Mughniyah mourners unwanted in Kuwait

Kuwait's Interior Ministry has decided to expel expats who took part in a memorial service last month in honor of Hizbullah's head of operations.

By THE MEDIA LINE NEWS AGENCY
Imad Mughniyeh good 248 (photo credit: AP)
Imad Mughniyeh good 248
(photo credit: AP)
Kuwait's Interior Ministry has decided to expel expats who took part in a memorial service last month in honor of Hizbullah's head of operations 'Imad Mughniyah, who was assassinated in February. No exact number was given as to how many would be deported, but several hundred Shi'ite Muslims of various nationalities, including Kuwaitis, Lebanese, Iranians and Bahrainis, participated in the rally. Among some Shi'ites, who constitute a third of Kuwait's population, is Shi'ite, Mughniyah was regarded as a hero for his efforts in fighting Israel. However, among Kuwait officials, Mughniyah was blamed for the hijacking of a Kuwait airline in 1988 in which two Kuwait nationals were killed. Some also claim he was behind an assassination attempt on the previous emir of Kuwait. "We will deport any foreigner who took part in the mourning rally. This is a decision we will implement and we will not back down," Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled A-'Sabah was quoted as saying by the Al-Watan newspaper. The participation of locals and MPs was met with condemnation by many, according to leading Kuwaiti blogger Q80-ChillGirl. The Interior Ministry also plans to take action against two Kuwaiti members of parliament who attended the ceremony. In addition, the ministry has detained and is questioning three local Shi'ite activists who claim to belong to the previously unknown group Hizbullah Kuwait. At the moment the two MPs cannot be interrogated unless the National Assembly strips them of their immunity, which at the moment seems unlikely as the speaker of the parliament, Jassem Al-Khorafi, called for peace and order in the country and pleaded for Kuwaitis not to let the county to be torn apart by foreign hands. He also rejected calls for the citizenship of the two MPs to be removed.