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50s to 90s Kuwait News Travel

Serving of Drinks on Airline at Issue in Kuwait

Since we are on the subject of Kuwait Airways, while browsing the New York Times archive I found an article from Feb. 11, 1974 which talks about the Kuwaiti parliament debating if Kuwait Airways should continue to serve alcohol on its flight:


Serving of Drinks on Airline at Issue in Kuwait

KUWAIT, Feb. 9—The National Assembly, Kuwait’s lively parliament, was in an uproar this week over whether Kuwait’s national airline should, continue to serve alcoholic drinks on its flights.

The Moslem religion prohibits consumption of intoxicating beverages, and this is a major issue between “liberal” and “fundamentalist” Arabs around the Persian Gulf.

It is an issue of some terest to Western oilmen and business representatives who are in the area in growing numbers, as well as for many Arabs who have studied or done business abroad, where they acquired a Western taste for a highball or cocktails.

Uproar in Assembly

One of these Arabs is Abdulaziz al‐Massaeed, the publisher of Dar Al Rai al‐Amm, one of Kuwaits leading morning newspapers.

Mr. Massaeed, an elected deputy in the 50‐member National Assembly, set off the uproar during a debate on the budget for the national airline when he replied to conservative members who said Kuwait’s “dry” law should apply to the state company’s international flights.

“I, as a free citizen, would refrain from traveling aboard any plane that does not sell liquor,” said Mr. Massaeed, who travels frequently to Europe on business and for holidays. He added:

“I take liquor. Ninety per cent of Kuwaitis drink and know many of the deputies drink also.”

This touched off a furor, With conservative members banging their desks and shouting for the floor.

Moslem Prohibition Brings Furor in Parliament and Blood‐Test Challenge

“I challenge the members to take a blood test to see who drinks and who doesn’t,” retorted Mr. Massaeed over the uproar.

$30 for Scotch

While Kuwait is officially dry, and no alcoholic drinks are served even in the big international hotels, there is a large black market in foreign liquors. For instance, a bottle of Scotch will be delivered to a guest’s room in one of the major hotels for $30.

In private homes, many Kuwaitis serve liquor to their Western guests, and hard drinking among Kuwaitis and other Arabs here who can afford it is not unusual.

But any public place, or even Private club, is subject to prohibition. When the Kuwait National Bank had a reception this week for visiting Western bankers at a hotel, it was for tea, not cocktails.

In other places along the gulf, the situation varies from the strict fundamentalism of Saudi Arabia, where travelers bringing liquor in their luggage can be arrested, to the relativey free‐wheeling habits of Bahrain or Dubai, where there are bars.

Drink or Pray

Supporting his argument for tolerance of drinkers aboard the Kuwait airline, Mr. Massaeed said that the ruler of Dubai, Shiek Rashid bin Said al‐Maktum, had told a protesting delegation of religious leaders that this was a matter for individual choice.

According to Mr. Massaeed, Sheik Rashid said: “Here there is a mosque and over there is a bar. Whoever wants to please himself can resort to either prayer or drink.” Sheik Rashid is noted for his business acumen, the newspaper official said.

In the end the budget of the Kuwait airline, which flies as far as London and New Delhi, as well as around the Middle East, was approved on the condition that Finance Minister Abdel‐Rahman Salem al‐Atigi make a “thorough study” of the effect that banning liquor sales might have on the willingness of non‐Moslem passengers to use the airline.

12 replies on “Serving of Drinks on Airline at Issue in Kuwait”

Thanks to the likes of Shaikh Rashid and Mr. Massassaed that some rationality is prevailing.
It should be left to individuals. Most of my Kuwaiti friends drink and they some of the friendliest people I know.

this issue since 1974 as mentioned ,by some person in Parliament,which is a real shame promoting and encouraging real Muslims in kuwait to do a sin against Allah s commands written in Quran,kuwait is one of the countries abiding by lslamic laws and sharia which we should be proud of.Doing sin openly is punishable by Allah than those doing hidingly which means one day they ll stop it.only animals do things openly with no shame,we r best of creations of Allah with wise knowledge given to us by Allah,not to follow wrong unislamic deeds leading us to enter hell

Please spare us your piety 🙄 I’ve seen Arabs smoke weed in Europe, what does that make them to you? “Infidels”? 😒 By this logic, why can’t more people openly condemn all the muslim radical trash that commit all those heinous terror attacks? They’re the ones that need to read a better Quran, not people who drink 1 shot of vodka 😓

G.O.L.D …. You just won the internet hands down. And seriously who are we trying to kid here? … I have seen it with my eyes at a prominent parking complex where young Kuwait Girls exchange Johny Walker bottles…. and its not a matter to judge them. Its their choice at the end of the day.

Seeing Arabs smoking weed in Europe does not justify changing the laws and regulations of a country to suit your questionable desires.

You want us to condemn the Muslim radical trash? Which terror acts are you referring to? Where? You mean the genocide taking place in Palestine? The one in Lebanon or the one in Syria? The illegal invasion of Iraq? Or the genocide that took place in Afghanistan? The genocide of the natives in Australia and North America? Or do you mean the genocides which took place in Vietnam and Japan? Which one are you referring to?

Before you spew your hate, take a good look at yourself first. Go enjoy your vodka before another scary Muslim puts you in a bad mood.

Man, you just ate that man up! 😂 And judging from his name (Yousef), he is/was probably Muslim and still siding with the islamophobes.

We all know Arabs drink and do other drugs, that does not justify legalizing it. Hey That Idiot, alcohol is one on the biggest problems and that fact that it is so normalized in some parts of the world is worse. Traffic accidents are already a problem in Kuwait and legalizing alcohol will result in confirmed disaster.

We are not run by Sharia, we have a constitution. And even if you assume we run by Sharia, alcohol was everywhere during every Islamic ruling and every empire, 1400 years and counting.

It is only a matter of time.

Soon they will bring it all back, I give it 2-3 years tops at the rate of things happening in this country.

I do not wish to comment on this post as it is only a matter of time before it is struck off and taken down 😉🙃

Awaiting a royal decree authorizing it from neighboring Soddy.
Don’t expect alcoholic beverages on KU till Saudia takes the lead.

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