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Kuwait News Photography Videos

Al-Watan on the photography ban

It’s 28 minutes long but it’s worth watching. This law is just unbelievable, I can’t believe this is actually being enforced. You can’t take photos at the old markets, you can’t take pictures of the Kuwait Towers, you can’t take pictures at the Scientific Center, you can’t take pictures of anything anymore. [Video]

Update: Arab Times finally have written about this [Link]

47 replies on “Al-Watan on the photography ban”

If ever there was a country that goes out of its way to make itself an international laughingstock, it’s our beloved Kuwait… where does it end?! It’s so exhausting!!

But look on the bright side… since every law here is broken anyway with no consequences, just sit back and enjoy the fun as everyone in Kuwait suddenly takes up photography and goes around taking photos just to piss off whatever authorities are supposed to be enforcing this so-called ban. A nation of shutterbugs is born!

Someone needs to standup against the government! this is corruption!! This is really frustrating me!! One day, we’re going to end up with telescreens everywhere just like George Orwell’s 1984 and !! What’s even funnier is almost every law is broken in kuwait, and I’m sure the higher authorities are aware of it but can’t do anything about it… I feel sorry for Kuwait, it’s in the hands of the wrong people…

Since when does anyone follow these stupid rules here anyway. Im definetly not gonna stop taking pictures. Im just gonna be more careful to whos around when i do.

IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN, THIS “LAW” IS DUE TO SECURITY MESEAURES. RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A BOMBING IN YEMEN.

THIS SHOULD BE TEMPORARY OR OVERLOOKED IN THE NEAR FUTURE; REMEMBER THE LAW ABOUT NOT SPEAKING ON YOU MOBILE PHONE WHILE DRIVING.

I have been in q8 for ten years, and every year this place is going backwards more and more. What a shame :(. So much potential for this generous land. Anyway tell me, when are they gong to ban breathing???

man just stfu if its the law its the law mu 3ajbik , i6la3 bara, no one is forcing u here whether u like it or not deal with it

I glad about this new law, for I have witnessed myself mis-use of cameras in public place.

This law is more about protection of privacy than destruction of photography talents.

The report mentions that photographers ARE BEING STOPPED…So the law is being enforced.

KSA forbids photography in certain areas. That;s understandable…but to ban it all together?!!!

What about the small digital cameras? Are they also under the ban?

“Still the ban reasons are not clear. Even those people are confused!”

The reason is very much simple… recently Photography as a hobby witnessed so much attraction and the business from selling equipments to organizing photography events has increased drastically. the result of this was people infesting old markets, kuwait towers, and scientific centre and taking pictures almost all day everyday. sometimes they were organized by photography groups, others were just bunch of people walking together with their cameras…
it was so disturbing to both visitors and workers. as a result, the ministries decided to ban photography in those places.

of course, just like everything in kuwait, the decisions were made without making any specification and just a general comment. it is stupid to have security guards of those places running around tourists and asking them not to take pictures!

Sorry but this is rubbish!

It’s not really a law! Photography in commercial places such as malls is forbidden everywhere in the world, that’s not a public place. Yes, there are some bored security guards who have nothing to do for fun but bother photographers, but that’s not a law.

The matter Is still a big fat rumor! The guys in this interview don’t know what they’re talking about!!

Well we took tons of pics out in the open all over restaurants, along the gulf road near Kuwait Towers and Al Koot mall yesterday during our bike ride. No-one said anything.

Mohammed:

That issue of privacy doesn’t just happen in Kuwait, do you see other countries banning photography because some people decide to abuse the privilege to use a camera?

I have experience using my DSLR in Alkout Mall exactly in Sultan Center when tried to use my camera to take my son picture sitting in the small corner restaurant, security was not allowing me to use it, this is very strange and nothing happen even in Saudi !!

Well
Look at it this way if someone like to drive fast he wouldnt follow speed rules cause its pullshit to him ,
And someone dont like smoking rules cause he dont like to stop smoking ,
And someone dont like privacy rules cause he want to do what ever he like
At the end. The country will be a joke cause of pepole like you who dont follow rules , by the way didnt see one of u guys protested against the rules of body scanning in usa !!!!!
Maybe cause u r chicken enough to stand for it
And lastly its our country and if u dont like our rules u have two options :
1- try to talk to parliments member to find resolve for it
2- leave the country !

connection:

agoool yaltafeh weya isloobik ilwasikh ithlif lilso3oodiya where revolting issues like this is a daily occurrence,u will fit quite nicely there..yknow with the book burnings and the mindless existence.

wana qawaneen mata3jbni, i should leave as well? and i should ‘stfu’ as you so eloquently put it? mashala 3alaik JIDDDDAN moqni3. maybe you should be making some laws, cuz damnit you are one charismatic fellow!

assuming you are too ignorant to know what sarcasm is, please refer to the last sentence in the paragraph above, cuz its drenched in sarcasm.

If at all the Ministry ever decides on this law, I would first want to see a ban on the sale of DSLR Cameras in stores, even to a point that they are taken off the shelf. My Point & Shoot can do just as much as a DSLR. Anyway I won’t be breaking my head over this – it probably won’t happen. If it does, it’s a grand shame.

But my friend who works for a legal firm in UAE has already got a travel advisory notification from his HR & Legal Dept NOT to carry DSLR’s when travelling to Kuwait. He was like WTF? I said welcome to Kuwait!

Ya’ll r outlaws!
I am predicting some DSLR gangs & smugglers in the near future. Gangs armed with Cameras against special force armed with anticamera device!
So bright future guyz!

I find this amusing, the fact that many different blog from all over the world are mentioning this and bringing all the negative reactions towards Kuwait.

Hope those people in charge feel the pressure now 🙂

The big question now,
who will stop me from taking pictures in public?
for example its 6:00 AM at the Kuwait Towers .. and I am taking pictures with my SLR .. who will see me? who will stop me?
A police officer? or they will hire people and will call em Anti-SLR Officers?

So you can use an SLR, just not a DSLR. Whats the problem I thought you all liked retro shit anyways.

In Saudi they have an actual Fatwa against cameras. Is that why they are doing this over here?

that guy, عبدالله القطان, should get fired, and his boss should get fired too for making a cheap shot like that….

Patrick:

Honestly I do not care if other countries ban it or not, but what I care about is what should be done when someone takes a picture of a man’s wife or daughter when this matter is too sensitive to that man.

I’ve seen it happen with my eyes, that a man asked a photographer not to take a picture. Now the question is: Because I have a camera do I have the right to photograph anything I want?

Mohammed if someone was speeding on the highway, gets into an accident and kills someone, do you ban cars from Kuwait?

No

So if someone does something inappropriate with a camera you ban photography from Kuwait?

I would be the first to dislike the ban of photography. Its about the negative photographers, they should be controlled that is my concern.

Its more like:

Speeding on high way + accident = Ban High speeds (not cars)

_____________

Thanks

That sounds logical. So basically there would be a law where you can’t shoot people without their permission for example.

In the US I believe you are allowed to shoot anyone in a public place. So you could point a camera at a stranger on a public road and shoot him and it’s your right.

This is an issue faced everywhere, there are some photographers with bad ethics, like there are bad drivers. They’re a minority, most photographers ask people for permission. Why should the majority get punished for what a minority does?

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