H I L A L I Y A

A CALL TO WEB CALLS
by Amer Al-Hilal
Reprinted from Arab Times (10th March, 2007)

The Kuwait Ministry of Communications apparently is not familiar with globalization, the shrinking 'world village' and the communications revolution sweeping the world. The bureaucratic, backward MOC mentality is stuck in a 1985 time warp. As reported the last few days, the Ministry of Communications has blocked Internet Telephony Services. One could see this particular train wreck coming ever since one of the MOC Under-Secretaries complained a few months ago of losing "20 million KD" in revenue per year due to the Net services.

But let us ponder the issue at hand what is KD 20 million to the MOC? Is this amount more important than allowing our expatriates and businesses to communicate in a swifter, less expensive manner via the net? The majority of citizens in Kuwait are expatriates, and many of them rely on services like Net To Phone because they cannot pay the exorbitant prices by the MOC. These tactics by the MOC are akin to Mafia extortion tactics (arrests, intimidation, blocked sites), forcing citizens to use high cost, sub par services. We are dealing with basic human rights here, the right to communicate with family and friends and not pay outrageous prices.

I am positive tens of millions more get wasted due to corruption and mismanagement at the MOC. The Kuwait international rates are among the highest in the Middle East and the world, technology is catching up; internet telephony services are one day going to make charges obsolete, so the MOC needs to 'get with the program' : preparing itself for its essential and eventual transformation from a traditional, bloated, pedantic government bureaucracy to an "Authority" that provides services and quality control.

Thousands of people are moving away from landlines (part of a global trend) and obtaining mobile numbers (they are the real MOC revenue-killer) - does the MOC intend to sue Wataniya and MTC as well?

Former MOC Minister Masouma Mubarak should have spent more time attempting to 'fix' Kuwait Airways (which is now being sued by 17 stranded passengers in Thailand) than trying to milk every last cent out of poor expatriates and citizens attempting to communicate with others via the Net (I sincerely look forward to a high-tech, pioneering technocrat being offered the MOC portfolio, not Ms. Mubarak again). I also hope expatriates and their representatives in Kuwait help pressure the MOC to revers its course.

For a ministry that has proclaimed its willingness to 'reform,' 'modernize' and avail Kuwait of the latest technological developments in the Communications field, it has failed miserably to keep up with modern trends, limit ISP charges and upgrade its digital and broadband services to be on par with most modern states. The MOC needs to move away from its bureaucratic, inefficient and intrusive Orwellian world into the 21st century.

An Old Kuwaiti Neighborhood (from Kuwait.Past.Com)

'After Iftar Corner'
Embrace Tolerance
Reprinted From Arab Times (15th October, 2006)
By Amer Al-Hilal

During the blessed month of "Ramadan," Muslims fast, abstain from impure thoughts and actions, donate to charity, and aspire to live up to the ideals of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) by worshiping Allah, the All-Mighty, through their hearts and minds.

Tolerance, humility, civility and compassion, I was raised to believe, were noble characteristics that required constant support and encouragement. These characteristics in an individual are an offshoot of a decent upbringing by conscientious parents everywhere; indeed they are among many pillars of Islam, and are embodied by the character of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him).

The origins of Kuwait, prior to the oil boom, were also founded on tolerance, kindness and an innate curiosity of other cultures and peoples. Our citizens were pearl divers and merchants, they traveled far and wide, and they become proficient at languages - ranging from Swahili to Indian; our livelihood depended on it. Kuwait was far from affluent during those harsh years; people woke up at dawn, women would work tirelessly to bake food and take care of the homes and - by and large - men would do manual labor. Nevertheless, the community was phenomenal: strong, vibrant, and enriched by a sense of camaraderie, of belonging, united by faith and love. All would share sorrow and happiness; for instance, wedding celebrations would last for days. Long pilgrimages to distant exotic lands, by camel caravans and by the traditional wooden Kuwaiti "Dhows" would span months, occasionally longer. The women and children stayed behind working hard, protecting other's homes and possessions. Indeed, we were expatriates and laborers in other countries, away from our families for extended periods.

