The How of Statelessness Tragedy!

Do you know what it means to be an “illegal resident” in your home?… Then, you ought to read or even mediate this blog! 

 The tragedy started when Bedoon (Particularly grandfathers) refused and neglected to register to be granted a citizenship during a 1965 census.  They refused to register because they believe that they belong to this county and have no other place to go to. And that is considered ignorance because this emotional attachment caused an identity crisis for the other generation of Bedoon.  

Nationality law was released in 1959; it defined citizens of the State of Kuwait as persons who were on Kuwait land prior to 1920.  Plus for those who applied for citizenship during the release of the nationality law.  A vast majority of Bedoon are from desert, nomads who live outside the city wall in adjustable and movable dwellings due to the weather changes. Therefore, most of nomads are considered stateless. 

In 1980s, Kuwait represented in its government, started to grant “Bedoon” particular administrative documents that identify them as illegal residents who claim having Kuwaiti relatives.  The Kuwaiti government accused Bedoon of having other nationalities while, in fact, Bedoon have no papers/citizenship of another state.  Another accusation for Bedoon is that they conceal their real nationalities because they want to enjoy the benefits of the Kuwaiti citizenship. Also the government stated that most Bedoon are not purely Kuwaitis, so they can not be granted a nationality! The question that is asked though, from where have Kuwaitis emigrated? Each Kuwaiti knows that the construction of the Kuwaiti society is based on emigrants from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Why the Kuwaiti government and the opponents’ nationals deny this historical fact? Why to dispel truth instead of shedding light on the injustice that is practiced over Bedoon?  

The Kuwaiti government acknowledged that it will punish Bedoon who did not rectify their stateless status by a certain deadline.  This decision takes place in 1986. According to Human and Legal Rights Expert Dr. Ghanim Al- Najjar, 

In 1986, the situation changed drastically when the government decided to undergo more confined enforcement on the Bedoun. Moreover, even more security enforcements were directed at the Bedoun after the Iraq-Iran war[...] After 1990, a lot lost the chance of ever obtaining a Kuwaiti citizenship. They were interrogated and were asked to even show proof of having citizenship of other countries. In a nutshell, what happened was inhumane.  –The Daily Star, February 7, 2007  

Precisely, the Kuwaiti government imposed inhumane restrictions on Bedoon since 1986.  The punitive actions are so severely inhumane. There is no right for Bedoon to be educated, to own property, to have medical care, to travel, to have license, to work, to have birth certificate, and death certificate.  Bedoon suffer from the discrimination on the basis of sex, marriage, family reunification, and divorce.