gelatik
16.05.02, 00:04
KUWAIT, May – Many Kuwaitis plan to boycott the United States and Britain this
summer for their annual leave.
Kuwaiti nationals contacted by IslamOnline gave three reasons for their
boycott. The first is for the breaches of human rights of Arabs and Muslims
living in or visiting the U.S. Many complained of abuse and suspicion.
Many Kuwaiti students in the U.S. have returned after September 11 following
mistreatment from the authorities and a wave of racist and hatred crimes which
continue to date.
The second reason is due to the American foreign policy that has not handled
the Palestinian crisis with wisdom. The U.S. supports the Zionist aggression on
the Palestinian civilians and even provides a political and legal cover for
them, said the Kuwaitis.
The Kuwaiti’s loathing of American foreign policy shows in their daylight
burning of the American flag during demonstrations that broke out April 9
supporting the Palestinian people. It was the first time this has happened
since the Kuwaiti liberation war after the brief Iraqi invasion in November
1991.
The third reason behind the boycott is the ugly face that the U.S. showed
during its “extermination” war in Afghanistan which led to the death of many
Kuwaiti nationals and the imprisonment of 12 Kuwaitis and hundreds of Gulf
residents in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many were transferred to the Guantanamo
base in Cuba.
Due to the pressure of the Kuwaiti people, the United States agreed to allow a
Kuwaiti delegation to visit the base to see how the prisoners are being
treated.
“My family and I are used to traveling every summer especially to Egypt,” said
Reem Al Rashid, adding that they do that to escape the soaring temperatures
during the summer in Kuwait and because there are no entertainment areas in
Kuwait.
Another Kuwaiti resident Khaled Al Kandari said that he is used to travel with
his family every year to the U.K. or the U.S. because of the tourist
attractions in these countries. “This year we are changing our destination to
east Asia and especially to Malaysia as my father’s friend advised us to visit
this Muslim country. He said it was advanced and was famous for its beautiful
scenery. It is also closer and cheaper than the U.S., where we fear we may be
harassed,” he said.
