KUWAIT CITY, Dec 22: Minister of Justice, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Yaqoub Al-Sanae issued ministerial Decision Number 370/2015 on the formation of a fact-finding committee headed by Assistant Undersecretary for Planning and Development Affairs in the Ministry of Awqaf Khaled Boghaith, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The minister took this step in view of the news published by the daily a month ago entitled, “Awqaf pays salaries to 3,600 employees in Salafist and Brotherhood organizations”. The committee’s functions are as follows: review and follow-up the number of Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti employees under the ‘commission’ clause in the ministry in order to identify the accurate figures or data regarding these workers. The data include procedures leading to their appointment (commissioning), their tasks in terms of adhering to the law, reasons behind their appointments, and manpower need according to the nature of the task given to them.

The committee is also mandated to look into the employees’ academic qualifications corresponding to their fields of work, as well as to compare the maximum allocated budget with the actual expenditures. The minister also mandated the committee to look into the specifications of departments and sections proven to be in need of employees under the ‘commission’ clause, as well as present a detailed report on such needs and the number of manpower required for the tasks. Furthermore, the committee will look into the status of commissioned employees based on their fields of expertise and their academic levels, and correlate their appointment status with the law and regulations set by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The minister instructed the committee to look into the conditions of commissioned employees and rectify any mistake by laying down new terms and conditions, in addition to reviewing the manpower need in view of the work load in the ministry and its departments.

He also ordered review of each decision issued in this regard and everything referred to in the decision in terms of new agendas. He then called on every concerned official and employee in the ministry to cooperate with the committee to enable its members to peruse every document to facilitate the completion of their tasks. Meanwhile, an awareness brochure posted by director of Religious Media Department in the Ministry of Awqaf on his Twitter account has sparked controversy due to the picture used to illustrate one of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). According to sources, the picture resembles that of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the late Hassan Al- Banna, in terms of the beard, cap and clothes seen in the awareness brochure.

The picture was used to depict a “just ruler”—a ruler who is fair, and sources said they are worried that such kind of media publication bears a hidden message from the Brotherhood which implies Al-Banna is the “just ruler” as mentioned in one of the sayings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The brochure aims to spread awareness on the saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of