Nebraska Abolishes Death Penalty OIC Meeting Mirrors Muslim
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OIC meeting Nebraska Pressure mounts mirrors Muslim abolishes death on Blatter as aspirations9 penalty10 scandal44 widens Min 30º Max 46º FREE www.kuwaittimes.net NO: 16535- Friday, May 29, 2015 Page 6 Local FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015 Local Spotlight Kaffeeklatsch Better late than never Will the twain ever meet? By Muna Al-Fuzai By Shakir Reshamwala [email protected] [email protected] fficial statistics have pointed a finger at uwait is a diverse place with residents from nearly system for expats. unlicensed weapons as the main reason every country in the world, though one hesitates According to a Kuwait Times report published earlier behind the rise in crimes in Kuwait. For this Kto call it a melting pot or even a salad bowl. There this month, the study recognizes a ‘large imbalance’ that O is hardly any assimilation, cultural or otherwise, and vari- has created a situation where the Indian and Egyptian reason, the ministry of interior launched a weapons ous communities, sub-communities and even sub-sub- communities make up 33 percent and 23 percent of the collection campaign to deliver a message to all communities exist in their own bubbles, spending their expatriate population respectively, compared to com- segments of the society and raise public awareness entire lives in this country without any exposure to those munities from other countries including Bangladesh and of the seriousness of unlicensed weapons. The unlike them. the Philippines (7 percent each), Syria (6 percent), interior ministry announced a four-month grace This doesn’t mean Kuwait’s foreign residents are anti- Pakistan (5 percent), Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka (4 per- period that will end on June 22. I am wondering if social. Hundreds of arts, sports and religious societies, cent each), Jordan (3 percent), Nepal, Lebanon, Ethiopia, clubs and other groups hold frequent events and get- and Iran (2 percent each). the campaign will achieve its goal and if there are togethers, but again, they only cater to a particular sub- Kuwaitis’ percentage among the population dropped more efforts that need to be exerted to collect set of a community, content to remain in their own insu- to 31 percent compared to 69 percent of expatriates at weapons from those who haven’t surrendered lar orbits. the end of 2014. Regarding domestic helpers, the study them yet. What’s next? When it comes to housing, one finds that most expats indicates that their numbers have reached nearly Security is everyone’s responsibility. That is what prefer to live in areas populated by their compatriots, to 567,000, making up 23 percent of the labor market and the point that some areas have been ghettoized and 14 percent of the population. Their numbers compared the MoI message says about this campaign. It sure- completely dominated by a particular group. Hence we to Kuwaitis reaches 44 percent, and 20 percent com- ly reflects sincere intentions, but it is not enough to see Indians of all stripes concentrated in some parts of pared to expatriates. address this issue which has been delayed for more Salmiya, Keralites and Bangladeshis in Abbasiya and It is not uncommon to find people who have spent than 20 years since the end of the Iraqi invasion. Hasawi respectively (both in Jleeb), bedoons in Taima in decades in Kuwait, but can hardly speak a word of Arabic The spread of unlicensed weapons among the peo- Jahra, Iranians in Bneid Al-Gar, Americans and other apart from the barest minimum needed to get on with ple has become a matter of concern to public secu- Westerners in Fintas, Mahboula and nearby areas, essential tasks. Many have no Kuwaiti friends and haven’t Ethiopians in parts of Hawally and Filipinos in parts of had any meaningful interaction with them. Most have rity. But better late than never. Kuwait City, among others. Hawally used to be a never seen the inside of a Kuwaiti house or even a The Kuwait Society for Human Rights held a talk Palestinian stronghold before the war, while South diwaniya. Conversely, the only foreigners many Kuwaitis recently about the process of collecting arms. An Khaitan was a bastion of Egyptians before it was com- interact with regularly are the domestic workers in their official from the general directorate for investiga- pletely leveled. homes, leading to stereotypical images being formed in tion of arms explained that there are rules and con- This has not gone unnoticed by the authorities, and a their minds that they associate the entire expat popula- committee that was formed by the government to tion with. ditions for possessing and carrying arms. The appli- address the demographic imbalance in the country has It seems everyone - Kuwaitis as well as expats of vari- cant