KUWAIT CITY, Sept 9: As per a 2006 US diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks, former Secretary General of the Islamic Constitutional Movement Dr Badr Al-Nashi was quoted as saying that sectarian violence in Iraq was affecting Kuwait, with the incitement of tension between Sunnis and Shiites, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
The cable said Al-Nashi had warned that tension was limited to the political and media circles alone, though it was likely that confrontations would widen among Shiites, Islamists and Salafists. He added that extremists from both sides were very dangerous, and any of them attacking the other could spell doom and escalate tension with dramatic consequences. He stressed that Shiites and Sunnis in Kuwait had succeeded in maintaining good relations.
The cable further revealed that Al-Nashi had pointed out two lawmakers, MPs Saleh Al-Ashour and Adnan Abdul-Samad as the principal inciters of trouble, accusing them of playing sectarian cards inside the parliament. He also said that some Shiites were trying to exaggerate their percentage in Kuwait, which is within the range of 15 to 30 percent, stressing they were also part of the problem. He predicted that Shiites in Kuwait would later demand for greater political role in the country due to the rise of Shiite influence in the region.
According to the cable, Al-Nashi said the Islamic Constitutional Movement was trying to be neutral in the whole scenario by encouraging moderation and denouncing extremism among Sunnis inside and outside Kuwait, “Because we don’t want regional Shiite and Sunni conflict”. This was why the movement was against a plan championed by Saudi Arabia to give leverage to Iraqi Sunnis over Shiites backed by Iran, he said.
“The movement believes that Sunni Arabs should support both sects in Iraq in order to prevent escalation of sectarian conflicts”, he was quoted as saying.
On Iran, he was worried about its growing influence in the region, saying everything that is capable of boosting the influence must be opposed on the political or military front. He said Iran’s manipulation in the region is founded on its nuclear program. However, he affirmed the movement supports amicable settlement of issues with Tehran, saying Kuwait has to be careful because it is a small country surrounded by three powerful nations.
With the support given to Hezbollah by Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in fighting Israel, the cable quoted Al-Nashi as saying “they (the brotherhood in Egypt) don’t understand Shiites as we do in Kuwait”.