KUWAIT CITY, Sept 14: Speaker of Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi confirmed on Tuesday that the government is serious about taking stringent legal measures to stop any further disorder in the country as death threats have even been sent to certain MPs.
“It is important for MPs to understand the importance and the necessity of stopping counter statements which may stir conflict and disorder. I hope that the government is given a chance to complete its legal procedures in a calm environment, and I urge the media not to contribute in igniting the disorder. Instead, it should be driving factor on stability and tranquility,” he said.
The National Assembly has been in a state of turmoil recently as Sunni MPs and Shiite MPs have been bickering regarding the offensive religious remarks made by Shiite blogger Yassir Al-Habib, who allegedly insulted the Prophet’s (PBUH) wife and his companions.
Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, Al-Khorafi said that he hopes that the MPs and the media would also shoulder their national responsibility as well. He commended the efforts exerted by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, and members of his government in this regard.
The Parliament Speaker met with Minister of Communications and official government spokesman for parliamentary affairs, Dr Mohammed Al-Bussairi, to discuss the procedures to be undertaken regarding the latest incidents in the political arena pertaining to security, national unity and religious disputes, which have been ignited recently.
Shiite MPs have also been claiming that Sunni blogger Sheikh Othman Al-Khamees has also made offensive remarks regarding the Shiites.
Al-Khorafi praised the efforts exerted by heads of the government and its members to avert the chaos and commended the statement issued by Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Defense Sheikh Jabber Al-Mubarak which embodied government seriousness in preserving national unity.
Regarding the death threats that have been made against certain MPs, Al-Khorafi added: “I want to inform the one who is threatening to kill that we are in a state that abides by the law and anyone who abuses the law will suffer the consequences.”
Minister of Communications and official government spokesman for parliamentary affairs, Dr. Mohammed Al-Bussairi, also assured on Tuesday that the government is serious about taking legal measures to put a stop to the disputes, conflicting statements and arguments between certain MPs, to end the growing sectarian tension in the country.
“I hope that the MPs would be more considerate about the sensitivity of the issues and keep in mind that they represent all aspects of the country, especially since Kuwait cannot handle anymore disputes,” he said.
MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaie said the government is slow in executing the law against Yassir Al-Habib and making political deals on this issue will add more fire to the crisis and provoke the Kuwaiti people especially the government have the necessary laws to avert any disorder and preserve national unity.
He stressed that Development and Reform Bloc will present its grilling request against minister of Interior if the government fails to avert the disorder by extraditing Al-Habib or revoking his nationality.
He stressed the need for the government to take strict measures against Al-Habib so as to avoid any chance of instability in the country, adding: “We have heard that one of the citizens has threatened to kill some MPs, this is totally unacceptable.”
On his part, MP Khaled Al-Tawous said that the government cannot implement the law as it is a reactionary government. Speaking to the press, he said that the government is trying to calm the situation and focus attention on more pending issues.
He questioned the effectiveness of the government four years ago when the Kuwaiti society was tearing up more than 16 government statements calling for national unity and implementation of the law. In reality, Al-Tawous said, those statements were not acted upon.
Al-Tawous indicated that the country is in a deep crisis due to the disrespectful actions of Yassir Al-Habib when he hurt the feelings of countless Muslims across the world.
“The government says that it needs three weeks to implement the law and extradite Yassir, even though it has released him from prison and smuggled him out of the country,” he lamented.
According to Al-Tawous, the government announced recently that is has made a mistake and that MP Khaled Al-Sultan was informed by the former Justice Minister, Ahmed Baqer, that he has previously rejected pardoning Yassir Al-Habib.
Al-Tawous added that the government is preparing a memo to extradite the offender.
Meanwhile, The National Action Bloc issued a statement expressing its sorrow for the state the country has found itself in especially since His Highness the Amir has called for national unity.
“Even though we have always confirmed that we cannot tolerate any disrespect directed at the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and his wives, we think that the whole situation is allowing divisions and seditions to occur,” the statement said, “Therefore we are asking all those involved to allow the law to take its course and maintain national unity.”
The Kuwaiti government should take serious steps to push for the extradition of Yasser Al-Habib, who has been accused of offending the wives and companions of the Prophet (PBUH), for him to face the judiciary and serve the prison term imposed on him before he escaped from the country, said the participants at a seminar organized by Thawabit Al-Ummah Society in Firdous Monday under the slogan, “Aisha (May Allah bless her) is the Mother of Believers Despite the Conspiracy of Unbelievers and Hypocrites.”
Secretary-General of the society MP Mohammad Hayef said some people, who claim to be Muslims, have been engaged in such acts, affirming that God Almighty has exonerated Aisha of any wrongdoing, but these people have continued to malign her. He explained the society organized the seminar to send a clear message to the government and the entire world that they condemn the act. He asked the government to thoroughly investigate the issue to avoid its recurrence in the future. He stressed the ‘Mother of Believers’ was upright and was the daughter of an honest man, indicating the Holy Prophet (PBUH) died in her room.
MP Khalid Al-Sultan argued Al-Habib had earlier been sentenced to 10 years in jail for his negative ideologies but somebody helped him escape from prison. He warned this incident is more serious than what most people think.
MP Daifallah Buramiya criticized the government for its lackluster attitude towards the extradition of the fugitive. He pointed out this would have been an entirely different story if Al-Habib attacked a prominent personality in the Kuwaiti society. “This only proves that the government is weak,” he lamented.
MP Khalid Al-Tahous believes the situation is complicated and it might lead to anarchy, since the country has been divided over the last three years. He also slammed the government for giving lame excuses for its inability to push for Al-Habib’s extradition under the pretext that this procedure is possible only for those who embezzled public funds or traded in drugs.
Former lawmaker Abdullatif Al-Omairi opined the incident has exposed the identities of some parliamentarians, who support the blogger under the garb of the government.