In America we pay taxes -- in Islam it's Zakat.

Every year (approximately 355 days) every Muslim should pay Zakat. This is an amount equal to 2.5 percent of their net worth and/or profitable possessions. If a person has no cash, they are to add up the value of their other items of worth (even livestock) and give 2.5 percent of this to Zakat.

This is all done on an honor system. There is no "Uncle Sam" beating down doors, counting sheep, and looking over stock options. It's the annual duty of a Muslim, and I like to believe everyone is giving as they should.

My issue is not with Zakat itself, but where the money and/or profits are going.

Because it's Ramadan there are numerous commercials on television reminding people of their Zakat duty, as well as showing where it will go and the good it will do. I see a lot about Africa, their medical care, the schools, and the education it will provide to children there.

Outstanding!

However, Kuwait (an Islamic country) is filled with Bidoons.

Don't get me wrong, America has plenty of poverty and we extend our generosity to many other countries. But we also have a system in place which provides support to our less fortunate and needy. We have free education, medical, housing, and food....to everyone in our country, even the non-citizens.

Bidoons are not provided very much of anything. There are no programs (that I am aware of) specifically for Bidoons. They are denied many things that are offered to Kuwaiti Citizens. Education comes at a cost, as well as Medical which is provided either free or at a minimal charge to citizens.

Does Africa need the financial support? Absolutely! But instead of Kuwait sending their collected Zakat to Africa, why not use it to set up programs to provide assistance to their own backyard filled with needy people?

Perhaps it's true the areas where Bidoons are the majority of the population are also the areas with the highest crime rate. But has anyone ever evaluated the reasons as to why? Or do they just point their finger and say, "Bidoons are criminals."? If one has to resort to crime to feed his children, chances are high he's going to go that route.

If programs were in place which provided monthly assistance to the truly needy Bidoons, I have a strong feeling the crime rate in the Bidoon populated areas would dramatically drop.

We offer "welfare" to able bodied people in need, giving them hope and a chance at a future for their families. Kuwait offers little to nothing to their Bidoons, slowly taking away their pride, and killing them slowly from the inside.

Zakat -- it's a great thing! (If you live in Africa)

First let me start by saying that I have seen this taking place in Kuwait since I first arrived here, but never wrote about it assuming it was just "normal" when in fact I realize it is just outright disrespectful.

Men chasing women...

In America if a man follows a woman while she is driving...literally following her for miles and miles out of his way, we would more than likely call the police and report this knowing he was potentially dangerous. Especially if he kept pulling up next to your window, driving right beside you, and making motions for you to pull over. Again, for an extended period of time, not just casually passing at a red light.

Here is Kuwait, because men and women are kept apart in most daily activities (school, water parks, and even work in some cases) the chances of meeting someone of the opposite sex is limited. Not to mention, the majority of women here are covered, however, this certainly doesn't keep them from being followed down the road by men as well.

This is something that happens daily to women in Kuwait. To the point women are almost "trained" not to look to the left or right while sitting at stop lights, not to glance over at the car next to them in an attempt not to bring attention to themselves, and not to mention the traffic problems men create by slowing down next to a vehicle with a female driving alone or with other female friends.

All that being said, I have never heard or read anything that indicated a criminal act has ever been commited against one of these women. It seems eventually the men just move on to the next woman in hopes she will pull over, give them her number, and then be their "girlfriend." In a lot of cases with their wives sitting at home with their several children.

Does this mean I think Middle Eastern men are rude, uncontrollable animals? Not in the least. I believe it is human nature taking over. As people we naturally seek the company of the opposite sex. In America we're provided this from birth. We're not segregated, we're not taught that a woman with a boyfriend is "bad". We're allowed to experience people of the opposite sex, people from other cultures, races, backgrounds, and religions. As a matter of fact, it's promoted in many cases.

Tell a child they can't eat candy over and over, and the first thing they're going to seek out when they leave the house is candy.

Even if they have to chase it down the road.

This evening, I stopped to get gas. Very inexpensive gas I might add (about 48 cents per gallon). And while the Indian man was filling up my tank I notice this German Shepherd dog walking over near the pump, and then he plopped down as if he were so happy to have found some shade. Once my tank was full I asked the Indian man if he could please give the dog some water. Considering my limited Arabic and his only slightly better English, I am really not sure what the dog will be getting. But, he did smile, point to the dog, and nod his head either as if to say he was going to give it water, or indicating it was going to be his dinner.

