Winds and Stakes: Residency and Migrant Labor in Kuwait and Europe
When I travel to Europe, it is my habit to speak with hotel staff—receptionists, security personnel, cleaners, and restaurant service workers. The conversation usually begins with my asking one of them, “Which country are you from?” The overwhelming majority respond that they are migrants, most of them from Arab countries, along with others from North Africa and Eastern Europe. They have come to the capitals of Western Europe because of its wealth and its need for workers and employees to fill jobs that suffer from severe shortages due to declining population numbers or citizens’ reluctance to take on certain positions. The conversation often extends to their explaining how difficult security and living conditions are in their home countries, and that they came to these countries to work and seek their livelihood, searching for a better future for themselves and their families, as well as appropriate education for their children.
Given the similarity in the size and nature of the workforce in Western Europe to the situation here in Kuwait, it is essential to treat these law-abiding workers with kindness, provide them with good services, build friendly relationships with them, settle all their rights and financial dues, and avoid exploiting them materially or physically or mistreating them. There are numerous prophetic traditions and international laws supporting this approach, such as the criminalization of human trafficking, which Kuwait has, thank God, adhered to.
Another important observation is that migrants, as well as Kuwaitis residing in Europe, pay substantial amounts for the services provided to them and their properties, such as annual taxes, electricity and water bills, security and insurance costs, and the fees for every local or international telephone call. Even the annual television license fee, which was 50 British pounds during my studies in Britain, has now risen to 170 pounds. Therefore, residents in Kuwait and citizens alike must fulfill their financial obligations to the government and to others according to their contracts and comply with the laws. This is the practice of nations and peoples who wish to preserve and develop their wealth, protecting it from waste and depletion.
