Kuwaitis condemn attack on Shiite mosque

Manama: Kuwaiti political figures have displayed a show of unity as they condemned acts of sabotage that targeted a Shiite mosque.

However, the incident was also used by some lawmakers to press the interior minister to hand in his resignation.

Al Baharna mosque was targeted in a pre-dawn attack on Sunday in which stones were hurled at the glass windows, shattering them.

An investigation launched by the police to identify the assailants has included road surveillance cameras and traffic radars for speeding cars, Kuwaiti media said.

“We all condemn the criminals who attacked the mosque in an attempt to desecrate it,” MP Nasser Al Shammari said. “They are obviously trying to sow the seeds of sedition in Kuwaiti society and elsewhere. They must be defeated because countries cannot prosper if their evil schemes are not addressed. We do need strong political, social and legal action to foil all their attempts,” he said.

MP Ahmad Lari said that Al Baharna mosque had been targeted in the past.

“It is clear that the repeated assaults on this mosque are carried out by a sick mind that does not uphold the genuine values of Islam,” he said. “All Kuwaitis, regardless of their backgrounds, condemn these attacks and will remain united in confronting these evil actions,” he said.

Former MP Mohammad Hayef said that the attack was part of a plot to cause deep sectarian divisions in the country.

“I call for the quick apprehension of those behind this act that aims to sow discord and provoke sedition in Kuwait,” he said.

Waleed Al Tabtabai, a former lawmaker, said that he regretted the attack and warned against attempts to divide the country.

However, some lawmakers said that the police needed to deploy greater efforts in ensuring security in Kuwait and urged the interior minister to tackle the situation decisively before the country slides into complex issues.

“You should learn from what happened to the ministers who came before you,” MP Safa Al Hashim told Shaikh Ahmad Al Humood, the interior minister. “Goodness is with wise people, not with people with self-serving interests. Do listen to those who advise you, not those who flatter you. You should resign and Kuwait will always recall your moral courage. Security problems on your watch have gone way beyond what had been expected,” she said, quoted by local Arabic daily Al Jareeda.

For MP Faisal Al Duwaisan, the interior minister should either apprehend those who perpetrated the attack or resign.

“We do not want to wade into a sectarian conflict because the police do not see it,” he said.