An Old Kuwaiti Gate (from Kuwait.Past.Com)

And yet we were a beacon of tolerance and kindness. Kuwait was the foremost Gulf country to build an American Hospital, to embrace non-Muslims into their communities, notably missionaries, leading to the establishment of churches and places of worship here. We were an open, transparent and God-fearing society; our minds were wide open and our arms were ready to welcome strangers who might ride through the visage of a distant sandstorm into our "Kut," (the word Kuwait derives from it, meaning "Little Fort").

Celebrating A Feast (from Kuwait.Past.Com)

Tolerance, compassion, sincerity, humility, treating individuals with respect - regardless of rank, race, ethnic background or religion; these are both Islamic ideals and traditional Kuwaiti ideals, they are a form of charity: pure in nature, high in stature and evocative of equality and goodwill.

These ideals should be embraced, always, not just during the holy month of Ramadan. They were the ideals of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) and a way of life. Only by acquiring knowledge of our Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) and emulating his gentle, just and compassionate traits, can we become better Muslims.

People Want Decisive Action, Tangible Accomplishments
By Amer Al-Hilal
Reprinted from Arab Times (6th July, 2006)

Elections are over. The people have spoken. The new Parliament is an opposition one in the true sense of the word. The reform movement is as formidable as ever and its main defenders in Parliament have returned imbued with a sense of energy and determination.

Even with 25 Constituencies and unlimited resources, the government and its supporters could not extinguish the flames of reform and the vociferous spirit rallying against corruption. Last minute “yellow journalism,” interviews with tainted Ministers and empty talk about “national unity” could not dispel how people felt both about corruption and the aimless, unproductive role the government has played during the last few years. Infrastructure problems such as the water shortage issue only augmented people’s frustrations at the government, a government that has failed consecutively to advance Kuwait into the 21st century.

The ball is in the government’s court now. The people and the Parliament have demanded that certain individuals do not return to a new cabinet and that the government take a heightened stand against corruption - prevalent in all of Kuwait not just government bodies - which taints everything it touches whether it be housing, social issues, technological upgrades, among other issues. Corruption is no longer a symptom of a failed society; it is now an ailment which not only menaces all of Kuwait but renders it impotent.

If the government is serious about privatization, upgrading Northern oil fields, improving health care and the environment, tackling unemployment and creating new jobs, then it needs to listen to the Kuwaiti street. Nevertheless, we want things done right, if the government upgrades or privatizes, we want a transparent mechanism that benefits the Kuwaiti citizen, not some Tom, Dick or Harry who is “close to the inner circle.”

The government cannot blame Saddam or Iraq for the lack of progress and development in Kuwait. There are no more internal problems within the branches of the Ruling Family impeding progress. Oil is not at $7 a barrel. There are no more scapegoats.

People want decisive action and tangible accomplishments. They are tired of rhetoric concerning ‘national unity’ and ‘navigators steering the Kuwaiti ship safely to shore’ and all the other useless jargon the public has been spoon-fed the last quarter of a century.

If the government is serious about reform, it will help pass 5 Constituencies (or even one Constituency) it will eradicate corrupt elements from future cabinets, it will work on a plan to upgrade Kuwait’s infrastructure and seriously analyze the needs of the young Kuwaiti men and women coming of age who need decent jobs, security and prosperity to help build this country.

However, if the government chooses the defiant route ignoring the will of the people, then we all tumble into another political abyss the results of which will not be pretty and the government will not be able to blame its incompetent performance on “internal elements hurting Kuwait’s national unity.”

Iran's Installations

‘Radioactive dreams’; Spare Region ‘Another War’
by Amer Al-Hilal
Reprinted from Arab Times (24th April, 2006)

Dear President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,

Please allow me to interrupt your latest preparations for the bizarre “Holocaust: Myth or Fact” conference and congratulate you on your active and vibrant Presidency. Iran continues on its path of enlightenment, its respect for human rights, combating terrorism, its support for freedom of speech, the Middle East Peace Process, security in the Gulf and the international arena by continuing to thumb its nose at the West and the Gulf countries by pursuing a nuclear program.

