In a January 17, 2022 article on the English-language website Fanack.com, Kuwaiti writer and poet Nejoud Al-Yagout notes that, when, in December 2021, the U.S. embassy in Kuwait wished the local Jews a happy Hanukkah, many Kuwaitis responded with fury. They used the incident not just to troll the ambassador, but to express hatred for any and all Jews. Al-Yagout wonders where "this cringe-worthy fear" towards Jews comes from, and why Kuwaitis are not ashamed of it, given that their country prides itself on tolerance and coexistance. She notes that this antagonism has caused most of Kuwait's Jews to emigrate, and the few who remain to hide their identity, which, she says, is a great loss for the country.
Nejoud Al-Yagout (Source: Bazaar.town/an-interview-with-nejoud-al-yagout, February 5, 2017)
Al-Yagout adds that the Quran preaches diversity and refers to the Torah as a sacred book and to the Jews as People of the Book; therefore, Muslims who harbor resentment towards them cannot pretend to be following the principles of their faith. Moreover, Muslims who feel such hatred have no right to complain about Islamophobia, she says. Nor is there any legitimate political reason for harboring resentment towards Jews, she argues, since it is possible to support Palestine without feeling such resentment. She concludes that it is high time to put aside hatred, which has brought nothing but destruction and war, and become a more open and welcoming society.
The following are excerpts from her article:
"On November 28, 2021, there was quite a controversy when the US Embassy wished Jews in Kuwait a Happy Hanukkah on social media. Some commentators trolled the Ambassador, and anyone who responded to the message in a spirit of love was verbally abused. Some argued that there are not many Jews in Kuwait, so why would the US Embassy post such a message? The commentators used the message not only to accuse the ambassador of having an agenda but to attack Jews as a whole.
"What is this cringe-worthy fear we have toward Jews? We cannot use the excuse that we don’t celebrate the festivities of other religions, because many Kuwaitis love to celebrate Christmas, and a few celebrate Diwali with Hindus. We cannot say we are protecting Islamic principles, because Kuwait is filled with people of all faiths and no faiths. As such, is this who we have become in a country whose heritage prides itself on coexistence? What a pity. What a loss for us. How heartbreaking for our forefathers, a few of whom were Jews who lived here alongside us.
"For those of us who are fortunate to have Jewish friends and acquaintances, most of the Jews we know live abroad. This is because Jews who live here do not announce their religion for fear of being ostracized or offending the “sensitivities” of their cousins in religion. Or because they are such a rarity that, as a local Jew once stated, they don’t even know about each other. We could be sitting next to a Jew in a café and never know it.
"How did we get here? And more tellingly, why are we not ashamed?
"If we do not want to partake in the religious holidays of Jews, because some of us are, sadly, not ready or have been conditioned to harbor resentment toward them, what is our excuse for the absence of synagogues in our country? Again, if the argument is a religious one, aren’t Jews mentioned throughout the Koran as People of the Book? Don’t many of the narratives in the Koran stem from the Old Testament and even the Talmud? Don’t we share most of the same prophets? If this country claims to follow Islamic principles, what justifies this blatant discrimination? Isn’t the Torah mentioned as a sacred book?... Also, didn’t the Koran say that we were created as races and tribes so that we may know each other? (49:13). After reading the comments on the account, is it possible that the majority of religious people here blatantly ignore (nay, rebel against) this verse? And if people can objectively (or subjectively) find aspects of the faith that do, in fact, discriminate, then why are we not focusing on the parts that do not? We tried the former. It resulted in wars, hatred, and divisiveness. Why can’t we focus on what brings us toward coexistence? Isn’t it overdue? Way overdue?...
"What if Moses, who Muslims consider a prophet, lived in our country today? Would we permit him to teach the principles of the Torah? Would we allow him to speak of his religion or publicly announce his beliefs? Most of us would say, of course, we would, because we hold him in high esteem. Then why are we not respecting his followers or the descendants of Abraham, for that matter?
"And now, let’s take religion aside. Many here do not even practice religion but still hold a caustic hatred for Jews. What is their excuse? Is it politics? If that is the way we think, why are we judging others for being afraid of us? There are Muslims who have used religion to justify and perpetrate attacks on innocent civilians. Did the world ban mosques? Of course not. In this part of the world, we know what Islamophobia feels like. We know the pain of being punished by people who discriminate against us because of fear. And we have learned, slowly but surely, that a person does not define religion (nor does religion define a person, for that matter). So why do we inflict our pain on others? More importantly: Why can’t we rise above discrimination and admit that we, too, are afraid of other religions?
"All in all, the time has come to set aside fear. One can continue to support Palestine without hating Jews. Many Palestinians themselves coexist with Jews. And many Jews support Palestine. One can embrace Jews without having a political agenda. This can arise when we are no longer proud of wearing hatred as a badge of honor.
"Besides beneath rubbles left behind by bombs, violence, and antagonism, where has hatred gotten us? Let this desire to be a more open and welcoming society not be a pipe dream. It is our responsibility, each one of us, to become ambassadors of humanity, beyond our belief systems, beyond our political inclinations.
"In short, there is no justified reason for the prejudice against Jews. And there is no other time but now to wake up from this stupor of separation.
"Now. Let’s take the wait out of Kuwait."
