Eid Holidays to Stretch Nine Days After Cabinet Decision
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SUBSCRIPTION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 THULQADA 28, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Cabinet confirms Iran bulwark Kashmir’s Steelers no link between against famed carpets dominate Jaber Bridge ‘terrorists’: ruined in $5bn Carolina to and fish2 deaths Rouhani13 flood23 losses record20 big win Eid holidays to stretch nine Max 42º days after Cabinet decision Min 25º High Tide 11:14 Assembly to open Oct 28 • Juwaihel jailed for 3 years Low Tide 05:28 & 18:07 40 PAGES NO: 16294 150 FILS By B Izzak and Agencies conspiracy theories KUWAIT: The Cabinet has decided to regard Wednesday and Thursday, which fall on Oct 8 and 9, as “days off”, said Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Haunted Acting Minister of Justice Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. “October 8 and 9, which fall on Wednesday and Thursday, will be days off for the employees of ministries and state bodies,” the minister said, following a weekly Cabinet meeting at Seif Palace yesterday. The two days off will be part of the official By Badrya Darwish holiday of Eid Al-Adha, which falls on Saturday (Oct 4). Thus, the holiday of the festival will last nine days, beginning on Friday (Oct 3) and ending on Saturday (Oct 11). The Cabinet also approved a draft decree calling for [email protected] the National Assembly to start its new term on Oct 28 following almost four months of summer recess. The current Assembly was elected in late July of last year. aesh, Daesh, Daesh everywhere. Daesh, Meanwhile, the criminal court yesterday sentenced Daesh, Daesh here and there. Even in my Mohammad Al-Juwaihel, a member of the Feb 2012 dreams, I have started seeing Daesh [Daesh is D Assembly, to three years in jail over a forgery case. The the Arabic acronym of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) or simply IS]. Because turn on the TV, any court ordered the immediate implementation of the jail channel - whether it’s Western, Arab, African - even if term even before Juwaihel can challenge the ruling in I go to Timbuktu, I think I will see the Daesh flag court. According to the case documents, Juwaihel was appear like that of the pirates in olden times. The charged of forgery while obtaining a civil ID from the media talks about them day and night as if the rest Public Authority for Civil Information. of the world has stopped and this is the only subject Juwaihel had allegedly provided false information to to discuss. Go to any diwaniya, and all what you hear SANAA: Houthi rebels chant slogans at the compound of the army’s First Armored Division after they took it the employee upon which he obtained a civil ID with a is about Daesh and the atrocities they have commit- over yesterday. The heavily armed Yemeni Shiite militiamen also took over the house of a powerful army wrong address. He used the civil ID for some official ted. Even the ladies who used to gather for chai general allied to Sunni Islamists yesterday and set up checkpoints across the capital, after sweeping across work and was convicted of forgery. duha (morning tea) and talk about perfumes and the city as the general and his allies fled and went into hiding. — AP (See Page 8) Continued on Page 13 fashion and cooking and cupcakes, etc are now busy mentioning Daesh atrocities. IS urges killing I know it is real and horrifying. I feel sorry for the people who fled their villages and those who were citizens from slaughtered by this brutal force. The people in Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon and Syria are suffering and US-led coalition Daesh is advancing. It’s like those alien horror films - Daesh is like an alien invasion force destroying BAGHDAD: The Islamic State group called on Muslims everything before them. to kill citizens of all countries taking part in the US-led But today I woke up to Kuwaiti newspapers say- anti-jihadist coalition by any available means, in a state- ing that Daesh is on the borders of Kuwait and has ment posted online yesterday. “If you can kill a disbe- lots of support here. Is this in favor of Kuwait, these lieving American or European - especially the spiteful media reports? Is this in favor of the country’s stabili- and filthy French - or an Australian, or a Canadian or any ty? Hasn’t the media played a great role in publiciz- other disbeliever... including the citizens of the coun- ing and scaring everyone? What’s wrong with the tries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic Arab world? Why can’t we all unite and fight this State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him,” said Abu group? Why aren’t our armies standing up to this Mohammed Al-Adnani, the group’s