Because you're strong... go back

These are not general cases within the nationality file, but exceptions. It would be ideal if they were treated as special cases in decisions regarding the withdrawal or revocation of nationality, to prevent these cases from being lost in a single large file that lumps together forgers, liars, exploiters, and traitors. Here, it is essential to pay attention to and understand certain fundamental differences among all the cases reviewed in the nationality file, starting from the principle of applying the law in a manner that is not detached from the spirit of the law. I know, I affirm, I reiterate, and I repeat: the nationality file has been groaning in pain and anguish for many years, and only the powerful have dared to open it. And because you are powerful, there is hope that the criteria for withdrawing nationality will be clear, according to transparent mechanisms; at that point, the achievement will be clear and documented. Here, the decision will be based on the state’s interest first and foremost, and on the significant difference between you as a patriotic and trustworthy citizen and the forger, liar, traitor, and exploiter. Here, I hope that the review desired by the government is not understood as a contradiction or a threat to prestige, but rather as an institutional strength capable of distinguishing between the constant and the variable, and correcting any unintentional error. Keeping the decision subject to review after changes in certain data, and reviewing certain aspects that were not focused on or noticed when nationality was withdrawn amidst the congestion and accumulation of files, is truly the real strength. I write and reiterate the sensitivity of the nationality file in Kuwait, and emphasize that the state has the full right to protect its identity and sovereignty. However, that does not exempt me personally, out of frankness, from saying that there are cases that require correction as the state and the law see fit. This suggestion from me is 100% patriotic, without ever objecting to the principle of organization, accountability, and punishment for those who sold the country, forged documents, exploited, and committed crimes against it in previous years. Here, I ask the responsible authority for forgiveness, and I allow myself, as a patriotic and loving citizen, to call on the powerful decision-makers to establish a well-studied exceptional space to reconsider rare cases, which are not measured by quantity, but by value, primarily national value. There are individuals whose careers have been linked to Kuwait since their beginnings. They were born and educated there, and developed scientifically and professionally within its institutions, then went out to the world carrying a clear imprint of this formation. There are individuals who were not just passing names, but some of them became national, scientific, professional, or creative models internationally recognized by the name of Kuwait. Is it in Kuwait’s interest to lose its symbolic and moral connection to these honorable models, who carried Kuwait’s name in every achievement they accomplished? It is sad that scientific, medical, academic, or national figures, who grew up in Kuwait, on whom the state spent and whose awareness and scientific distinction were shaped within it—in its schools, universities, and scientific missions and specializations—reached prestigious global platforms, only to be registered today under the name of another state, to which they belonged only a few months ago, after their Kuwaiti nationality was withdrawn, while the impact of Kuwait on their formation is clear and documented. Who is the winner here? The state that nurtured this excellence from its beginning, or the state that will appear later at the moment of honor? And how many countries eagerly await such names to immediately contact them and express their readiness and happiness to grant them their nationality right away. The world’s countries are today competing to attract minds, providing them with what is necessary to keep them connected, because they realize that true value is not in the land alone, but in those who raise its name beyond its borders. How much more so if this person had their entire or partial successful and distinguished career formed within Kuwait itself, after the state spent materially and morally on them throughout their life? I am not calling for reopening the file in general, nor for canceling decisions, nor for changing the taken path. Rather, I propose a more precise and disciplined idea: Why not form an exceptional committee comprising respected names from Kuwait’s men of stature, with limited authority, whose role is solely to re-examine certain files, according to strict and transparent criteria, with the primary criterion being the exceptional national value linked to Kuwait? I strongly expect objections to what I wrote above, to raise this question: Where is the equality here? My answer is clear and direct: I am not talking about selective decisions here, but pointing to clear and transparent criteria, as clear as the sun, where the decision is based solely on the state’s interest. And as I wrote in a previous article, I reiterate that a strong state does not fear reviewing itself when it is in its interest, and to protect its image and balance before the world. And since Kuwait was strong in its recent decisions, it will be “stronger” when it shows that it is also capable of reviewing what deserves review without losing its balance and distinction. Iqbal Al-Ahmad