When I drove up to the window to pay for my gas two Kuwaiti men were working the register, both of whom spoke English. I mentioned the dog to them, asking if they would make sure he/she had water and food. They assured me they actually took good care of the dog, then asked where I was from. I am sure when I told them I was American it explained my love for animals. They were very pleasant and stated again they have been taking care of the dog.

In this world there are numerous issues taking place. Some in our own backyard, and some on the other side of the world. I only wish I had the power to fix it all. However, if I have made promoted a positive difference in the day of one dog, then I am satisfied for now.

Tomorrow is another day, and I look forward to anything I might encounter.

Today is the 4th day of Ramadan. Kuwait comes to almost a complete hault during these 30 days, not like it really moves too fast here to begin with. But for the next month very little takes place before 5pm. The majority of the country is fasting, unless they're pregnant, a child, traveling, or ill. Which means no restaurants are open during the day, no one is drinking, smoking, or partaking in many other activities.

I absolutely respect the great dedication that takes place during this time.

My question is...

Why do some people only "do the right thing" during this month?

If something is wrong...well, it's just wrong. Not only for 30 days a year, but always.

I try very hard to live a good life. To be the best mother, friend, and co-worker I can be. I always try to be honest, and giving, because it's the right thing. Over the past year or so I have learned to become very calm, and much more wise than I was before. I have learned to forgive and forget, without holding grudges against others. These lessons were taught to me by some of the most amazing people I have ever encountered. Very good people, with very good hearts.

Of course no one is perfect, regardless of how hard we try. We all faulter and make mistakes, we all slip up from time to time. The key is that we keep trying to do the right thing, we don't give up and give in. We move forward and learn from our mistakes as not to repeat them again in the future.

Dedication...

To doing the right thing every day.

I know, I am a day late.

September 11 is a date that will never be forgotten in America. It was a day that signified so many things, and opened many eyes. It was the first time our own backyards were so closely affected by the terrorism that usually takes place far away from our safe, secure land.

2,974 people were murdered in America that day as a result of terrorist attacks.

I have no doubt televisions all across America are inundated with tributes and stories relating to the tragic events that took place that day. As they should be.

Now, I am 7,000 miles away from all of that. In the same land where some of the planning for those events took place. Living amongst people who share the same religion, and even some of the same beliefs as bin Laden. There is nothing on television here about 9/11....nothing.

As a matter of fact, Ramadan starts tomorrow. This is the holiest of all times in an Islamic country. For the next month there will be no eating, drinking, smoking, and other things taking place during the daytime. Stores are packed with shoppers like malls back home the week before Christmas. Traffic is unbearable, and work has come to a hault for the Kuwaitis for the next 30 days. They're getting ready for huge family gatherings, enormous dinners in the middle of the night, and well planned celebrations. Whereas in America, there is nothing to celebrate as only the memories of tragic events and lost ones linger.

Though both sides of the world have their own events taking place right now, and neither are even similar, I feel very fortunate to be a part of it all.

I will never forget 9/11, as killing anyone is a crime in my mind. I will never blame the Muslim community for what happened that tragic day, as pointing fingers at innocent people for any reason is also a crime in my mind. And I will never believe that our existence in Iraq has anything to do with 9/11, as we're killing innocent people, and pointing fingers and placing blame where it doesn't belong.

However, I will always continue to support our troops for risking their precious lives for the continued freedoms we have in our beautiful country.

We should all hope to be so brave one day.

Well, it seems Kuwait has decided to grant citizenship to 2,000 Bidoons every October! Wow, what a lovely gesture....or what a joke.

There are over 100,000 Bidoons in Kuwait. It would take well over 50 years to give everyone their well deserved citizenship. Then there's the question of their children, especially if they marry a non-Kuwaiti.

In this country there are people (who shall remain nameless) who drive Bentleys and fly their personal helicopter in and out of the country at their leisure. There are people who spend more money on homes than some of us will make in a lifetime. And those same people are smiling in the face of every Bidoon, assuring them they wish there was "something they could do." My question is...why aren't they doing something? Why aren't they setting up funds to assist with food, housing costs, and other basic needs of their Bidoon brothers and sisters? Why is it that when the country does start to offer something, like food and financial aid at the beginning of Ramadan, every Kuwaiti citizen gets to apply for this benefit as well?

