KUWAIT CITY, Sept 8: The government will revoke the passport of Yasser Al-Habib, who escaped to London after being convicted of offending the wives and companions of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), in case it fails to push for the extradition of the blogger to Kuwait, MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei said Wednesday.
While the Interpol is said to have rejected the request of Kuwait’s Interior Ministry to arrest and handover Al-Habib to the local authorities, Al-Tabtabaei confirmed the government assured the Development and Reform Bloc that it will take the necessary legal action against Al-Habib.
Speaking to reporters, Al-Tabtabaei said the bloc commends the government’s commitment to address the issue but it will not hesitate in submitting a grilling request against Minister of Interior Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah if the executive authority breaks its promise. He stressed the bloc will closely follow up the issue as it wants the authorities to punish Al-Habib for offending Islam, the wives and companions of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

On the other hand, MP Musallam Al-Barrak revealed the Popular Labor Bloc urged the government and Sheikh Jaber to prepare a memo to be forwarded to the Interpol for the handover of Al-Habib to local authorities. “Our hearts bled when Al-Habib offended one of the wives of the Prophet (PBUH) in his blog site. The government must take serious steps to ensure the Interpol arrests the fugitive and extradites him to Kuwait,” he added.
MP Hussein Al-Qallaf forwarded a question to Minister of Information and Oil Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on allegations that Al-Safa Channel, which belongs to Osman Al-Khamis, offended the Shiites. He wants to know what measures have been taken by the ministry in this regard.
Al-Qallaf also announced his plan to prepare a grilling request against HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in case the government revokes the citizenship of Al-Habib but not that of Al-Khamis. “We know these men committed the same mistake, so we will not tolerate any attempt to use double standards in dealing with them,” he warned.

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MP Dr Faisal Al-Muslim asked the government to revoke the citizenship of Al-Habib because the Kuwaitis will not accept anyone who offends the wives and companions of the Prophet (PBUH) amongst them. He believes that any attempt to link the acts of Al-Habib with that of Al-Khamis is a ploy to defend the former and instigate conflicts.
Parliament Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi stressed the need to prevent anything that may undermine national unity, while calling on everyone to adhere to the teachings of Islam and address all issues prudently. He said the Al-Habib issue must be dealt with legally, advising the public to respect the law.
Commenting on calls for the withdrawal of the citizenship of Al-Habib, Al-Khorafi asserted, “We have to be careful in dealing with the issue because stripping someone of his citizenship is a complicated matter, considering the stipulations of the Constitution. I believe no one will accept any statement deemed offensive to the wife of the Prophet (PBUH) but we have to be cautious to prevent chaos and division. We should not add fuel to the fire.”
On a lighter note, Al-Khorafi congratulated HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the political leaders and the people of Kuwait on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. He wished everybody good health, adding he looks forward to stronger coordination among the people and various authorities in the interest of Kuwait.