Kuwait’s parliamentary Interior and Defense Committee has rejected a draft law to allow citizenship for non-Muslims – and human rights organizations, the mainstream media, and others who blasted Israel for her Nation-State law have spoken out.
Only part of what I just wrote is true.
The National Assembly’s interior and defense committee yesterday rejected a draft law to allow authorities to grant Kuwaiti citizenship to non-Muslims which is prohibited under the law, head of the committee said. MP Askar Al-Enezi said the rejection was based on a constitutional provision which states that “Islam is the official religion of the state.”
Kuwait’s nationality law issued for the first time in 1959 allowed the naturalization of non-Muslims but this provision was amended by the National Assembly in 1981 thus prohibiting granting citizenship to non-Muslims.
The legal and legislative committee less than a month ago approved the draft law, saying it did not violate the constitution. But Islamist and conservative lawmakers strongly opposed the move and vowed to reject when it comes for voting in the assembly.
By the way, non-Jews can have citizenship in Israel, of course. Our Nation-State law does not curtail their rights.
I won’t hold my breath for a response from critics of Israel’s Nation-State law to speak up about Kuwait’s stance on non-Muslims. I value breathing too much.