Don't get me wrong. I am not one to promote financial aid in any way, but that's because I am an American, and in our country it's a sign of failure, and struggle. But when your life dictates your destiny, and not the other way around, I think everyone with the means should support the less fortunate. Especially when there are so many here who are so very fortunate.

Every day I am saddened by the Bidoon life. I have dear friends who are Bidoon, and can't tell you how interesting, kind, caring, and wonderful they are. There is absolutely nothing different about them than any other Middle Eastern Muslim, other than a piece of paper allowing them basic human rights in life.

What a horrible, horrible shame.

Yeah, lots of changes taking place. Blah!

Refugees International
Bulletin
Kuwait: State of Exclusion
July 25, 2007

The estimated number of bidun in Kuwait ranges from 90,000 to 130,000, less than half the number who resided in the country prior to Iraq’s invasion in 1990. Those who remain are subject to systematic discrimination and their future is uncertain.

Many bidun are descendants of Bedouin tribes such as the Shammar and Aneza that roamed freely across the borders of present day Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq. Either because their ancestors failed to understand the importance of citizenship or, given their centuries-old nomadic way of life, demurred at the idea of belonging to any one country, or because they were living outside the city walls, in the desert or “badiya,” and often illiterate, they could not fur­nish adequate proof that they were settled in the country and were consequently classified as stateless.

Denied the right to register officially a birth, marriage, or death, bidun are relegated to a bureaucratic no man’s land. In Kuwait, nationality is deemed a matter relating to sover­eignty and by law courts can not review sovereign actions of the state. Accordingly, the bidun can not petition the courts to have their citizenship claims adjudicated. Their children are barred from free education in public school. They are not permitted to own property, register a vehicle, obtain a telephone line or purchase a SIM card for a cellular tele­phone. Healthcare offered free of charge to citizens is with­held from them. On driving licenses they are characterized as “illegal residents.” Their passports, grey in color and valid for five years, must be renewed after only one journey.

The majority of the bidun live in virtual exile, in squalid housing projects in Sulaibiya and Jahra, in Ahmadi and the rundown neighborhood of Jilib ash-Shuyukh. They are nev­ertheless indistinguishable from citizens and for years enjoyed the same services and privileges. They share a com­mon language and culture. It is common that families com­prise members who are citizens and others who are bidun.

Bidun once made up the bulk of the armed forces and police and served their country loyally. They believed that eventually the government would extend them citizenship. After 1985, however, the government took a number of punitive steps to disabuse them of this belief. Bidun were dismissed from their jobs, children were barred from public and private schools, and driving licenses were revoked. They could no longer carry passports (known as Article 17 passports) unless they left the country and renounced the right to return.

Following the liberation of the country from Iraqi occupation in 1991, the government stepped up its efforts to strip the bidun of their rights. They were fired en masse from posi­tions in the military and police, and only a small fraction was rehired. Those dismissed could not collect their sever­ance pay unless they produced a passport, either Kuwaiti or foreign, or left the country. Tens of thousands of bidun who had fled the country or were forced to the leave subsequently were not allowed to return.

With a foreign passport, bidun would have been able to obtain five-year residence permits like other guest workers. In desperation, many bidun bought counterfeit passports from countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea and the Dominican Republic. There have been instances when bidun traveling with forged documents were forcibly returned to Kuwait, and the country was compelled to admit them. There are now 15 bidun in prison awaiting deportation. They can not be deported, however, because no country will take them in, and so they languish in jail.
The country’s 1959 Nationality Law defined Kuwaiti nationals as persons who were settled in Kuwait prior to 1920 and who maintained their normal residence there until the date of the publication of the law. Approximately one third of the population was recognized as bone fide citizens, the founding families of the country. Another third was naturalized and
granted partial citizenship rights. The remaining third was classified as “bidun jinsiya.” The law has been amended 14 times since and with almost every amendment, it has become more restrictive. For example, the 1959 law (Article 3) granted citizenship to children of a Kuwaiti mother when at least one of four circumstances existed: the father was unknown, paternity could not be proven, the father’s nationality was unknown, or he was stateless. When amended in 1980, the mention of unknown nationality and stateless­ness was omitted.

