US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT3950

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003950 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, DRL 
CAIRO FOR REFCOORD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KISL, PINR, KU 
SUBJECT: (U) "SCIENTIFIC SALAFIS" PRESS FOR BIDOON RIGHTS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 3534 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: (U) CDA FRANK URBANCIC; REASON: 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Hardline Islamists are spearheading a push 
to resolve the status of the Bidoon, stateless persons 
resident in Kuwait who number in the tens of thousands.  This 
appears to be an attempt by the so-called Scientific Salafis 
to portray themselves as principled, compassionate defenders 
of human rights, and to curry favor with the increasingly 
influential tribal segment of society.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U)  The Salafi Movement ("Scientific Salafis") is taking 
the lead in pressing the GOK to resolve the plight of the 
"Bidoon," stateless Arab residents of Kuwait.  The Secretary 
General of the Salafi Movement, Dr. Hakem al-Mutairi, slammed 
Justice Minister Ahmed Baqer, saying the issue would never be 
resolved as long he remained Minister.  He wondered how Baqer 
-- an Islamist affiliated with Al-Da'wa Al-Salafiyya (the 
Salafi Call, aka Traditional Salafis) - could be so uncaring. 
 Baqer retorted that Mutairi was violating Islamic laws by 
turning a political issue into an ad-hominem attack.  He 
defended the state's right to investigate the roots of Bidoon 
who claim Kuwaiti citizenship, noting that "thousands of 
individuals who pretended not to have a nationality later 
disclosed their original citizenship and admitted to forgery 
and lying."  He insisted that citizenship would only be 
granted to those who deserve it, promised that the Bidoon 
would "have their fair chance" and that the Government would 
"try to support them in any other way possible" if they are 
found not to qualify for citizenship. 
 
3.  (C) The Bidoon issue has gained traction since the July 5 
National Assembly elections in which the Salafi Movement 
progressed from one seat to three.  Deputy Prime Minister and 
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and National Assembly 
Affairs Mohammed Sharar told  the Ambassador August 2 
(reftel) that the issue needed to be addressed in a balanced 
way  (i.e. not by a sweeping grant of citizenship).  Sharar 
estimated there are now about 40,000 Bidoon, after some 
26,000 "got their passports" over the past four years.  He 
asserted that they know they are better off in Kuwait as 
Bidoon than they would be in their countries of origin. 
 
4.  (U) The Ministry of Defense recently approved granting 
citizenship to some 400 Bidoon who participated in the 
liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.  The Ministry 
asserted that those cases had been subjected to extensive 
study before being approved.  The files of Bidoons among the 
"Kuwaiti missing persons" are also being reviewed, with the 
intention of granting them citizenship.  (The GOK has been 
pursuing officially the cases of 605 persons believed to have 
been abducted by the Iraqis, 572 of them "Kuwaitis" and the 
other 33 belonging to 8 different nationalities.  The figure 
of 572 includes 29 Bidoon.) 
 
5.  (U) MP Mohammed al-Khalifa -- not an Islamist, and 
considered pro-Government -- charged that officials of the 
Government committee investigating Bidoon cases are 
encouraging fraud.  (For a Bidoon to regularize his status, 
the first step is to obtain a passport from his country of 
origin, in which a Kuwaiti residency permit can be placed. 
For a truly stateless person, that may be impossible.  Not 
surprisingly, there are numerous reports of Bidoon obtaining 
bogus documents.)  Al-Khalifa warned that the Interior 
Ministry's acceptance of fake passports endangers the 
security of Kuwait.  (COMMENT: We assess al-Khalifa's claims 
to be inaccurate.  Although there may be instances of the 
Ministry of Interior accepting false documents from Bidoons, 
we have not seen such cases nor has the GOK acknowledged this 
is an issue.  Additionally, GOK security apparatuses are 
competent in screening documentation and maintain security 
standards at ports of entry comparable to those of the United 
States.  END COMMENT.) 
 
6.  (C) CDA met with Minister Baqer August 26 and asked him 
about the ad hominem attacks.  Baqer attributed them to 
political rivalry on the part of the Scientific Salafis, whom 
he described as a hardline splinter group that broke away 
from his "moderate" Salafi grouping ten years ago.  He stated 
flatly that he opposes easy granting of Kuwaiti citizenship, 
because this is such a small country, with only one natural 
resource (oil), and "the fastest-growing population in the 
world at 3.6 percent per year."  He asserted that "90 
percent" of the Bidoon are truly not Kuwaiti.  To prove his 
point, he showed CDA a list of some 5,600 names of Bidoon who 
had "admitted their true nationality" -- Iraqi, Iranian, 
Saudi, Syrian, or Jordanian.  He explained that after the 
1991 liberation, the border was essentially open, and many 
people from neighboring countries came here "and joined their 
tribes."  Now, following the strong showing of tribal 
candidates in the July National Assembly elections, tribes 
are trying to strengthen their political position further by 
obtaining citizenship for their kinsmen.  The Minister said 
those Bidoon who admit their true nationality will obtain 
residency and work permits so they can "enjoy their life in 
Kuwait."  He added that the Government is willing to give 
financial support to Bidoon who wish to emigrate to 
under-populated countries such as Australia or Canada.  The 
Charge stated that the US encourages Kuwait to find a fair 
solution to this human-rights issue. 
 
7.  (C) COMMENT:  If the Scientific Salafis are advocating 
for Bidoon rights in order to present themselves as 
principled, compassionate defenders of human rights, it's 
working:  even liberals who vehemently oppose their larger 
agenda admire them for taking the lead on this issue.  Some 
Bidoon almost certainly deserve Kuwaiti citizenship but did 
not or could not document their qualifications.  As noted in 
our Human Rights Report, children of Kuwaiti mothers and 
Bidoon fathers do not acquire citizenship by birth.  The 
Justice Minister's tribe-based explanation for the Scientific 
Salafis' campaign makes sense:  the tribal segment of 
Kuwait's population is typically conservative Sunni, the most 
fertile recruiting ground for Salafis of all stripes.  It 
must be frustrating for Baqer that being part of the ruling 
establishment makes it harder for him to compete for the 
tribes' support:  as a Minister, he cannot ignore the 
long-term budgetary implications of extending citizenship to 
the equivalent of five percent of the Kuwaiti population, 
given the generous cradle-to-grave welfare state that 
citizens enjoy. 
URBANCIC