During my over three decades of stay in Kuwait, a lot of cruel incidents I came across and these incidents have created a very negative effect on my thinking on Kuwait and Kuwaiti society as a whole even though none of the expatriates in Kuwait supported Kuwaiti cause as I did when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. One of such incidents I am narrating here below has damaged my heart making me sick because such an incident was new to me then but normal in Kuwait. It happened to one of our Goan mothers from Bombay but working as a maid in Kuwait for one top and rich Muslim Arab Kuwaiti and since it happened during the holy month of Ramadan, I remember it always during this holy month as it is now. Though it happened in 1977 in Kuwait yet it is as fresh in my mind now as it was then, so it will remain fresh till I die because as it is said by Shakesphere “The good that man does often interred with the bones while evil always remains after him”.
The maid Mary (Name changed) was recruited from Bombay by one Kuwaiti family to look after their 4th girl child of 4 years. Being also a girl after 3 daughters, the Kuwaiti mother of this child being dejected for not having a boy, neglected this child by leaving her into the care of their maid Mary. The child being very close to Mary became so attached to Mary that she lost motherly love of her real mother and considered Mary as her real mother even calling Mary as Mama.
Once as usual the Kuwaiti family went abroad for a holiday leaving their last child into the hands of Mary at home in Kuwait. Suddenly after a few days one fine morning the Kuwait boss alone returned home to Kuwait because of business necessity. In the same night after completing his business job in Kuwait, he came home at 11.30 PM and went to bed but not to sleep. Suddenly after 2 hours when Mary was sleeping along with the small child in her separate room, Mary heard her boss loudly calling her.
Thinking something went wrong to him, Mary quickly got up and hurriedly rushed to his room whence he grabbed her hand and put her on his bed and in broken English told her to surrender her body to him. Saying no, Mary started crying because other than her dead husband in Bombay she never allowed any man to touch even her shadow. Mary pleaded with him saying she was like his mother but he was adamant. Then he warned her saying, “DON’T WASTE MY TIME BECAUSE LATER ON MY TIME WILL COME TO GO TO THE MASJID FOR EARLY IN THE MORNING PRAYER”. Mary was afraid for her life because as she noticed in him the Lucifer has already taken control of him and since this was the case he would even kill her in which case who will take care of her 3 young children in Bombay? Thought poor Mary. As George Bernard Shaw said “when rape is inevitable, the girl should just lie down and enjoy”. Having no choice, Mary volunteered to lie down but not to enjoy sex with this shameless Muslim Arab Kuwaiti Monster.
In this way the Muslim Kuwaiti Arab fulfilled his Satanic wish by discarding his religious teaching. And worst part of this sin was that it was committed in the holy month of Ramadan by a Kuwaiti who boasted of his Muslim religion. In fact he should be ashamed of being a Muslim because the Muslims are forbidden to commit such crimes by their religion. Besides, by committing this crime on his poor Goan maid he proved himself how disgraceful he was having no dignity of a true Kuwaiti, having no respect for his Islam and having no decent culture and tradition. With his money power he could purchase posh and sophisticated virgin girls from any part of the world but no, he opted for somebody poor and used one, an elderly mother of 3 kids and that too a free of charge one. This is the very bad habit of many Kuwaitis who are more tribal than cultured having Jewish blood in them and not Arab blood, as said by somebody once. True Kuwaiti blooded Kuwaitis will never commit such dirty and inhuman acts. True Muslim Kuwaitis will never commit such crimes especially in the holy month of Ramadan.
No expatriate female goes to Kuwait for having sex with the Kuwaitis but many times illicit sex is forced on them by the barbarian Kuwaitis and many times if their wants are refused they even maim and kill their victims and then declaring their victims have committed suicide by jumping from the top floor of their houses. Many times these Monsters escape from the jaws of the law because law enforcing machinery is in their hands and they can manipulate it to their advantages.
It is time now for the good Kuwaitis, for the good Arabs and for the good Muslims to raise their voices in unison against those disgraceful Kuwaitis who commit disgraceful acts against poor and helpless expatriates, especially Maids. Unless right thinking Muslims, Kuwaitis and Arabs come forward to correct the wrong doer Kuwaitis, the image of Kuwaitis, Arabs and Muslims will never brighten in the eyes of civilized world. It is the great wish of Jews to see the image of Arabs and Muslims remain tarnished.
After the invasion of Kuwait on 2nd August 1990, giving an interview to Ted Turner of CNN on 15th of that month, Saddam Hussein said referring to Kuwaitis: “These Kuwaitis know only to collect money and women and to collect the same they will do anything. Hence they are a disgrace on Arabs and Islam”.
Following the invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi soldiers perpetrated worst of tortures and rapes on Kuwaitis. Many people even Kuwaitis said that invasion of Kuwait was God's punishment for Kuwait because of their ill-treatment to the expatriates especially to the poor Maids. Inspite of this God's punishment many Kuwaitis are not changing for the better which they should do. Or else, are they waiting for greater calamity for God to send on them so that the Just God deliver the proper justice as "eye for an eye and tooth for tooth"? After all the central idea of Islam is Justice which will surely face by the those who commit injustice as many Muslim Kuwaitis commit on poor expatriate Maids.
While concluding I must say that all Muslim Kuwaitis are not barbarians, only some who bring a bad name to Kuwaiti society by committing barbaric acts against innocent and poor expatriates especially helpless Maids like our Goan mother Mary.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Goa.