Citizenship in Kuwait is passed on to children through their fathers, not their mothers. Consequently, the children of a Kuwaiti woman and a bidun husband are also bidun. A child of a divorced Kuwaiti woman or widow can acquire citizenship, so that there is an incentive for couples to divorce to guarantee their children’s future.

Several legal experts in Kuwait are of the opinion that the country’s nationality law is in need of revision. More liberal nationality laws of other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, where long-time residents can apply for citizenship, limit the problem of statelessness. Laws in Algeria and Tunisia, which grant mothers the right to pass on their nationality to their children, could serve as models for revisions in Kuwait’s law.

In June 2000, the National Assembly passed a law requiring the bidun to register with the government to begin a pro­cess that would allow some of them to be documented as citizens. The last step in this process entails DNA testing to prove that family members are in fact blood relatives. Those who failed to register would be considered illegal residents at risk of being deported. Many bidun are able to demon­strate convincingly their families’ presence in the country for several generations, and their applications for citizen­ship deserve consideration.
Feelings of distress, frustration, resentment, disappoint­ment and anger among the bidun are palpable. An older generation of bidun, who once served or still do in the mili­tary and police force, are reluctant to protest their plight too strenuously. Their children however are more impatient. Unable to afford the cost of tuition, they are prevented from accessing higher education. Barred from employment in the public sector, they have to accept work that is poorly paid and intermittent. Many are reluctant to marry, because they can not support a family and fear that their children would face the same hardships. The suicide rate among bidun is reportedly high.

There is perhaps greater interest in the plight of Kuwait’s stateless now than there has been in many years. In July 2006 Kuwait’s parliament created a committee to address the issue of the bidun and earlier this year the parliament approved a law granting citizenship to 2,000. A list of those to be granted citizenship will be approved in October. In January, the Ministry of Interior announced that it would issue driving licenses to bidun. Loath to be identified as illegal residents, however, many if not most refuse to apply for one. More constructively, the government recently announced that 100 places in Kuwaiti universities would be designated for bidun. The bidun themselves and sympa­thetic citizens have formed a Popular Committee for Support of the Bidun.

There is general agreement in Kuwait that the humanitarian consequences of statelessness should be addressed imme­diately, leaving the contentious issue of citizenship rights to a later date. At the same time, however, many Kuwaitis acknowledge that the problems associated with statelessness will escalate. There is concern that young disenfranchised bidun may resort to crime, turn to alcohol and drugs, and subscribe to extremist ideologies. It would therefore be in the best interests of the state to find a just and equitable solution to the plight of the stateless sooner rather than later.

Refugees International Recommends:

The government of Kuwait:

• Immediately undertake transparent evaluation of unresolved bidun cases, with intent to grant citi­zenship for qualifying individuals and families.
• Revise nationality law to bring it into conformity with more progressive legislation in the region, particularly regarding the equal right of women to pass on nationality to children.
  Become signatory to the 1954 Convention relating to the status of stateless persons and the 1961 Convention on the prevention of statelessness.
• Amend law barring nationality from court jurisdic­tion to allow bidun access to due process.
  Provide all civil registry and social services equitably and without discrimination.
• Refrain from arresting or detaining stateless per­sons solely on the basis of their being stateless.
• Include tuition fees for children of bidun in the national budget.
  

United nations High commissioner for Refugees:

• Translate and publish its previously completed survey of bidun in Kuwait.
• Actively support government efforts to end state­lessness in Kuwait.
  

United nations Human Rights Bodies:

• Appoint a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Kuwait and address the issue in the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
• Establish presence in Kuwait to assess and recom­mend resolution to the bidun situation.
  

Senior Advocate Maureen Lynch and Patrick Barbieri just returned from a two-week assessment of the situation of bidun in Kuwait

Contacts:
Maureen Lynch and Patrick Barbieri
1705 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
phone: [202] 828–0110 facsimile:
[202] 828–0819
e-mail: ri@refintl.org
www.refugeesinternational.org

Because there are a lot of issues that are important to me and close to my heart, I spend a great deal of time trying to share them with others. I suppose it's my way of "getting the word out" and hoping to network with others sharing my concerns.

