(U) "SCIENTIFIC SALAFIS" PRESS FOR BIDOON RIGHTS

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