Criticism has mounted in Kuwait of a document signed by a number of parliamentary elections candidates that declares their commitment to implementing Islamic Sharia law in the country.
The “document of principles” was adopted by activists in Islamic movements and has garnered the support of a large number of Islamist MPs, mainly from the fifth district, but as well as the fourth.
The signatories pledged to support Islamic laws that would be submitted by lawmakers.
They also expressed their rejection of the mixing of genders in public, including beaches and gyms at hotels. They supported the implementation of a law that calls for modest dress at universities and halting practices of “idolatry”, body-building and gambling.
They demanded that buildings at universities be segregated according to gender. They expressed their rejection of mixed festivals and urged stricter measures at massage parlors and a halt to all “idolatry” practices.
They demanded an end to “debased moral practices and revealing images of the body on social media”. They called for amending the law on “imitating the opposite sex” and enacting the law that criminalizes tattoos that can be visibly seen in public.
The document was launched by Islamist activist Abdul Rahman al-Nassar and backed by preacher Othman al-Khamis, who called on lawmakers to sign and commit to it.
Former Salafist MP Mohammed Hayef is among the signatories.
The document underlined the deep divide between liberals and conservatives in Kuwait.
Liberals have long called for strengthening the civil state in Kuwait and have been looking forward for the September 29 elections to shift the country towards social and economic reform and resolve political divisions.
The document, however, upended these plans and breathed new life in Islamic movements.
Activists turned to social media to express their criticism.
“This is not a political project, but religious and ethical hegemony on society,” said one activist.
Calls have been made to boycott voting for signatories of the document in the elections.
Kuwaiti intellectual Ahmad al-Sarraf tweeted that the document “basically calls for the formation of a commission for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice” that has been rejected and dissolved in other Islamic countries.
“What sort of catastrophe are the supporters of this document promoting?” he asked.
Former minister Dr. Saad bin Tafla al-Ajami described the declaration as a “purely ISIS document.”
He called on everyone “who is keen on the state of law, the constitution and public and private freedoms to reject the document without hesitation.”
