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Inside the Middle East
February 20, 2011
Posted: 934 GMT
Kuwaiti riot policemen detain a man during clashes Friday between police and stateless Arab protesters in Jahra City.
Kuwaiti riot policemen detain a man during clashes Friday between police and stateless Arab protesters in Jahra City.

More than 1,000 protesters clashed with security forces in Kuwait on Friday, demanding greater rights for longtime residents who are not citizens of the country.

The crowd - initially 300 people before quickly growing - was attacked with water cannons.
A Kuwaiti government spokesman later claimed that the security forces were trying to protect themselves after the protesters started hurling rocks.

The "security forces on the ground talked to the protestors in a nice and civilized way," said Col. Adil Al-Hashash, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. Members of the crowd were told "that they should go to the legal channels for their demands rather than protesting."

Al-Hashash said the demonstration was eventually dispersed and that several protesters were arrested and questioned by the security forces.

The protest took place in Al Jahra province north of Kuwait City, Al-Hashash noted.

Kuwait has been wrestling with the question of rights for non-citizen residents for decades. The country is believed to have roughly 100,000 residents who are not citizens.

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John A   February 20th, 2011 11:17 am ET

Colin Powell’s ex-chief of staff said Thursday the former Secretary of State was lied to and manipulated by Vice President Dick Cheney into justifying the US invasion of Iraq.

The primary justifications offered by the Bush administration for invading Iraq were that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and had possible links to Al-Qaeda. Both turned out to be false.

Iraqi defector “Curveball,” ostensibly a source corroborating Hussein’s biological and chemical weapons program, this week admitted he knowingly concocted the story.

Concocted story??? What would simple Hope, Miriam and Proud Zionist have to say about this??? I guess they will wait until CNN tells them what to say hahahaha

BuYousef   February 20th, 2011 5:29 pm ET

Many news organizations are mixing these with the recently-fashionable marches against the government. This is a special case of an ongoing problem with the stateless in Kuwait a few just used the recent activity in the region to make noise. The fact of e matter is there're many people with other nationalities claimingbelongong to Kuwait – the genuine cases are hence hidden among the pot of mixed ones. It's not easy to fix but irritant need any clashes with police! The ones who claim to be Kuwaiti would know this! And they should.

miriam   February 21st, 2011 1:46 pm ET

John A,

Saddam Hussein had repeatedly used WMDs and judging by the rampant lying and deception that has plagued the region for years, it is hardly surprising that more lies and disinformation could result in incorrect conclusions.

Despite the controversy over the reasons for going to war, Saddam Hussein, who had been killing his own citizens and others for decades, evading the attention of international and social media and human rights organizations, lost his position and power and gave Iraq a head-start in the messy process of democratization that is now awaiting other states in the region.

While there are those western anti-western campaigners who are obsessively objecting to the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the chaos it produced, those same people are cheering along the overthrow of the remaining dictators of the world as if nothing could be better for world security and democracy.

Freedom and reforms are necessary in these countries but the process has to take time. In the meantime, we're all in for a bumpy ride.

John A   February 22nd, 2011 9:49 am ET

Miriam thinks Iraq is better off now????

One million dead, ten years of chaos and devastating war and Miriam thinks they are better off. This explains Israeli logic. When they bomb Palestinians, cut off their food supplies, knock down their homes, rob their land and destroy their farms, the Israelis think they are bringing freedom and making Palestinians better off.

It about time some nation returned the favor to Israel. Miriam would you like to be better off? Even if its a bumpy ride................

John A   February 22nd, 2011 1:34 pm ET

Mr Cameron (Britsih Prime Minister) yesterday became the first world leader to visit Egypt since the historic overthrow of President Mubarak and has since travelled to Kuwait to call for political reform.

The Prime Minister was branded a ‘disgrace’ after it emerged that he has taken eight defence firms with him on a four-day visit to the region.