spokesman. “Kill the militia? Every Arab country has warehouses full of disbeliever whether he is civilian or military,” he said in Patriot missiles, tanks etc. Masha’Allah. Every now the message, which was released in multiple languages. and then we hear on the news that they bought bil- The United States and France are carrying out air lions of new weapons. strikes against IS targets across Iraq and seeking to Is everyone waiting for Daesh to come to their build an international coalition against a group increas- borders to fight them? Why are we waiting for the ingly perceived as a global threat. US Secretary of State Americans to get involved? Why are we asking the John Kerry said that more than 50 countries have come West to come and fight Daesh? Why isn’t the Arab forward with commitments as part of the coalition, League taking a decision to lead a counterforce including Egypt and other Arab states. The jihadist against Daesh? I’m sure all the Arab armies outnum- group, which has declared a “caliphate” straddling Iraq ber this band of militants by a thousand times. and Syria, controls swathes of territory in both coun- There is something wrong somewhere which is tries. beyond my understanding. There is also the propa- IS has executed hundreds of Iraqis and Syrians, as ganda aspect of the story. These people, I know they well as foreign hostages, and its brutal campaign has are horrible, otherwise why are they publicizing forced more than a million people from their homes. these videos of beheadings. This is PR but against Adnani’s message - which was released in an Arabic Islam and has only added to the opposition to them audio recording and transcripts in other languages within the Muslim world. They are not Muslims. including English - gave instructions on how the killings Everyone keeps talking about them. Cut their could be carried out without military equipment, using finances and that will make a difference. Don’t tell rocks or knives, or by running people over. me all the sophisticated intelligence services in the “France is not afraid,” Interior Minister Bernard region and even outside cannot know where they Cazeneuve said repeatedly during a televised state- get the finance and support from and find ways to stop it. They are getting support from someone very ment, after IS circulated the grisly tips for its followers powerful. Their communication strategy is very on how to kill “disbelievers”. The hundreds of foreigners sophisticated and seems orchestrated to deliver the from various Western countries fighting alongside IS most threatening and scary messages. And it have sparked fears that they could return home to carry worked - it really worked. It’s terrorizing the whole out attacks. Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Arab nation. We’re haunted. They have destroyed Abbott warned that any of its citizens “who fight with the morale and the optimism of the region post- terrorist groups... will be arrested, prosecuted and jailed Arab Spring. for a very long time”. Continued on Page 13 Facing IS, Saudis, Iran think about making up DUBAI: For decades the opposing poles of Middle East cious opportunity and avoid the mistakes of the past, we power politics, Saudi Arabia and Iran may be driven to can deal with this crisis successfully.” set aside at least some of their differences by the rise of a It was the highest-level meeting between the two mutual enemy: Islamic State. The Sunni militant group is countries since the election of the pragmatic Hassan as hateful to Tehran for its threat to the rule of Iran’s Rouhani as Iranian president last year. Zarif also sounded Shiite allies in neighbouring Iraq and Syria as it is to upbeat, saying: “Both my Saudi counterpart and I believe Saudi Arabia for its pursuit of fundamentalist theocratic that this meeting will be the first page of a new chapter rule in an Islamic caliphate. “We are aware of the impor- in our two countries’ relations,” according to IRNA. tance and sensitivity of this crisis and the opportunity “We hope that this new chapter will be effective in we have ahead of us,” Saudi Foreign Minister said after establishing regional and global peace and security and meeting his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif will safeguard the interests of Muslim nations across the in New York on Sunday, according to the Iranian state world.” news agency IRNA. “We believe that by using this pre- Continued on Page 13 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 LOCAL KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Kuwait Municipal Council Chairman Muhalhal Nasser Al-Khaled yesterday. During the meeting, Al-Khaled handed HH the Amir a report about the achievements and performance of the council in the first half of the first year of the 11th session.