KUWAIT: MPs Ahamd Al-Fadhl and Khaled Al-Shatti yesterday called for abolishing a 1966 decision that prohibited the authentication of marriage certificates for followers of the Baha'I faith. The two lawmakers said that the decision constitutes a breach to Kuwait's constitution which stipulates total equality among citizens and accordingly must be abolished.

They said that since there are a number of Bahai' citizens, they should be entitled with the same rights and duties of Kuwaitis belonging to other religions and ethnicity. The proposal requires the approval of the National Assembly, which is currently in summer recess until October, and the acceptance of the government. It is not known how many Kuwaitis follow the Baha'I faith but their number, if any, is very small. But Baha'is of foreign nationalities are believed to be living in Kuwait.

Founded around 150 years ago by Bahaullah in Iran, the religion spread to a number of Middle Eastern countries. The number of Bahais is estimated at under seven million people around the world. Their main shrine is located in the Palestinian city of Akka which had been occupied and became part of Israel since 1948.

In another development, the Court of Appeals yesterday upheld the acquittal of MP Faraj Al-Arbeed from charges of buying votes during the 2016 National Assembly election. Arbeed and a lawyer had been acquitted from the charges by the Criminal Court. The lawmaker was initially declared a loser of the election in favor of Marzouk Al-Khalifa but later the Constitutional Court recounted the votes and declared him a member of the Assembly and disqualified Khalifa.

Meanwhile, MP Riyadh Al-Adasani yesterday welcomed the opening of the new terminal at Kuwait Airport but called on the government to help Kuwaiti job seekers to fill the jobs created by the new terminal which will be operational later this month. The lawmaker urged the government to operate the new terminal on time, take extra care in carrying out the necessary maintenance works and insisted on the need to open the new airport on time.

By B Izzak