And the TV watching mobs in the west got excited thinking they were watching historic change. And the leader laughed as it was business as usual.

Ali Tafari   February 22nd, 2011 11:06 pm ET

This friday in Iraq a protest is planned for economic restoration!!!!!

miriam   February 23rd, 2011 1:48 pm ET

John A,

Once again you interpret my comments as you think and not according to what is written.

But since you have brought up another issue, many Iraqi's will tell you that despite the violence and lack of security, they feel that they are better off today than they were under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, mass murders, religious persecution and corruption. Democratization is a process which takes time often accompanied with violence and death, but ultimately the desire for freedom and justice is stronger that the forces that work against it.
,
Israeli actions, which you distort and exaggerate, are enacted to bring freedom and better lives for the citizens of the State of Israel who should not have to be subjected to suicide bombings, rocket attacks, foreign invasions and delegitimization brought about by the spread of lies and hate against the Jewish people.

Unfortunately the Palestinians have been the victims of their own leaders in the Arab world and the political interpretations of the Koran and its anti-Jewish declarations. They are encouraged to break the law by anti-Israel activists who then complain and cry victimhood when Israel has to enforce the law.

There is nothing Israel would like more than the Arabs, including the Palestinians to be able to live free of the oppression and deceptions their leaders have subjected them to for decades and to be able to live in peace in the region. But as long as there continue to be those who cling to the lies and incite to hatred against the Jews, Christians, other Muslim sects, other tribes and anyone who holds different opinions, the bumpy ride will seem like an endless roller coaster with many wishing it to end but others enjoying every minute.

John A   February 24th, 2011 7:57 am ET

Miriam you have gone totally mad.

You think Israel wants peace.????Tell that to all the Israelis who are building settlements on other peoples land. Tell that to the Israeli government which refused to extend the settlement freeze.

The games up Miriam, all the world sees Israel as a criminal state. The only thing preventing full legal recognition of Israels crimes is Americas veto at the united nations.

Sure Israel and America will come up with an excuse and explanation for their criminality, but the rest of the world no longer gives a hoot about your twisted sicko stories.

