‘Fallujah push exposes IS backers’

Consensus builds to oust DAESH

“ACCORDING to the news reports, published by the media quoting military sources, Al-Fallujah in Iraq is on the verge of liberation from the occupation of DAESH,” columnist, Professor at Kuwait University’s Political Science Department and former MP Dr Hassan Jowhar wrote for Al-Jaridah daily Tuesday.

“There is no doubt it is a fierce battle because this city is one of the most important strongholds of this terrorist organization — the city that has been under the control of thousands of mercenaries from different parts of the world for more than two years.

“The importance of liberating Fallujah also lies in its strategic position and liberating it means breaking the backbone of DAESH or the socalled Islamic State in the rest of the areas which are under the occupation of this organization which geographically extends well deep inside Syria and that means it is a big blow to DAESH and its regional allies also.

“The operation to liberate Fallujah was largely delayed for political reasons, because of the US veto and rejection by the Arabs on sectarian considerations at the regional level and because the first beneficiary of the success of this operation will be the government of Iraq, Iran, the regime in Syria, Russia and the Shiite military factions in Iraq, therefore the delay was due to the sectarian dimension which has become now crystal clear.

“Now we can assume that the start of field operations amid signs of victory and the messages of support and congratulations pouring in from a number of key Arab states including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the US participating in air strikes is also an indication of undeclared political consensus.

“The conviction that DAESH embraces ‘takfiri’ thought, carries out terrorist acts and plans to occupy every Muslim country, is an absolute evil and risk. This is a conviction shared by Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the Shiites and Sunnis.

“The conviction of the said danger and the accompanying risks as understood now by Washington and Moscow has come late, therefore the terrorists have not only benefited immensely from these beliefs, but also earned a direct or indirect support and were able to expand and stretch their control over several areas.

“One may say, the political consensus now, although it has not been openly declared, is not only an important step in the right direction to keep this danger away from the lives and property of people, but also means protecting a number of Arab countries and the very survival of their components and potential.

“While a large number of countries fully convinced of the seriousness of the thoughts and ideology of DAESH have now turned their backs on their differences in the midst of hysteria of some religious currents which claim moderation and pragmatism and are now screaming at the top of their voices ‘Stand by and save Fallujah’ and feeling sorry for the residents of this area.

“It is a strange behavior that these religious streams are calling to protect the mercenaries who entered Fallujah of their own free will to control the fate and the destiny of the people of other countries, and have appointed themselves governors and rulers. To add insult to injury they have encouraged the already existing sectarian tendencies without taking into account the sanctity and dignity of Muslims — their blood and their souls.

“These stupid currents who are lamenting Fallujah and others have now been exposed and disgraced. Those who refuse the return of the territories occupied by DAESH to their legitimate sovereignty and return of their peoples to the social fabric; to open a new page of brotherhood and common citizenship, certainly bless the survival of these criminals, and impose their beliefs and their bloody behavior on others.

“The problem is these mouthpieces blabber but do not have the audacity to join those in the battlefield with whom they sympathize. Those who talk much are trading in the blood of innocent people. I dare tell them ‘Damn you and damn your mujahedin’.”

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Jowhar

“The Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) in Kuwait came under attack from several parties before and after the announcement to participate in the upcoming elections and some rivals even used unworthy terms to described the movement,” columnist Abdulaziz Al-Fadhli wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“Before evaluating the situation of the (ICM) I need to remind the readers of two situations that occurred during the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The first situation occurred after the victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr that resulted in many prisoners of war. The followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had two points of view as some of them said they must be killed while the others said they can be released for money in the belief one day they may convert to Islam.

“The second situation was just before the beginning of the Battle of Ohod when some companions said it is better to stay in Madinah and get ready for our enemies while the other party said no it is better to go out of Madinah and fight the enemy outside our homes.

“What we learn from the abovementioned situations is that evaluating the priority can be relatively different — one different from another. Differentiating between the good and the best can occur. Distinguishing between the favor and harm usually happens as it happened among the companions who are the purest people except for the prophets. We also learn from such situations that we have to accept the view of the opponents especially if we are sure about the good intention and the advantages.

“The ICM depends on consultation between its members when it comes to taking any decision. According to the opinion of the majority the movement decided to participate in the elections and this is not the first time for such a situation to arise among members of the ICM.

“It is surprising to see the enemies of the movement directing accusations against the ICM and inciting the other opposition parties against it calling the recent decision a betrayal.

“They have even asked the ICM to apologize for its earlier decision to boycott the elections. We say that the ICM does not have to apologize simply because its decision to boycott the elections was then justified and some of the reasons for the boycott had been clearly stated. Today the ICM finds that participation is the way to avoid a bigger blight.

“One of the sources of power of the ICM is that all opinions of the opposition is that it respects the views of its staff and its members, and not as some of the other currents controlled by some of the centenarians and who make the decision without reference to the young people, who are the lifeblood of these communities.

“The ICM is not ashamed of changing its decision and it pays no attention to the accusations of giving up the principles because the movement did not accuse those who participated in the last elections since it considers the entire issue as interpretive. We respect all the opinions of either participating or boycotting as we believe that both the sides aim to favor Kuwait.”

