SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013 RAMADAN 1, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Emsak: 03:11 Fajer: 03:22 Dohr: 11:53 Asr: 15:28 Maghreb: 18:51 Eshaa: 20:21 Kuwait, GCC celebrate Max 48º Min 35º holy month of Ramadan High Tide 02:05 & 12:18 Low Tide Saudi to expel foreigners disrespecting Ramadan 07:03& 20:01 40 PAGES NO: 15865 150 FILS RIYADH: The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan conspiracy theories begins in Saudi Arabia today, the royal cabinet Ramadan Kareem announced in a statement yesterday, citing the king- dom’s religious authorities. The holy month during Month of which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be Ramadan steps more pious and charitable, begins with the sighting of By Umm Ruqayyah tolerance the new moon, which varies from country to country. Other Arab countries including Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar ouldn’t you love to enter the month of and Yemen, will also observe the start of Ramadan Ramadan on a real high and have the effects today. Wof this beautiful month be a permanent During Ramadan, Muslims are also required to impact on your life thereafter? How can this be done? abstain from drinking liquids, smoking and having sex Below are the 8 steps for a Legacy of a Ramadan. By Badrya Darwish from dawn until dusk. The fasting is one of the five main religious obligations under Islam. The month is Step 1 - Create a Ramadan Count Down sacred to Muslims because tradition says it is the Counting down for Ramadan (whether it is done month in which the Quran was revealed by Allah to mentally or by keeping physical signs around the home the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). or office) will help create hype and buzz in your mind [email protected] Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia yesterday threatened to and amongst the people around you. When you and expel non-Muslim expatriates who eat, drink, or smoke others are counting down to the same event, it in public during the Muslim fasting month of becomes part of regular conversation and excitement amadan is the month of peace and tranquility. Ramadan. “Non-Muslim residents in the kingdom must spreads. It is the month of mercy and forgiveness from not eat or drink in public during Ramadan, in respect Step 2 - Seek knowledge about Ramadan RGod. It is a month dedicated to worship, toler- to the holiness of Ramadan and the feelings of ance, self reflection and understanding. It is not a This will help you ensure you will do things correctly Muslims,” said an interior ministry statement published month in which we only refrain from food and water. and perfectly for Ramadan, it will create a hype as there by the official SPA news agency. It is not meant to just starve ourselves. It is about are many motivational aspects and events in the month training and purifying your soul. It is meant to teach Foreigners caught breaking the fast in public “will to look forward to and finally it is a reward reaper. The you more empathy and patience. Ramadan is about be subject to deterrent measures that include termi- more you know about Ramadan the more you can showing our human side which many of us might nating their employment contracts and expelling apply, hence multiplying your rewards. have ignored or have written off. them from the kingdom,” the ministry said. It added Once a year, we have this beautiful month com- that “companies, corporations and individuals are Step 3 - Make a Ramadan plan ing to give us a chance to repent and to try to cor- required to inform their employees” of the rules. Oil- Be it reading the entire Qur’an, ensuring you pray rect our mistakes. Also, Ramadan gives us a chance JAKARTA: Indonesian Muslim women hold prayers rich Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict version of taraweeh every night or inviting families over for iftaar; to reflect on these mistakes. on the first night of Ramadan at the Istiqlal mosque sharia (Islamic) law, is home to eight million foreigners, make a list of things you would like to achieve in the Continued on Page 13 in Jakarta yesterday. — AFP mostly Asians. — Agencies Continued on Page 13 WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013 LOCAL Kuwait drop down on WEF rankings for friendliness Crackdown backlash KUWAIT: Kuwait’s anti-foreigner backlash is in If successful it will be rolled out nationally. countries. As part of a widespread backlash making life hard for foreigners and trying to with children were among those exempted full force as expats are restricted from using Foreign patients will only have access to med- Kuwait will also scrap subsidies it offers for- push them out. Many will jump before they from the conditions, along with certain pro- public hospitals and driving. At the start of ical treatment in the mornings if it is an emer- eigners for public services such as electricity are pushed.” fessions like judges