Most Abyssmal Logic Ever in This Opinion Article: "The difference between citizenship and patriotism" Al-Watan Daily
Hey, Mr. Khalaf, oh bastion of wisdom and patriot premiere, you know whats the difference between citizenship and patriotism? Or rather the barrier between one leading to the other? People like you who see citizenship as a freaking cartel and people who see the government as merely a deliverer of services ande easy money. Patriotism is caring about your country enough to not just live for the day, blow money and guzzle resources denying future generations a chance to grow. Patriotism is having a strong work ethic. Patriotism is civic duty that goes beyond military defense. Patriotism is caring about your fellow person.
In your cheap emotional appeal by bringing in the Iraqi invasion you completely forget about all the non-Kuwaitis who also were affected by the war, took part and helped for the freedom of Kuwait and supported your country. And citizenship should be accessible to all who prove that they care about the country, like generations of people who are not Kuwaitis, but have lived in this country all their lives, as well as their parents and their ancestors. Kuwait is all they know, yet they are not citizens. If they are lucky, they have citizenship to another country, which they might not even have any real tangible connection to in comparison to Kuwait, but if they are not lucky, they have a grey passport.
Patriotism means that you do not see yourself as a shareholder, and that you do not have AVARICE in granting citizenship, like your distrust of dual nationals (well then create a law that Kuwaiti males can't marry foreigners!!!), the stateless and the other non-Kuwaitis. All these people work hard to contribute to your economy and to make your life of citizenship leisure more cushy. Based on your article, citizenship to you has nothing to do with patriotism, in my opinion of course.
Link here to article Abdullah Khalaf |
| The concepts of citizenship and patriotism differ from the concepts of belonging and loyalty. Although a sense of belonging and loyalty are both part of patriotism, the concept of belonging is limited as compared to the concept of loyalty. In the first case, an individual might not love his country but when the need arises; sacrifices his life for its security because he is connected to his country by a sacred bond and that is loyalty. In the other case an individual might belong to a particular country, but does not feel the necessity to sacrifice his life for his nation and that person only has a sense of belonging. These are the people who abandon their country and run for their lives when they sense danger looming in front of them. There are also those who get the citizenship of another country particularly for this purpose. These people will eventually have to fight for the other countries as the laws of those countries require them to defend the countries in times of danger. They also boast about their second countries openly and shamelessly in the press and on radio and television. Dr. Issa AlـShammas is quoted as saying: "Loyalty is true belonging and thus loyalty and belonging blend together and it becomes very difficult to separate them." "Although people belong to the countries where they were born; loyalty to the country is not born within a man but is imbibed into one''s personality through the educational process which begins in the family, is nurtured through the educational process in schools and finally matured in the wider society where the individual begins to feel that he is a fundamental part of the country." (Civil society, citizenship and democracy: By Dr. Issa AlـShammas, Chapter II: Citizenship). One of the worst defeatist antiـnational phenomena is abandoning the country when it is at risk or under occupation as was the case when Palestine was occupied by the Zionists and Kuwait by the Iraqi Baathist regime, in which the Iraqis committed horrible acts of thefts and crime and devastated the country with the support of the Iraqi army and forced several people to leave the country. Showing loyalty to the country is expressed by citizens in both situations; peace and war by enlisting in military service; whether in the homeland or in any Arab land that has been victim to foreign aggression. The Kuwaiti army supported Egypt and Syria on the outskirts of Palestine where many Kuwaiti martyrs met their end. Now, that military service has been made compulsory in Kuwait; does it mean that the national sentiment and fervor has become stronger? During the recent parliamentary election, the issue of dual citizenship was raised several times. The State must address this duality, which is prohibited by law. It is an offense to the State of Kuwait as well as the other State to which holders of the dual nationalities belong to because they deceitfully benefit from both the States. They receive salaries and enjoy the privileges from both countries but when either of the two countries is at risk; they abandon that country and board the first flight to go to the other country. During the recent elections, many citizens returned from abroad to participate in the election process and elect the members of Parliament and despite the fact that these people do not live in Kuwait, they receive government houses and other benefits offered by the State. They lease their houses here in Kuwait and return to their second countries. They receive ration cards from the government that enable them to get subsidized foodstuff and also receive plots of land at low prices for agricultural purposes and to raise livestock. They rent out these plots of lands too because they live in other countries. This issue of dual citizenship should be addressed by the National Assembly in cooperation with the Interior Ministry. It is time to get rid of all those holders of dual citizenship whether they are living in Kuwait or outside Kuwait. |
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