andy   February 24th, 2011 11:02 am ET

To My Muslim Brothers and Sisters,.
I think Allah has inspired our nation to rise up against all of its INTERNAL oppressors. He has inspired our poor and abused masses. All of the exaulted Imams and Political leaders that have used the Quran and Islam to oppress and misguide us msut be removed from leadership and power. A constant refrain of subservience from these people has been used to keep us from seeing the truth. The most obvious example is our treatment of women, it is certainly all wrong and evil. Did not the Prophet himself emerge from the womb of a woman? If Allah loves me, certainly he would love my Mother! If Allah hates women, then certainly He hates all who would be borne from the womb of a woman. My Muslim brothers we cannot have it both ways it is one or the other. You must choose !!! If Allah hates women as bad as we do then certainly we must get them off of our Holy ground and send them to the dispicable West. We can all live as Catholic Priests, Monks and Eunichs. Allah will praise us. Make a choice my brothers ! ! And let your choice not be a selfish choice !! Qhadaffi, Mubarak, and Achmadinijahd, have all stolen billions from hard working faithful Muslims and yet they say they worship Allah. Many of our Imams have been passive or complicit with these leaders. It has all compounded the suffering of Muslims around the world. Hammas and other Muslims have used the Palestinians as a Pawn in a chess game and our Muslim brothers have suffered dearly because of that. If all of our oil rich Muslim brothers had used their stolen wealth to help Muslims we would be a great advanced nation. They have used all their efforts to spread hate and to blame the West for everything. If our leaders, both political and Islamic had emphasized education and love and understanding and sharing the wealth, our Muslim Nation would easily be on a par with the Far West and Asians / Chinese, and the Europeans.. For sure these cultures have some problems and are not fully embraced by Allah but at least they can deal with their problems from a position of Freedom and Relative Comfort (Wealth). In our world we live in almost total poverty at the hands of the exaulted Muslim leaders and all they can due is spew hate at the rest of the world. The rest of the world has made them and the Saudi's the richest people ever to live on the planet and all they do is spew hate at the west and then get in their jets to go enjoy the western women. MY MUSLIM BROTHERS WE HAVE BEEN MISGUIDED AND BETRAYED BY THE 'MOST HIGH' MUSLIMS IN OUR NATION AND THEY TEACH US TO BLAME OTHERS. CERTAINLY ALLAH HAS INSPIRED THIS UPRISING !! I FEEL IT IN MY HEART. DO YOU ? If the West is so evil why have they allowed millions of us to immigrate there? Why have they allowed millions of us to go to school there? Why do they allow MIllions of us to pray to Allah there? Westerners and Christians cannot be as evil and bad as I have been taught to believe. I have watched at least 40 years of Muslim hate and contempt for the West and Christians, and it has brought us nothing, only poverty, pain and suffering. I can tell you, 40 more years of this bad leadership and hate will bring us more of the same, NOTHING !!! Poverty and heartache !! It is time for us to concentrate more on living peacefully with the rest of the cultures and religions of the world. It is time for us to show them the greatness of Islam thru PEACE, LOVE, AND UNDERSTANDING !! Only in this we can we ever expect to rise to hollowed positions as TEACHERS, LEADERS, SCHOLARS, INSPIRATIONAL IMAMS, INVENTORS, GREAT SCIENTISTS, LOVING HUSBANDS AND LOVING FATHERS, EQUALLIY LOVING ALL OF OUR CHILDREN !!! In the West, people who spew hatred routinely fail. Westerners and Christianity are generally intolerant of 'haters'. In the MIddle East people who spew hatred routinely rise to the top, yet their followers rise to nothing. Just more poverty and heartache. We despise the West yet we are jealous of their success. With the oil wealth that Allah put at our fingertips we should have easily risen to similar accomplishments as the West. Yet we languish in poverty and war. WITHIN AN ERA OF DOMINANT MUSLIMS ABUSING SUBSERVIENT MUSLIMS, ALLAH HAS FINALLY HAD ENOUGH !!! ALLAH HAS INSPIRED THE SUBSERVIENT TO CAST OFF THE DOMINEERING LEADERS AND TO CREATE A BETTER ISLAM. AN ISLAM THAT CAN AND WILL ADVANCE THRU LOVE, SHARING, EQUALITY FOR ALL AND UNDERSTANDING. THOSE WHO HAVE ABUSED ISLAM FOR THEIR OWN GAINS, THOSE WHO HAVE ABUSED OUR OBIDIENT SUBSERVIENCE, BOTH POLITICIANS AND IMAMS, MUST GO AND GO QUICKLY !!! THEY HAVE RUINED ISLAM, THEY HAVE RUINED US, THEY HAVE RUINED OUR BLESSED LANDS. BE INSPIRED MY BROTHERS !!! CREATE THE TRUE AND WONDERFUL ISLAM THAT OUR LEADERS HAVE PREVENTED US FROM HAVING AND ENJOYING !!! ALLAH HAS INSPIRED OUR REVOLUTION AND WANTS US TO LEAVE THE DECEITEFUL SUBSERVIENCE AND ALL OF ITS DAMAGES BEHIND US. ALLAH IS LEADING US TO A NEW PLACE WITH RENEWED HEARTS. CLING TO THIS NEW INPIRATION FROM ALLAH..

PRAISE ALLAH !

miriam   February 24th, 2011 6:39 pm ET

John A,

Jews building homes has nothing to do with peace.

Those who suggest that specific areas on this planet need to be free of Jews are the enemies of peace, especially those who base their opinions on the rhetoric of invented law.

The West Bank is not stolen, having been captured legally from Jordan in a defensive war. Similarly, it not illegal to build on land acquired in such away, especially when the only legally binding resolution determining the status of the territory established that it would belong to the Jewish state.