should be a citizen, physically fit and have a proposed to end the ‘urban division’ of expatriates and ous nationalities - seems to be moving in parallel lines suitable income for possessing weapons and not introduce a fair geographical distribution that prevents that will never meet. There is unity in diversity, as the have been sentenced in a felony or misdemeanor crowding of citizens of certain nationalities in specific adage goes, but these groups will have to cross paths to case. Moreover, the licensed weapon issued to him areas, along with other measures like adopting a quota make this happen. should be under his control and supervision of the police. Having a weapon without a license is dangerous and suspicious, especially for families with children. The sad part here is that in most cases, these weapons are being used in weddings as a kind of expression of joy. In several incidents, many inno- cents have been injured or killed because of stray bullets. I agree that this campaign has all the good reasons to be held, but how cooperative are the people? The law has serious penalties for violators rang- ing from five years imprisonment for possession and 10 years imprisonment for trade in arms, in addition to a fine exceeding $150,000. The MoI should extend this campaign to all segments of society including expatriates of all nationalities without any exceptions. All NGOs must also sup- port this effort. Not all people are alike. Some peo- ple have been cooperative and handed over their weapons, but some have ignored the call and their weapons will be taken by force with penalties. This campaign to collect weapons may not con- tribute directly to the reduction in the rates of vio- lence and crime that have spread in recent times, but it provides a general message about the seri- ousness of the matter, because the presence of arms gives an impetus to commit a crime easily. Such campaigns should not have an expiry date and must remain effective as long as possible. KUWAIT: Divers from Sea Club prepare themselves for a pearl diving expedition. — Photo by Joseph Shagra Local FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015 First Indian movie made in Kuwait to hit cinemas soon By Nawara Fattahova ence in the industry as I’m working as a graph- ic editor and colorist for various TV producers new Indian movie shot entirely in in Kuwait. I hope my movie will be successful,” Kuwait is coming to local theatres soon. he said, adding, “My goal is to reach film festi- A“Between Love and Marriage” is a vals.” romantic comedy and the first Indian movie fully produced and shot in Kuwait. Director Giri Plotline Prasad Kasa selected Kuwait as his backdrop The story of the masala potboiler revolves because he has lived here for more than 15 around Santosh and Asha, who accidentally years. “I chose to shoot all scenes - both indoor bump into each other in a gift shop. Later, at and outdoor - in Kuwait. Around 30 to 40 peo- an ice cream parlor, a thief snatches Asha’s ple are working on this movie, the majority necklace and runs away. Running after the from the Indian community in Kuwait, while thief, she slips and meets Santosh again after two are Kuwaitis,” he told Kuwait Times. falling into his lap. They then fall in love. Their The 50-minute-long movie will be in families agree to their marriage, and gifts are Telugu, a south Indian language, with English exchanged. But here comes the twist in the subtitles. The premiere will be in Kuwaiti the- tale. A man has a crush on Asha and wants to atres and the movie will also be shown on a marry her, warning that he will commit suicide popular Indian channel. Kasa expects the if she refuses, while a similar scene takes place movie to be ready in two months. “The cast of with Santosh with a girl in a restaurant. the movie are mostly employees, so we only work during the weekends. This is the reason Credits why it is taking us longer to shoot the scenes,” ‘Between Love & Marriage’ - Production: he said. Franco Arab; Producer: Mishal Al-Salem and This is the second experience for Kasa in the Giri Prasad Kasa; Assistant Director: film industry and his first in Kuwait. “I made a Abdulmuhsen Al-Tammar, Uday G, B Pavan, Director Giri Prasad Kasa and his crew shoot some scenes from his latest Tollywood documentary in India on wildlife and got posi- Rajah Y; Screenplay and dialogues: Gandham movie ‘Between Love and Marriage’ in various locations around Kuwait. tive feedback. Besides, I have extensive experi- Chinna Srinivasa Rao. Local FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015 By Ben Garcia admitted Lin but according to him he only needs a team to work with. “I cannot finish the 24 sq ft by myself in just one ork, work, work! Whatever your work maybe, day, but if you have team of people to work, it becomes easi- at the end of the day, you must work in order er,” he added.