Three Islamist members of Kuwait's parliament the National Assembly recently submitted a request for an interpellation of the minister of information, Mohammad Abu Al Hasan. The three MPs, Waleed Atabtabae, Faisal Al Muslim and Awad Barad, want to question the minister over matters they claim contravene Islam.
Their focus is on musical concerts and specific books that they see as being anti-Islamic. Hasan tried, in vain, to appease Islamist MPs by introducing 13 constraints to ensure that any musical concert held would be "compatible" with Islamic traditions. Yet, his efforts were not good enough as far as the Islamists were concerned. As one veteran Kuwaiti parliamentarian said: "You budge an inch, they ask for a metre, you give them a metre, they ask for a mile."
The interpellation of the minister is to be held within two weeks' time of its submission, according to the rules of order of the National Assembly. Hasan will stand on a podium facing those wishing to question him. The interpellation will begin with the questioners explaining when, where and how they believe the minister has violated the law.
Hasan will then be given a chance to explain his position. Two MPs will then speak in support of the minister, followed by two who will speak against him. Following the questioning and statements, ten MPs who cannot include those who originally submitted the case for interpellation must present a petition for a vote of no confidence against the minister which, in this case, would be taken in the next session of the plenary. At least 51 per cent of the MPs present at that time must vote in favour of the no-confidence motion in order for the minister to be forced to step down.
Since the promulgation of the constitution of Kuwait in 1962, many such interpellations have been conducted, although none has succeeded. Ministers have always managed to survive, albeit sometimes by a single vote.
This is the second such interpellation of a minister of information, the first being the interpellation of Shaikh Saud Nasser Al Sabah in 1998. Shaikh Saud had exempted all books from censorship prior to the annual Kuwait Book Fair, defending his policy in a historic standoff with the Islamist MPs. A subsequent motion for a vote of no confidence was nevertheless put before the plenary.
But, a few days later, before the vote could take place, a Cabinet reshuffle "promoted" Shaikh Saud to minister of oil instead of information, and hence killed the motion for the no-confidence vote. One of the three MPs seeking to question the standing minister was among the three who had called for the interpellation of Shaikh Saud just a few years ago.
Sectarian tension
The Prime Minister, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, has warned that sectarian tension could result from the interpellation to be held. Hasan is a Shiite, whereas the motion for interpellation has been submitted by three Sunni zealots. Thus, the atmosphere could easily turn sectarian and the repercussions could be very ugly. Abdul Lateef Al Duaej, winner of last year's Best Arab Columnist Award, presented by the Arab Press Club in Dubai, wrote last Monday in the Al Qabas newspaper that "it is indeed a sectarian interpellation .... However the MPs try to camouflage the issue, they are interrogating the Minister for who he is".
Extreme Islamist MPs believe that all kinds of music are haram (forbidden). Thus any attempt to appease them is a waste of both time and effort. The real issue is whether or not the people should have the freedom to choose; whether Kuwait is a civil or a religious state. Afghanistan, under the rule of Taliban, is the only country to have ever totally prohibited music and dancing.
The "Three Amigos", as the Kuwaiti interrogators have been dubbed by the Islamist columnist Sajed Al Abdali in the Al Rai Al Aam newspaper, do not actually have an issue worthy of an interpellation. The real issue, according to Al Abdali, and others in Kuwait's press, is the archaic press law first promulgated in 1959, before the independence of Kuwait in 1961, and the creation and implementation of the constitution in 1962. The law needs to be updated to keep pace with the global changes, and the revolution in technology and communication that have taken place in the intervening years.
The three MPs are not only opposed to music. They also believe that books containing "blasphemous" and "anti-Islamic" content should be officially barred from the country, a demand which in itself is a contravention of basic civil rights and liberties as well as common sense, as it is an attempt to impose these men's own vision of what constitutes acceptable reading material.
Their efforts to ban books have become somewhat comical, having in effect been rendered moot by the technology revolution in telecommunications. All types of books and printed material can be accessed through the internet, making the very notion of censorship pathetic.
The interpellation of Hasan "is an interpellation of the people of Kuwait, not an interpellation of the Minister or the government", according to Ahmad Bishara, a leading liberal figure and a writer in Al Qabas. "The MPs have appointed themselves as guardians over peoples' lives and a veil over their brains", Bishara wrote. The interpellation a few days from now is already creating tension in Kuwait's political circles.
Many expect strains to develop in the relations between the parliament and the Government. Others are worried that the tension may mutate into tension between the Sunnis and Shiites in Kuwait. Still others expect the National Assembly to be dissolved, should things get out of hand and the interpellation take sectarian tones. Who knows, it may never take place for there are press leaks that the minister has resigned, thus avoiding the interpellation and the issue of the extremists. But only for some time
Dr Saad Al Ajmi is a former Minister of Information in Kuwait, an academic and analyst. He can be contacted at sajmi@gulfnews.com
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