During the Kuwait invasion, Saddam “I Invaded Kuwait But All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt” Hussein torched over 700 oil wells, literally making us live through Joseph Conrad’s Darkness at Noon, local lax environmental regulations on factories and the oil industry, leading to an increase in asthmas rates and cancers.

So Mr. President, you are just speeding up the inevitable; we are now on the path of an uninhabitable Kuwait, one shrouded in cancers and innumerable deaths due to the radioactive smorgasbord - due to a potential earthquake, human error a la Three Mile Island or a smart-bomb attack - from your strategically-placed-on-the-Kuwait-border nuclear reactors.

Of course placing such reactors around Teheran or your major cities would have alarmed citizens, so they got moved to our neck of the woods (ie the Busher plant).

You were well aware that our Ministers would run to you with open arms, with their gleaming, toothy smiles, and hug you and treat you like a visionary head of state when you visited us. You knew we’d make statements “supporting peaceful nuclear work.”

We also embraced your envoys (ie. Rafsanjani) but what use will their words of reassurance be when people are getting chills and fever due to environmental radiation?

You actually went one step beyond an invasion. This won’t be seven months of torture, rapes and killing (featuring over 600 POWs missing); rather Kuwait will be uninhabitable, not for one month, or seven months or three years, but for decades. It’s genius. You will actually manage to do something Saddam never dreamed of: create a ghost town - fueled by alarming cancer rates and innumerable deaths - where human life is worthless and billions in revenue whether earned (oil) or spent (infrastructure, investments) will be worthless. The history, heritage and land of a country will be erased, not in name but in reality. Who would want to live here under those conditions? Mr President if you don’t believe me, I’ll try to make this easier for you: watch Stanley Kramer’s 1959 motion picture “On The Beach” (you can order it from Amazon.com). Listen to Fred Astaire’s monologue.

Oh, I just realized that you – as a former American hostage-taker during the Iranian revolution – are probably not “cool” with the idea of watching Western films, unless they are “Wag The Dog” or “Fahrenheit 911.” Take the Russian deal. And spare the region another war. Kuwait is tired of being in the eye of the storm every decade. We’ve had enough. Otherwise its welcome to Radioactive Dreams, Mr. President. And that will be all due to your sheer genius and respect for human life.

WAR BRINGS FORTH BEST TRAITS
by Amer Al-Hilal
Reprinted from Arab Times (22nd March 2006)

It's been three years to this day since I heard sirens piercing the airwaves at noon, on March 20, 2003.

I had moved two days earlier to a new domicile, the only reason I had bothered to change my location was due to the fact that the new one had a basement room which I could seal in case of a chemical or biological attack by Iraq.

In Kuwait we lived through over three weeks of the Iraqi fallout: sirens blazing several times a day, missiles being intercepted by Patriot missile batteries, some striking the city, fear of a chemical attack; indeed all of us were in ‘low frequency’ or controlled panic mode.

You can prepare yourself psychologically but when the siren's sound becomes audible, on the streets and the radio, it becomes an altogether different beast to tame.

When the sirens pierced our surroundings the first day of the war, I sat down in silence, I had dry mouth, I attempted to collect my thoughts and “get it together,” I wasn’t worried about myself, but was concerned about my children and thoughts of what a chemical attack could do to Kuwait were devastating. During the Gulf War thousands of us Kuwaiti students and professionals had volunteered to serve with the U.S. Army, and we received training at bases such as Fort Dix, NJ (even receiving chemical training) but when you’re in Kuwait with a family and children, it’s an entirely different scenario.

We rushed to the basement – already stocked with supplies: radios, flashlights, food and water – and locked the door, sealing it with plastic wrappings and tape.

We sealed ourselves in the room. I had never done such a thing in my life.

