THANK you, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah (Abu Faisal), for the generous gesture you bestowed upon those in debt among the daughters of Kuwait for whom life has been tough.
Some of them trusted their husbands and fell under pressure from them, because of which they issued dud cheques and were consequently thrown into prison.
This is the first time an Interior Minister is doing something like this. In fact, it is the first time the suffering voices of these women are being heard and responded to, especially since some of them were subjected to great injustice. This happened after their husbands made them take loans but were unable to repay them. After they divorced, the husbands moved on with the loan amounts they obtained from their divorced wives, and the latter were left with the burden of repaying the loan. Due to their inability to do so, they were thrown into prison.
May Almighty Allah bless you, Sheikh Abu Faisal. You have proven that you honor the position you have, and you work in accordance with the humanitarian teachings upon which Kuwaiti society was built. However, the truth must be put before everyone.
In such humanitarian cases, there is no room for evading responsibility. Therefore, we ask - What about the money from zakat funds? Why does it go abroad when those closest to you are more deserving of such funds? Aren’t the oppressed and those in debt in Kuwait more deserving of it? Why is this money spent on aid, some of which are questionable, and projects are established in some countries, until it has become a permanent destination for workers in those funds? Also, when there is aid and projects for some African countries, is it usually limited, as if it is a drop in the ocean of what is paid to some countries?
A significant segment of Kuwait has been plagued by debts after being lured by usurers and merchants who sought to accumulate illicit wealth, and the law was on their side. Some of them even placed the responsibility on the creditor who was greedy and did not do due diligence before lending his money, which is in accordance with the Sharia rule.
However, there are some who cheated on this principle when they enacted laws that serve those with special interests who want to seize people’s lives.
These laws no longer exist in any other country, and the Sharia ruling grants the debtor the right to obtain zakat to pay off his debts.
According to the verse, “Zakat is only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.”
Yes, the debtors who are stranded and find themselves behind prison bars are Kuwait’s eternal problem, and they will remain so.
The laws must be changed in Kuwait similar to Jordan, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and other Arab and Western countries. They made the preservation of rights more just and imposed on the creditors to be more cautious and not throw people in prison. On the other hand, the principle followed in Kuwait is “take him and cuff him.”
We reiterate our appreciation and gratitude to Sheikh Abu Faisal who donated his money for the payment of some fines. He ordered that some of the inmates be released, tied with an electronic bracelet, and returned to their families. Nevertheless, this matter requires a radical treatment to end this ongoing crisis.
Therefore, we place it before the guardian to make sure families remain together and maintain cohesion, so that they do not disintegrate and result in multiple crimes.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
