Kuwait Interior Ministry now denies okaying Lankan event

The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry confirmed on Tuesday it had not licensed the sports cultural celebration held by the Embassy of Sri Lanka at Al-Jahra Sports Stadium last Friday, as reported in some local newspapers.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the celebration was made according to an agreement between the Sri Lankan community and officials in Al-Jahra Sports Club.
The statement said the security men came to the place of the celebration to organize the traffic and maintain security in the surrounding areas, adding that the Interior Ministry did not terminate the celebration, but rather it was terminated by the organizers themselves.

The event was interrupted by Islamists on Friday who alleged that liquor had been smuggled into the club, that music was being played on loudspeakers at the time of Friday prayers and that men and women were mingling at the event.

All the accusations had been denied by the Sri Lankan Embassy and, moreover, no liquor had been found at the venue nor music played.

The Interior Ministry and the Islamists have come under a lot of fire over the last few days for stopping the event midway.

Even, the Kuwait Human Rights Society (KHRS) criticized the Interior Ministry’s handling of the Sri Lankan national day celebrations which it said were “reportedly stalled despite obtaining an official permit due to pressure mounted by an Islamic lawmaker.”

In a press statement, KHRS had said the incident highlights the executive authority’s inability to respect decisions like the issuance of permit to hold such an event. This is not the first time the ministry succumbed to pressures of Islamist lawmakers who violate people’s rights to celebrate, it added.

“The incident shows that Kuwait is now under the control of certain groups which do not respect the rights of human beings to celebrate and express their feelings on occasions like the national days, just like the Sri Lankans were doing at Jahra. We want the Interior Ministry to respect citizens and expatriates’ rights to express their feelings and celebrate important events within the ambit of law and without trampling the rights of others. The ministry should also respect its own decisions and permits and should not succumb to oppressors anymore.”

^{arabtimesonline}