Awadhi commends govt's decision on 'lawsuits'

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 15: Islamist MPs condemned on Tuesday plans to hold magic shows as part of the Hala February festivities. MP Mohammed Hayef warned the government of allowing the "witchcraft and wizardry shows", that are scheduled for Feb 22, at the Kuwait Ice Skating Rink, to take place.
"The rink, as well as the company sponsoring these shows, did not consider the seriousness of this matter, how they violate Islamic Law and how they can have a dangerous effect on Kuwaiti society," he said.
Hayef requested the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hamoud, to stop the magic shows from taking place and holding the show's promoters accountable. "The minister of information and the minister of commerce and industry are also responsible for holding accountable all those who granted the licenses and advertised the magic shows that are religiously prohibited and forbidden by law," he stated.

Condemned
On his part, MP Khaled Sultan also condemned the magic festivities, saying that they are a "clear violation of Islamic Sharia that has forbidden all forms of witchcraft and wizardry."

"This behavior is new to the people of Kuwait who have always opposed anything that contradict Sharia, customs and traditions. We request the government to stop the sponsoring company from proceeding with these shows and holding those who have promoted them accountable," he said.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP, Dr. Aseel Al-Awadhi, commended the positive signs that have recently prevailed in the political arena with the government's decision to scrap all lawsuits against the media and opinion writers. "Even though these steps are highly appreciated, it is unfortunate that they were motivated by the occasion of national holidays. This shows that these steps were not necessarily taken due to sincere belief in freedom of speech and opinion," she said.

Al-Awadhi added that the principles of free speech and opinion should not be held hostage to the government's whim. "We shouldn't need to wait another 50 years until the occasion arises to stop harassing media and opinion writers. Therefore, I have recently submitted a proposal to amend the Audio Visual and Print and Publications Laws as well as the Penal Code to allow more freedoms. This is the real test on how faithful the government is to these principles," she explained. Al-Awadhi also condemned reports of harassment of 'Twitter' users and urged the interior minister to put a stop to these police activities and to deal with the public in a transparent manner.

© Arab Times 2011