The radio was on, the Kuwaiti announcer coolly reporting the situation. He was the voice we clung to, he was the voice that would tell us ‘everything’s okay,’ the voice that would allow us to break the seals on the door and leave the basement room, as opposed to being stuck in there for days like hamsters, because of any chemical threat.

The first dozen or so siren warnings we all did the same “shtick”; scurrying to the basement room and locking ourselves in. I’d sit wondering how the British dealt with years of the “blitz” in London, being bombarded with sirens piercing, using shelters, and utilizing food rations, eventually many of them having to send their children to the countryside for their own safety.

After a few days of sirens intermittently going off, we got accustomed to them and began ignoring that little “panic room” we had set up in the basement. We actually celebrated my son’s birthday in the living room once while they screeched in the background.

Nevertheless, the air Conditioner was still off and all the windows in the house were still sealed, the war still raged, and the rumors still flew, but it was work as usual and life went on. We would follow the news closely no matter where we were, any ministry, house, place of business had MSNBC or Fox News in the background. Let’s not forget Al-Jazeera featuring the Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Al-Sahaf lambasting the U.S., describing the grave casualties they were suffering. He was Iraq’s Inspector Clouseau, the buffoon of the hour; mocked nightly on Jay Leno and David Letterman (Al-Sahaf is now comfortably retired in Dubai).

Al-Sahaf In Action

10 days after the initial war had broken out, the outlook was bleak. We became uneasy, preparing for the worst. We actually had expected a Gulf War videogame scenario where Iraqi soldiers would surrender to television camera crews and the like, but now there was resistance in places like Basra and there were reports from the US media that U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld had wanted a leaner and meaner strike force as opposed to a larger and formidable one (i.e. The Powell Doctrine: Overwhelming Force). The war didn’t seem like it was progressing at the expected rate; I remember a hefty number of expatriates were beginning to leave Kuwait and we were worried that the American invasion of Iraq and removal of Saddam Hussein would take a minimum of six months.

The Outskirts of Basra.

We had grown accustomed to the American Patriot missile batteries intercepting all the missiles before they reached downtown Kuwait. But then it happened. It was around 1am and I was watching Fox News – which had a decent live feed of Kuwait – and I felt a distant thundering blast, the house shook slightly. The live feed featured a shot of Kuwait city, quiet, orange lights glowing in the distance behind skyscrapers and buildings, and then we saw it: a rising mass of smoke appearing in the background.

No sirens had blared. This missile had gotten through.

Immediately I worried that it might be a chemical attack but began skimming through the channels, Fox, MSNBC and CNN.

The Missile Explosion In Kuwait

It was bizarre watching Fox News report on something happening in my vicinity while I was there. This wasn’t some desolate remote country thousands of miles away, this was here and now.

Gradually they all began featuring the live feed from Kuwait featuring the explosion. Within an hour we found out that Souk Sharq – one of Kuwait’s premier malls by the beachfront - had been hit; young Kuwaitis in defiance left their homes and drove to the location. Camera crews were taping everything; dozens of Kuwaitis, maybe hundreds, showed up, taunting Saddam and Iraq, yelling out in Arabic “bring it on!”

Within a few days, the war effort picked up pace and the Americans had reached Baghdad. The regime had been decimated.

Citizens Donating Blood

When I reminisce of those apprehensive weeks we went through three years ago, they humble me; they also spark memories of the invasion of Kuwait when fearless Kuwaitis - accustomed to a comfortable life - joined the resistance, distributed food, helped people in need and worked blue collar jobs to help themselves and others. Many paid with their lives. Others were taken as hostage to Iraq. The resistance characteristic of the Kuwaiti invasion has never truly been highlighted in the global media or popular culture but it was invaluable to the efforts to free Kuwait and maintain the status quo, political or otherwise.

The spirit of camaraderie, strength, faith and sacrifice was prevalent among both Kuwaitis and expatriates; people went out of their way to make sure others were fine, well-stocked and out of harm's way.

In times of crisis, our best traits are brought forth.

It would be astonishing if one could maintain that spirit even during peace; a noble ideal one should aspire to.