Tonight is different...

I've decided to write about simplicity.

On the evenings I spend alone I realize how much I enjoy this time. I work on some projects, listen to quiet music, focus, meditate, and do it all while wearing sweats and my favorite socks. These socks were actually purchased at a rather expensive novelty store in the states about 2 years ago. I bought my dog a matching collar. Yeah, silly, I know. She has since outgrown her collar, but I still love my fuzzy little warm socks. They bring me a great comfort....and security. They're my little part of home that lack any meaning. They're just socks. But the other day I thought my maid had lost one of them and my friend and I searched high and low for over 30 minutes until we found it. I suppose that was my "tragic" moment of the day. Thank God.

That being said...that's my life. I am so very blessed. A "tragedy" in my life is a lost sock. Perhaps it's because I take most things with stride, and try very hard not to let things get me down. Or maybe it's because I have worked very hard to create a quality life filled with love and serenity. And then there's the posibility that someone or something much more powerful than me guides me through this amazing journey we call "life."

Either way, I will continue to share my experiences, enjoy my Starbucks, and wear my little fuzzy socks.

"Life is Good" -- Buy a pair!

Or "Maids" as we know them in the United States...

Here in Kuwait every Kuwaiti home has a house girl, or 3. These women cook, clean, do laudnry, make coffee, tea, serve the guests, and even raise the Kuwaiti children while their mothers are at the Salon and shopping.

These house girls live in the enormous, luxurious home with the Kuwaiti family, eat their food, and even travel with them to other countries from time to time.

Sounds like a pretty good life for a poor girl from Indonesia, huh?

Well, picture this...

Though they live in the home, their room is about 3x5 which includes a sink, toilet, and shower head. They usually sleep on a "mat" in the floor, and this room is located next to the kitchen. There is no closet, dresser, or wardrobe in this room. I have no doubt some of them share this space with the other house girls if the home only has one "Maid's Quarters." Many of these women are abused, mistreated, hit, beaten, burned, and even raped by the man and woman of the house. Even the children they care for mistreat them. Their passports are held in a locked safe, and not returned until the sponsorship expires. This is also to protect the Kuwaiti family, but sounds rather "prison" like to me.

In America not many of us can afford a live-in Maid or Nanny. We hire someone to come to our house a few times a week (or daily if we have small children). We pay a very high salary for these women as their services are of great value to us.

Here in Kuwait they're paid $175 a month. Most, if not all of them, send this money back home to their country, to their family.

Though I live in an apartment, I have a maid who comes here daily. She is provided by the apartment building, so I don't have to pay her. However, I know her salary is the same as the ones working in the home. This woman cleans, does dishes, makes my bed, does my laundry, and even unpacked and put away a lot of my things after I moved in. She is very kind, and timid, but seems very interested in America. Imagine that?

The other day I told my Kuwaiti friend that I leave a couple dinar (about $5) every day or so sitting on my table, just as a little "bonus" to her. I actually felt guily leaving only $5 for all the work she does. But my friend was highly upset that I did this. He said once you start to give them more they expect more. He said as long as you pay them their salary, and only their salary, they won't ask for more, or expect more. They will be happy with what they get, and then they won't tell their friends they make more. God forbid one tell their friends and they all start wanting more. The entire country of Kuwait might crumble! Ugh!

Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world. The Citizens receive salaries for nothing other than being a Kuwaiti. Their college is paid for, and they're paid for going to college. They're given $14,000 just for marrying another Kuwaiti, as well as a home, or the land to build one on at a very low rate. Their salary increases for having a wife, and every time they have another child. It's the richest welfare system in the world.

Yet the people who support the basic needs of this country are treated worse than we treat our livestock being taken to slaughter.

Of course this is not the case with every house girl. I have no doubt there are some who are treated well, cared for, and provided for. I have just yet to see it.

I would love to bring my "maid" home with me to America, get her citizenship, and allow her all of the opportunities we're given as Americans. Unfortunately I couldn't afford her there! Something tells me I would go to JAIL for paying someone $175 a month and making her sleep in a closet!

Sometimes I am truly amazed at how the other side of the world lives. And I am saddened by the greed.