The settlement freeze was not a requirement but a goodwill gesture by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians. It is precisely those gestures by Israel that are so often misinterpreted as some kind of legal obligation.

The US veto was consistent with the fact that settlements are not "illegal" and with the fact that signed agreements between Israel and he Palestinians commit the two sides to negotiating a peace agreement, including the status of settlements. That also includes not taking unilateral actions in increasingly dubious international bodies that would impose an untenable solution on one side according to the demands of the other.

It is clear to anyone honest enough to understand the present impasse that there is only one party in the negotiations which is refusing to negotiate and is undermining peace through incitement, boycott, indoctrination and public manipulation.......and it is NOT Israel.

John A   February 27th, 2011 11:03 am ET

Miriam says, "Jews building homes has nothing to do with peace".

Miriam by your standards no problems were caused by Nazis building homes in Poland or Russians building homes in Hungary or British building homes in India....etc...

You deceive only yourself... and possibly proud Zionist the resident twit on this blog

miriam   February 28th, 2011 5:58 pm ET

John A,

There's no reason to suggest that Israel is an "occupier" or a "colonizer" since it is not.

There is nothing illegal in capturing territory in a defensive war, territory that has never been claimed since by the previous unrecognized, Jordanian occupier.

There is nothing illegal in purchasing and building on land which had been state or private property dating back to Ottoman times and earlier.

It is dishonest, however, to claim that Israel has no right to the land, that building there is illegal and that such activity is a greater obstacle to peace than denying the Jews a state in their religious, historical and cultural homeland, educating and preaching hate in schools, mosques, and on TV, violating agreements within the peace-process by refusing to negotiate while prefering to persuade the international community, decieved by repeated mantras of rhetoric, lies and myths, to impose one-sided resolutions.

John A   March 1st, 2011 10:43 am ET

Miriam say.

There's no reason to suggest that Israel is an "occupier" or a "colonizer" since it is not.
--------------
Miriam according to America's United Nations veto you are correct. According to every other nation on earth which voted against Israel, you are wrong.

Guess what, America is not the world. America is simply a debt riddled nation with a highly corrupted congress. The rest of the world does not view Israel or America with any integrity, which was demonstrated in their vote against you.

Miriam, Cling on to your rhetoric if you want. You just look more and more out of touch with reality.

miriam   March 3rd, 2011 3:55 pm ET

John A,

It would never occur to you that much of the world could be wrong, misled by the same rhetoric you help to spread.

Last time I checked there are more than 15 countries on earth.
And those who voted sit on a council that has an issue with integrity, today, in the past and most likely in the future.

John A   March 6th, 2011 2:51 pm ET

Miriam says, "It would never occur to you that much of the world could be wrong, misled by the same rhetoric you help to spread".
----------------

That sums it up really. The vast majority see through the Israeli propaganda, so the Israelis claim the vast majority are wrong.

The Zionist arrogance and self delusion has only been made possible with American support. If Americans care about Israel and they don't want Israelis to be delusional and war like, the only solution is to cut off the support and let them join the real world.

phuckislam   March 18th, 2011 1:01 am ET

KHADAFI ROCKS!!!

The world may not like Khadafi, but he's the only moslem in the middle east that doesn't wait for "consensus" or look over his shoulder to see if he has backing or whatever. The SOB is one smart north african that will not hesitate to slaughter several thousand fellow moslems to maintain his way of life, and that of his buddies.

Trust me, after the smoke settles and the other moslem nations do NOTHING, the sand will swallow up the mass graves of the few thousand brave that opposed him. Amazingly, the "great" moslem leader, Egypt will sit on its hands and show the world that islam is a do nothing, cowardly theology that is only capable of killing those that are less capable of a good fight.

However many moslems this madman kills... IT'S A DAMN GOOD START!!!


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