KUWAIT CITY, Sept 7: A number of lawmakers on Tuesday expressed their views on the case of Yaser Al-Habib, who escaped to London immediately after being sentenced to 10 years in jail for offending the wives and companions of the Prophet (PBUH) in his blog.
This came after the parliamentary Studying Negative Phenomena Committee meeting. Ironically, the lawmakers agreed to refrain from issuing statements that might undermine national unity and to give the government a chance to take the necessary legal steps against Al-Habib during the meeting.
Commenting on the lawmakers’ demand for the government to coordinate with the Interpol to expedite procedures for the arrest of Al-Habib, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan confirmed the executive authority is bent on taking the necessary legal measures against the blogger.
On the proposal of some MPs to withdraw the citizenship of Al-Habib, Al-Roudhan asserted, “It is too early to talk about stripping Al-Habib of his citizenship. The best move at the moment is to give the government a chance to take the necessary legal steps without instigating tension.”

In a related development, several MPs, who attended a symposium organized by a member of the Development and Reform Bloc in Andalus Monday, called on the concerned authorities to revoke the citizenship of Al-Habib; otherwise, they will present a grilling request against the interior minister or HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
Arguing that offending the wives and companions of the Prophet (PBUH) is an unforgivable act, the bloc said the government should not be contented with shutting down the website of Al-Habib. They urged the government to quickly take legal measures against the blogger to serve as a deterrent to others.
On the other hand, MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei said, “For the sake of the Kuwaiti Sunnis and Shiites, we will not accept any other measures except the withdrawal of Al-Habib’s citizenship and harsh punishment for escaping from the country.”
Official spokesperson of the bloc MP Dr Faisal Al-Muslim emphasized the need to present a grilling request on the Al-Habib issue.

Meanwhile, MP Adnan Al-Mutawa admitted he was surprised when some of his colleagues demanded the withdrawal of Al-Habib’s citizenship, especially since most of them agreed not to issue statements that might undermine national unity or instigate conflicts and to give the government a chance to take legal steps against those who have violated the law during the committee meeting. He wondered why his colleagues did not adhere to the agreement, asking, “What then is the role of the Parliament if we take issues to the streets?”
Agreeing with Al-Mutawa, MP Saleh Ashour argued the lawmakers should have presented their opinions in the meeting, instead of discussing the issue in the media. He lamented this is a clear manifestation of the deteriorating political situation in the country.
MP Mubarak Al-Khurainej revealed he met six of his colleagues after the panel meeting and they agreed not to issue any statement to demand the withdrawal of Al-Habib’s citizenship, since this is under the jurisdiction of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. He believes this measure will not stop the blogger from posting offensive articles on the Internet and stripping him of his citizenship will also deprive Kuwait of its right to seek the assistance of the Interpol to arrest him, since he is no longer a Kuwaiti. He said it is better to arrest the blogger first and then revoke his nationality once he is extradited to Kuwait.