“Several years ago Dr Ali Al-Kuwari of Qatar wrote an article under the title ‘To whom it may concern’. In the article he illustrated the dangerous aspect of the demographics of the Arabian Gulf states, and argued that the worsening of the demographic imbalance in the Arab Gulf States is a blatant premeditated assault on the rights of citizens,” columnist Dr Ali Al-Zuabi wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“It is the right of citizens to play a role in their homelands. They are the mainstream of society, have one identity and one language and their interests are legitimate from generation to generation. Dr Al-Kuwari concluded that to protect the fate of an individual and the community of the Gulf from disintegration requires historic decisions to modify the demographic policies in the systems of the GCC States.

“I would like here to comment on what was written by our teacher and our friend Dr Al-Kuwari about the incoming risks which undoubtedly will affect the nature of the demographic structures.

“Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are planning for very large projects, whether in the field of development or construction, which will cost hundreds of billions of dollars and because the Gulf States do not have the ability to execute these projects locally, they will depend directly on foreign companies.

“I would like to add here that whether we want it or not, the execution of such projects will lead to an increase in the number of foreign residents in any of the GCC States, and in turn the number of citizens will fall radically. It will be scary in a manner that will make us ineffective in the society to which we belong, not to mention the serious expected rise in the rate of unemployment which will be experienced by the citizens of those countries and this will be the beginning of their suffering.

“In order to avoid crisis before it happens, the Gulf States should find a partial solution to this dilemma by readying young people to work in these projects in the coming years as an important cornerstone for these projects in future, and here the Gulf countries will benefit more from several aspects, especially in the field of human capital.

“To be more explicit, let’s take the example of construction and development projects in the oilfield which will cost approximately $40 billion. To overcome the above-mentioned risks, the government of Kuwait must oblige the foreign companies which will carry out these projects to employ a specific proportion of young Kuwaitis who hold academic specializations in petroleum and other related certifications, provided the ratio is not be less than approximately 40 percent of the labor force of a company.

“In this way, we shall achieve three advantages: qualify Kuwaiti youth in the field of oil management and industry, reduce the unemployment rate in the society and cut down on demographic imbalance.”

“I was not surprised when the Kuwaiti branch of the Muslim Brotherhood Group withdrew its decision to boycott the parliamentary elections and instead affirmed its participation in the 2017 elections,” Jaafar Mohammad wrote for Al-Shahed daily.

“A lot of people from various constituencies have witnessed this phenomenon. The group’s political actions and voting process in the National Assembly have been this way since 1981. Their decision to participate in the 2017 elections represents a stab in the back of the working class or whatever remains of it. They betrayed their Salafi counterparts and formed a coalition with the National Alliance with the aim of achieving their personal interests and compensating for what they missed.

“The Muslim Brotherhood Group’s thirst for power and authority is in their blood. It surpasses the thirst of alcoholics when they try to quit drinking but revives their habit to quench their thirst.

“For the new generation of youths who called for boycotting the elections, they have certainly seen with their own eyes that the Muslim Brotherhood Group is retreating and moving back Michael Jackson-style.”

“We are supposed to be grateful to Minister of Justice Yaqoub Al-Sane’ and the government, after he clarified to journalists that the proposed council of state law, which was published in detail, was a mere “thinking out loud” by his ministry due to which it was not presented to the Cabinet and is yet to become a bill,” Hassan Al-Essa wrote for Al-Jarida daily.

“I wish to thank the minister again for saying he wants to reactivate an article concerning the setting up of the council of state, which was forgotten for half a century. He declared that the government is generally serious about “reactivating the contents of the Constitution”! He stressed the government’s commitment to the Constitution, rights of individuals and their freedom.

“It seems we are in the last year of the one-vote system parliament. We have forgotten majority of the contents of the constitution and that there is more to it than just Article 171 that allows establishment of the council of state to oversee administrative issues.”

“It never crossed my mind that obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship illegally will be so easy that a citizen can add 40 children to his citizenship file and claim that they are his children. Such citizens are selling their country and citizenship to undeserving people, thereby increasing the burden on the state and the real citizens,” Talal Al-Saeed wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“In addition, a woman who is above 60 years of age claimed that she gave birth to twins, with the aim of providing Kuwaiti citizenship to two undeserving children. Some citizens don’t even know the names of the children they added to their files.

“This situation brings an important question in my mind — Was forging citizenship easy in the past such that huge numbers of those who obtained citizenship illegally are yet to be discovered? Is it the right time now to review all the citizenship files?

“Some of those who obtained citizenship illegally have become captains in our police force. They know that they obtained citizenship illegally and their parents know that too. How can such people be trusted to protect the public interests? Only God knows what these people will do if they occupy high-ranking positions in Ministry of Interior and work on citizenship files.”

“The announcement made by Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Badar Al-Essa that almost 200 exam papers will be cancelled during the current examination period due to cheating is a very dangerous issue considering the quantity,” columnist AbdulRahman Al-Awwad wrote for Al-Sabah daily.

“This number of cases has various indications, on top of which is deterioration of the educational system, widespread use of modern means to cheat during exams, and our inconsiderate children who resort to these means without thinking about the future and life that await them.

“It is a disaster for the 200 students who lost their future and opportunity this year, since they will not be able to finish the rest of the exams. Even if they finish, they will not be able to go through it because of cheating.

“Next time, there should be intensified efforts to track down those selling cheating devices or technology. Such people should no longer be allowed to play with the future of our children.”

— Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli