http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=OTM5NzcxOTYz
Shiites laud Kuwait's tolerance Published Date: November 05, 2009 By Nawara Fattahova, Staff writer KUWAIT: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs says the majority of the hundreds of husseiniyas (Shiite religious gathering places) in the country are unlicensed. The ministry's comments were in response to the US State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Report 2009 about the freedom of religion in Kuwait. The report highlights restrictions on religious freedom. It also addresses the situation of Shiites in Kuwait, including their concerns about certain issues. The US report indicates that the Kuwaiti authorities practice a more restrictive role on Sunnis than the Shiite sect, and added that no state control censorship is being conducted on most husseiniyas in the country. The Ministry of Awqaf confirmed some facts of the report. The report mentioned that there are hundreds of Shiite husseiniyas and most are either informal or unlicensed. There is a difference between Shiite mosques and husseiniyas. All mosques have to be licensed by the Ministry of Awqaf, but they can be financed by individuals. These mosques are considered endowment of the family that built it and are completely maintained by the individuals," Musaid Al-Dhafiri, the Ministry's Director of the Mosques Department for Capital Governorate told Kuwait Times. The situation is different for the husseiniyas. "Most husseiniyas are built within the house. So it is considered a private place. Some are built separately and are small in size. They take their license from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor as far as I know," added Al-Dhafiri. The US report also mentioned that the activities in the Shiite husseiniyas and mosques are not censored or controlled in the same way as the Sunni mosques. "The Ministry of Awqaf installs a cassette recorder in all mosques to record speeches, especially Friday sermons. Thus the Shiite mosques are not pre-censored by the ministry," he explained. There is a certain procedure to be followed. "The ministry can only take action in the case of an official complaint. If somebody complains about any violation or mistake in an official letter, our department will refer to the caretaker of that certain husseiniya or Shiite mosque. He will then comment with regard to the complaint and send his reply to our department and enable us to take action," Al-Dhafiri said. As mentioned in the US report, Shiites expressed their satisfaction with the present situation and freedom of worship in Kuwait. "I can practice my religious rituals freely. I always go to husseiniyas on different occasions, and have never felt abused or limited in anything," said 26-year-old Fatma. "I don't think there is a need for censorship on the seminars or events held at the husseiniyas or mosques. In fact, I haven't faced any such situation where I felt controlled. Even the police patrols that surround the place of Shiite gatherings, especially during the month of Muharram (during Ashoura) only come to organize the traffic as the place is usually crowded. They don't interfere in the event or enter the place to control us," explained 35-year-old Abdullah.
