We all experienced the terror and fear when the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) expanded unprecedentedly in the Middle East. This rogue state came with the purpose of applying all the barbaric and savage laws that the modern world neglected centuries ago. ISIS was not fooling around about applying Sharia literally. This resulted in debates among Muslims questioning the religion they were following and whether the Islamic State were true believers of Islam or a deviated group that lost its way.
Muslims often take pride in the past Islamic victories and all the rewards that came with them, but some Muslims were upset when the Islamic State kidnapped and shackled the Yazidis in Iraq. Moreover, it did not matter whether the Yazidi women were married or not; they were now nothing more than sex slaves for ISIS. The terrifying act resulted in Muslims stating that this had nothing to do with Islam. In fact, some Muslims claimed that if this was Islam, then they were happy to leave this religion. But the question remains, did ISIS follow the rules of Jihad or not? Weren’t they following the same steps of the previous Islamic glories?
ISIS did not come out of the blue, and any educated person knows full well that this terrorist organization was supported by countries and political parties. Some of the parties supported them to prosper the dream of the long-awaited Islamic Caliphate (Islamic leadership), such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wahhabis. Other countries supported them to get rid of Bashar Al-Assad and Iran’s influence in the region, such as the Gulf regimes and the West. But it was too late until all of them realised that what they have done was the mistake of the century. After the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, they understood that it was in no one’s favour to support a brutal terrorist group that is out of control and did far more damage than good. We counted on developed countries to push our developing countries towards more progress and prosperity and not the opposite.
The days passed, and this disastrous era ended, and most of the nations who supported ISIS in the past changed their policies and decided it was time to put an end to them. Even those radical parties which sponsored and collected donations to aid those fundamentalist groups were being held accountable and punished in the Gulf region. However, one country decided to go against the grain and continue to protect and nurture those freaks. Guess which country this is? The beloved, peaceful, and rich country named Kuwait. The reader may find it quite shocking to believe that, but allow me to explain and elaborate.
Kuwait didn’t only open the door and welcome ISIS members back to the country, but it created a program that rewards the ones who claim that their ideas have changed. Is it conceivable that the Kuwaiti regime sympathizes with murderers and terrorists who pose a real danger to Kuwait and its neighbours more than innocent individuals with a political or religious opinion? Just imagine that a judge in Kuwait may sentence you for 10 years for mocking Islam or criticising the Amir (ruler of Kuwait), while he has no problem in bailing out a murderer, rapist, and terrorist. This is no joke or exaggeration; this is all well documented and well known among the Kuwaiti people. For example, one of the Kuwaiti fundamentalists who appeared on television and asked publicly to bring him ten Shiites to slaughter appeared in a well-known local newspaper as a reformer of Islam! Further, he was even nominated to be one of the mentors of the terrorists who returned from abroad. There are other Kuwaitis who are on the US and global terrorist lists, but they live peacefully in Kuwait. Finally, let’s not forget those who till this day, collect donations for suspicious groups, but the Kuwaiti government still turns a blind eye towards them.
What has happened to Kuwait is very disturbing even among its brothers in the Gulf district. So what is really going on? Are the Islamists the new ruler of Kuwait? Or did the Kuwaiti government sell the country to them in exchange for protection? I laugh very loud when I read the scripted Kuwaiti government reports about fighting terrorism. But what makes me laugh harder is when the Americans and the rest of the West buy them. Seriously? This doesn’t look good for countries that claim that they have the best intelligent agencies worldwide.
Before I conclude, I would like to direct this message to the Kuwaiti officials:
- Have tweets become a greater threat to Kuwait’s national security than terrorist groups?
- Are intellects who criticize Islamists a bigger enemy than a person who chops heads and rape women in the name of Islam?
Today the whole world is watching you, and you still have the choice to do the right thing, or continue to prove that Kuwait, represented by its political leadership, is more interested in aligning with terrorists against their own people and Western allies.
Bashar Albaghli is a Kuwaiti content writer, behavioural researcher, data analyst, and an academic who specialises in the scientific study of religion. He was sponsored by Kuwait University and was supposed to go back to Kuwait and be a lecturer after he completed his PhD studies. However, he was prosecuted and sentenced to prison because of his political opinions against the Islamists and Gulf regimes. Today he resides safely in the UK.