and doctors. June, the Kuwaiti government barred foreign- gency. and water, claiming they are “a burden on the Kuwait authorities have also tightened But Kuwait’s traffic department is now ers from attending a major public hospital in Currently, Kuwait provides free medical state”. their already strict controls on foreign drivers reviewing the list of exemptions, and has the morning, leaving it free for locals who services to locals, but expats must pay an Earlier this year the Kuwaiti government by withdrawing licences from students and been cancelling licences for students when have complained about overcrowding. annual fee along with charges for certain pro- said it relied too heavily on expats and wants housewives. they graduate and housewives who get a job. Banning foreigners in the morning at Jahra cedures like X-rays. to reduce their numbers. It plans to cut its 1.8 Under current laws, most foreigners can At the same time, more than 1,000 expats hospital, west of Kuwait City, is a six month tri- The anti-foreigner stance has seen Kuwait million expats by 100,000 annually over the only drive on public roads if they hold a uni- have been deported from the Gulf state with- al to try to ease congestion for Kuwaiti drop down the World Economic Forum’s rank- next decade. versity degree, earn KD 400 a month and in the past two months for minor traffic patients in a country where expats outnum- ings for friendliness to tourists and visitors. One British expat who wished to remain have lived in the country for at least two offences and have had their vehicles ber locals two to one. The Emirate now stands at 137th out of 140 anonymous said: “Already the government is years. However, students, and housewives impounded. Arabi Group wins ‘Insurance Hospitals’ auction KUWAIT: Arabi Group Holding was estimated at KD60 million of the total selected as a strategic investor in a proj- project’s capital of KD230 million. ect to build hospitals for treatment of Meanwhile, head of the founding expatriates covered by a governmental committee of the Health Insurance health insurance program after winning Hospitals Company, Mohammad Al- an auction carried out by the Kuwait Munaifi, announced in a press confer- Investment Authority on Monday. ence to announce the auction result that The group had forwarded a KD 66.6 preparations to sign the deal is expected million offer to invest in 26 percent of the to take place within a month or two, fol- shareholding company that will be lowed by the initial public offering for 50 founded to establish three hospitals with percent of the company’s share on a total capacity of 700 beds and offer September or October. integrated medical services to foreigners The government will own the remain- living in Kuwait. ing 24 percent share of the shareholding KUWAIT: Supporters of former Kuwaiti MP Yaqoub Al-Sanea, a candidate in Kuwait’s upcoming parliamentary elections, gather at his election Its bid was selected over offers for- company. Al-Munaifi added that the campaign tent in Kuwait City yesterday. Kuwait will hold a second parliamentary election in eight months on July 27 amid a political crisis that has stalled development in the country and a boycott by the opposition. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat warded by Kepco (KD53.8 million), Agility company which will handle works to (KD32.3 million) and Jebla Company implement the mega project should start Eight candidates quit elections race (KD32.3 million) for the share that was operation by early next year. KUWAIT: Eight parliamentary candi- the second constituency Adel Al- Voters’ views differ on candidates dates have withdrawn candidancy Khorafi emphasized on the necessi- for the July 27 elections, decreasing ty to participate in the next elec- KUWAIT: Candidates have been launch- so far acceptable. number of candidates to 404, the tions, especially after the constitu- ing their campaigns for the July 27 par- Taiba Al-Khaled, another employee, interior ministry said yesterday. tional court put an end to differing liamentary elections by using all means welcomed the idea of sending emails to The ministry’s public authority views, and said all should respect at their disposal including sending the private accounts and that the receiv- for elections, said in a statement opposing points of views. emails to private accounts of voters. er could either open or delete them. Hussein Sardar Ali Faraydoon, Saud He said that the election shall Some voters do not mind getting Thawra Abdulkareem said she was Mathkar Nasser Al-Hajri, Salman witness large participation which these emails because they will save time annoyed from the emails getting to her Nasser Al-Rashidi and Awadh Khalaf could exceed 50 percent after some knowing the programs of the candidates, private inbox as they were distracting Al-Enezi quit the race in the 2nd have announced boycotting elec- while others were dismayed because it her from her work.