''We must bestow on others the same blessings bestowed on us,'' says activist
Ghenwah Jabouri , Al Watan Daily Staff
Kuwait: Saturday marked the anniversary of a dark day in Kuwait''s history when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and proceeded to rape, murder and pillage anything that crossed their path. 18 years after this fateful day, as Kuwait now prospers as an independent State, citizens still remember that fateful day that changed the course of the nation''s history and affected the lives of each and every person in such an intimate and significant manner.Al Watan Daily spoke to various citizens about the significance they attach to this day, their memories of the Iraqi invasion and its aftermath, and what Kuwait''s history should teach us about modern society and the future.
Labeed Abdal, an attorney at law,constitutional expert , and a human rights activist, recalled being taken captive by the Iraqi army shortly after the invasion and described the ordeal of his experience. "I was taken by the army and spent one month in AbuـSkhair prison in the south of Iraq.
I was there with 1,215 other prisoners. Our rights were severely violated and the conditions at the prison are hard to talk about," he said. "The prison we were in was not prepared to receive people, and therefore food was scarce and poor, and we were tortured," he recalled."The other prisoners and I spoke about different ways to break out and escape our incarceration but we ultimately never chose that option. We thought that staying put would be better for us, because if we were to roam the streets of Iraq, we would have probably faced other dangerous situations and most likely would have been killed. We decided to wait it out and we did.
Eventually we were rescued by the allied forces and the Red Cross," Labeed Abdal also added."This day should serve as a reminder of what it feels like to enjoy democracy and liberty.
Given the recent incidents with regard the domestic workers, perhaps we need to reflect on what we went through when our freedom was stolen from us and how we were liberated as a result of the heroic acts and the acts of the collective forces of diverse nations," he said. "This day should be a reminder of how we should respect the human rights of others. We need to pay more attention to what is happening in our country because Kuwait tends to lack tolerance towards other cultures. We need to respect and understand other cultures and promote peace amongst everyone in Kuwait. Furthermore, we should avoid radicalism and foster diversity in our society especially if we want to become a financial hub, whereby we need to fulfill the requirements of the United Nations human rights guidelines," he added."There should be a balance between scrutinizing the laborـforce in Kuwait and practicing human rights.
As a population we suffered from having our human rights violated in the invasion, however recovering from the invasion should not mean that we forget what it means to treat others with respect," he continued. "We were liberated from the invasion and therefore should in turn bestow on others the same blessings that were bestowed on us.
"Suha AlـAwadhi, a successful writer who has published a couple of books in Kuwait, spoke to Al Watan Daily on the anniversary of the invasion and said that Kuwait has changed a great deal since 1991. "The educational system, technology and political arena have come a long way since the invasion. Moreover, women have been granted the right to vote, to become members in parliament and have even been selected as ministers. However, while we have managed to succeed in certain areas, we have fallen short in others. People''s behavior and attitudes have changed; Kuwaitis are no longer close to one another and the bond that one day held us all together has gradually faded away. We are imitating Western societies, with everyone trying to build their own lives independently and individually," she explained. "We need to preserve our heritage, culture and tradition while promoting Kuwait as a financial hub in the Gulf. We need to exert more energy in our country in order for it to become the pearl of the Gulf again, as it was before," she added.Nouf, a female citizen, recalled her memories of the invasion and described it as by far the harshest experience the nation has ever had to face. "When the vicious and fierce Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, they took with them things that were priceless and can never be replaced. I am not referring to the objects that they stole but to Kuwait''s martyrs ـ the men who were taken captive, the children who lost their fathers, and the mothers and fathers who lost their beloved children. On this day we must remember them and remember that hundreds of people lost their lives to free Kuwait and to fight for our freedom," she said."(We must remember) everyone who experienced the invasion, whether it was a houseـwife trying to protect her children, whether it was innocent children who heard the sounds of bullets and rockets and did not know what to do, or whether it was the men who went out into the battlefield to fight for what was taken from us," she added."However, Kuwait also needs to work harder to protect human and civil rights... After the invasion Kuwait has perhaps fallen short on this account. Prior to the invasion we were a lot more giving, welcoming and tolerant of other cultures," she concluded.
Last updated on Sunday 3/8/2008
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