Yesterday the non-profit media organization NPR posted an audio and written newstory on the Bidoon hunger strike that recently took place in Kuwait. If you’ve always wanted a better understanding of the situation with Bidoons, it’s worth a listen and at just 5-minutes long it won’t take too much of your time. Link
Photo by Dave Tavani
24 replies on “NPR on Bidoons”
Extremely insightful—thanks for sharing!
Umm, let’s ban NPR? or ban Bidoons? They’re pretty much banned, but let’s ban them more.
that’s just horrible especially when she said “where can you belong when no government accepts you” it makes you realise how greatful you’re, even tho it’s just a citizenship.
I’m stateless, though my mother is Kuwaiti. My mother’s side is the only family I’ve ever known. I’ve lived the same life as any other Kuwaiti out there. I couldn’t even tell you the names of the stateless side (father’s side) of my family.
It’s sad that despite living as any other Kuwaiti, I will never be able to consider Kuwait my home.
What’s even sadder is I can barely travel for tourism. I feel like a criminal when I just want to travel to the European Union and get rejected on grounds that I won’t return back, or whatever else.
I just want to travel the world. The only time I don’t feel like, or get treated like, a lesser person, is when I’m travelling as a tourist.
Hopefully one day I can migrate to a country that has an avenue for citizenship, because I’m afraid I will never be truly at home in my actual home of Kuwait.
But for now, I have to figure out how to get a Schengen visa so I can at least travel for tourism with my friends without being an outcast. Though nobody seems to have advice online about how to go about doing that.
Sorry for the rant – it’s just an incredibly frustrating experience to simply be alive as a stateless person.
Please don’t apologize my brother. You have nothing to apologize for.
I’ve always deeply sympathized with your community. Stay strong.
Well said & very sad. Country you were born into & surrounding countries are amongst the most racist in the world. Thank god i left that place & im a local. You should focus on ways to get out of there as you have no future nor security. Focus on trying to get a US, Canada or European citizenship. What do you do for a living ?
Are you saying that Muslim countries are racists??? and that Christian countries are better???
That’s pretty much a fact…
Unsure how you made that up from my comment. I made a point which is a fact. Want to deflect thats up to you. I am local & have seen or experienced many racist remarks or situations to myself or friends who are expats.
The US has a reputation as a racist country, thanks to the media, but i have never experienced a racist moment. Not saying it doesnt exist just a lot less than the GCC countries. Facts are facts.
As for the bidoons im not knowledgeable as to the history of this topic. I just know theres a lot of speculation as to where they come from originally, the lack of benefits they receive, travel restrictions, etc.Im not sure what the solution is but its a topic that should be handled instead of hidden all the time.
I couldnt agree with you more. I am of Indian descent, but born and raised in Kuwait. My dad was born in Kuwait too, and my granddad was in Kuwait too. But I was always a 3rd class citizen (maybe lower, considering Kuwaitis have classes amongst themselves), and I lived with that mindset until I eventually went to the US for college some 20 years ago. Now, I am a proud American, have owned a few houses, I can vote, I get paid equally to other citizens, and everything else Kuwait would not give me.
I am so glad I left Kuwait. I am glad I lived there, but the US is far from a racist country when you consider Kuwait or the rest of the Middle East. Kuwait is very bittersweet for me, as it will always be my birthplace and with fond childhood memories. I wouldve done so much for Kuwait, but now the US is #1 in my heart.
Look at the example in this blog post. This woman is denied citizenship in her country of origin (Kuwait), yet she was able to become a citizen of the US. They didn’t ask her to prove her lineage. Today, she has the same rights as every other American.
I’m writing an article that I hope Kuwait times will print about how my Dad, a Kuwaiti army veteran that served during the invasion, was caught and tortured, is currently suffering from PTSD. He was born in 1958 so obviously he doesn’t believe in PTSD.
We now live in Canada, where people see war vets as hero’s.
No one ever thanked my dad. No one knows that he walked back to Kuwait barefoot when he managed to escaped the camp.
When my older sister asked him if that was hard, he said it was harder being away from you.
The price was that saved Kuwait was not the billions that was paid to the Americans, it was the in prepared, under maned veterans that died and lived.
What happened to Qatar proposing to take the Beidon from Kuwait to give them citizenship as they need people there?
Gulf countries are not allowed to artificially increase their populations due to OPEC rules. The more people they have the more oil they can export. When KSA boycotted Qatar one of the reasons was that Qatar was handing out citizenships to people.
Thanks for your insight. Until today I don’t get how the output is based on citizenship when the citizen does not directly benefit from the output completely.
Kuwait has been artificially increasing its population for many decades now. According to Sheikh Jaber’s son, over 400,000 people naturalized in Kuwait since the 1970s for artificially increasing the population to make more oil.
Where are the OPEC rules?
At least Qatar was more subtle!!!!
Did you get arrested?
I hope he didnt… but he’s been MIA for a bit….
lol it was Eid so took the week off. Back to work tomorrow
You’re not even Muslim to take eid off. Milk the all the holidays i get it.
Save me a seat next year at the Vegas F1 Grand prix
Welcome welcome. Its gonna be NUTZ
Say what you want about the United States. But they took her in and gave her a home. She has the same rights and status as any other American.
Exactly.