Muna Al-Fuzai

Indian singer Adnan Sami recently expressed his dissatisfaction over what he claimed was harassment against his staff by officials at Kuwait airport. He said they were mistreated and called "Indian dogs". Sami tweeted about the matter and tagged the Indian embassy in Kuwait in his tweet.

He said, and I quote: "We came to your city with love and our Indian brethren embraced us with it. You gave no support. Kuwaiti airport immigration mistreated my staff for no reason and called them 'Indian Dogs'! When you were contacted you did nothing!! How dare Kuwaitis behave like this with arrogance?!" Indian officials later contacted the singer to get all the details.

I can't deny or confirm this allegedly outrageous incident, but I believe that racist or inappropriate comments at the airport against guests of Kuwait should not pass without an investigation and punishment - but only with the existence of irrefutable evidence. I believe it is necessary to know the circumstances that led to these words, and who these officials are. Are they airport employees, for example, customs officials, policemen or travelers? What were the reasons for this outburst?

The word "official" is a general phrase that does not specify the identity of the offender or his status. Therefore, I hope everyone will not rush to conclusions without ascertaining all the circumstances of the incident. The victim can also submit a legal complaint to the court. I think Twitter is often about making a fuss with no benefit and no verification.

The other problem - and it is a common misperception here - is that it's not necessarily true that someone who wears a dishdasha is a citizen. Many expatriates, for example, or bedoons, wear the dishdasha for several reasons including the fact that it is cooler in this heat. They may also speak in the Kuwaiti dialect. So some non-Arab expats may assume these people to be citizens, officials or employees of the airport.

In Kuwait, Indians form the majority of the foreign workforce, with 498,900 workers in March 2016 and climbing to 544,900 in March 2017, an annual growth rate of 9.2 percent, followed by Egyptian and other nationals. The Indian community, although relatively large in number in comparison to the number of citizens, has never posed a danger to Kuwait or its security.

Kuwaitis in general love Indians a lot due to the cultural, social, commercial and economic ties with them before the discovery of oil. The large number of Indian migrant workers is the biggest evidence that Kuwait was and is still open to Indians. Many Indians have found comfort, security and safety in Kuwait and have brought their families over as well.

I hope before jumping to conclusions to remember that India is a diverse country with many religious and ethnic communities. And from this combination of ethnicities and beliefs, Indians who come to Kuwait practice their rituals and religious rites freely, along with Christians who attend churches openly. Indians in Kuwait face no harassment for practicing their religion or for any other reason.

Good and evil people exist in all communities, and every person represents himself and not all Kuwaitis. So, if this incident is true, punishing those who insulted Kuwait's guests is needed, along with clarifying the circumstances of the incident.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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