The origin of the Shiite component of the Kuwaiti people is mainly from all the urban and neighboring cities, such as Al-Ahsa, Najd, Oman, desert of Persia, Bahrain, Iraq and others. It is a component like the rest of the nation’s components.
This component, by nature, was on the way to fusion with the rest of the other components of society, albeit very slowly, but the occurrence of the Iranian revolution, and Khomeini’s adoption of the idea of exporting the revolution changed the trends of a large proportion of them.
The revolution also affected them politically, psychologically and socially, especially after political Islam, both Sunni and Shiite took advantage of the matter for its own benefit, socially and electorally.
Since that day, doubt has taken root more in the soul, and the weaker party, as usual, has been the most affected and lost.

The rise of the Iranian revolution coincided with the start of the Sunni fundamentalist resistance against the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, and its expansion of activity to fight the affiliates of other sects, and expansion in hostility to some Arab and Western regimes, and almost no country was spared from their negative influences.
Historically, the Shiites in the region, in general, complain about the authorities’ lack of confidence in the reality of their loyalty, and this lack of trust has prompted a few of them to resort to other parties, and to pledge allegiance to them, unaware of the consequences of their actions.

So a party says, “You must have complete confidence in my loyalty and equality with the other in all rights, and you will see my absolute loyalty. For the other, more powerful and larger says “You must renounce allegiance to others in order to trust you, and then be treated as equals to other citizens.
Despite the attempts of the majority to prove its loyalty first to the system of its state, and its only homeland, the matter did not devoid the presence of those from both sides who are willing, to return everyone to point zero.
There is no doubt that the responsibility of the state is more important and more dangerous in this interaction than the responsibility of the citizen, and there is no doubt that the government has failed, for more than half a century to instill true loyalty to the homeland in the hearts of the majority of the Kuwaitis through its historical and dangerous alliance with the tribal and religious forces.

The government gave power to leaders of the two sides and it became clear to the citizen that his loyalty to the religious party or the tribe is more beneficial than loyalty to the homeland.
It is the party and the tribe that provide employment, benefits, and promotions. As for loyalty to the homeland, it will often not bring anything to those who do not belong to a religious party or tribe and sometimes to a sect.
It is worth emphasizing that no country in the world, even the most advanced and liberal, deals with all its citizens with the same rule. When the Catholic ‘John Kennedy’, or ‘Barack Obama’ later, won the presidency, the matter is considered a unique and unprecedented event.

Therefore, it is natural, as we are among the underdeveloped countries, surrounded by larger powers than them, some of whom want to destabilize them, for their government to be more sensitive in dealing with minorities, and more cautious in terms of security. Therefore, the Shiites, like other minorities, must know this, as it is one of the natures of things in all countries of the world, albeit to varying degrees.
They must strive to be part of this society, and to merge into it as much as they can, without losing their sectarian identity, if they want, because homeland is the protector for all and will remain in the end, and it is our umbrella.

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By Ahmad alsarraf