogger, The Elder of Ziyon, wrote saying that the reference of Jews as dog is historic.

The tag is #ThawretWeladElKalb, which means “Sons of Dogs Revolution”. The reference of Jews as dogs is of course a popular motif in Arab history.

In fact, calling someone a dog is also one of the most common swear words in Egypt. It is so common that it is one of the few swear words that are not censored in movies. Recently there was a debate in Egypt on whether a political reform should come first, or the rights of the poor; and an Egyptian blogger wrote a post under the name “It's the poor first, sons of dog [Ar]“, attacking those who care about political reform and constitutional changes more than social justice. The blog became so popular so that many people used to quote its title in their discussions on and off-line.

And finally, Ahmed Kamal suggested an alternative hashtag.

@ahmed_virgine: Thawret Welad El3am ,,,hom mesh bany admen zayena ….wallahe alsho3oa 3′albana al7okam homa wlad elkalb.

@ahmed_virgine: Cousins Revolution … aren't they humans like us … seriously poor people, it's only the rulers who are sons of dogs.

Further reading:

Israel: Protests for Social Justice Sweep the Country

Kuwait: Bidun fly “Freedom Balloons”

Mona Kareem — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:20:27 +0000

A month ago, the stateless community of Kuwait started a 3 day-long campaign of “flipping your Twitter avatar” to catch the media's attention and highlight their cause for the world. This Friday, they've made another campaign to set balloons in the air, calling them “freedom balloons“.

The avatar designed by @tatabotata spread on Twitter to show support for the Bidun of Kuwait

Just as people have interacted and sympathized with the “flip your avatar” campaign, many Twitter users have changed their avatars to one designed by Talal Obeid (@tatabotata) that says one word in Arabic: “Bidun”, which means “stateless”. People are showing support and sympathy to those who want to speak up for their rights in a peaceful way, by flying balloons.

A female Twitter user called Manayer (@ManayerAbs) complimented the Bidun for using peaceful expression in her tweet:

@ManayerAbs: Despite the miserable ways of living, they manage to create a peaceful campaign to stand up for their rights.

Omar AlOraiman (@OmarAlOraiman), a Kuwaiti student, has also pointed out how peaceful the Bidun are when demanding their rights:

@OmarAlOraiman: #Freedomballoons and they keep on showing us how great they r by their patience & love to Kuwait with their neat peaceful campaigns

Kuwaiti Lawyer Nasser Najaf (@NasserNajaf) addressed the government in his tweet about the status of Kuwaiti Bidun, saying:

أتمنى ان تكف الحكومة عن المماطلة في توفير الحقوق الانسانية والمدنية لهذه الفئة المظلومة

@NasserNajaf: I wish that the government would stop playing around and guarantee the human and civil rights of this oppressed community

A girl from Kuwait whose nickname is Qaboul (@Qaboul) has been tweeting over the past few days for the #FreedomBalloons campaign and in one of her tweets, she shows how disappointed she is over the arrest of those who were flying the balloons, although there is no confirmed news on these arrests yet:

@Qaboul: Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. But today they Kill the Dreams they kill our enthusiasm

An American blogger based in Kuwait called “American Girl” has quoted the statement of the campaign in a recent post, to show support:

The bidun and all their supporters launch A campaign to ignite the freedom glow flying lantern in Expression of the Departure of Their Lives out of the prison of racism to the sky of freedom,Timing of the launch will be in the date of 29/7/2011@ 8:30 PM Kuwait local time,plz support the bidun human campaign to claim their humanity and freedom. Participate Through the launch of the glow lantern of freedom At the time mentioned.

Kuwaiti Twitter user Abdulaziz Al-Assaf (@Bo_S3aiyed) was there to show support for the campaign and he recorded a video then uploaded it on Youtube . According to his niece Fouz Abdullah (@FouzAbd), Al-Assaf was going to be taken by the police but was let go of when they discovered he is Kuwaiti and not stateless:

@FouzAbd: Interestingly, My fully kuwaiti uncle @bo_s3aiyed was also asked to go with the police but they left him when they knew he is Kuwaiti!

One of the bloggers called Khaled has gathered pictures of the campaign from Twitter and put them together in a post. Here is one of them:

A man flies one of the Bidun's Freedom Balloons