Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
unquenchable desire for servants and drivers, and an equal antipathy for manual labour, it
is unlikely the Kuwaitis will achieve this target any time soon.
There are small inland communities but, to all intents and purposes, Kuwait is a coastal
city-state.
A generation of young men are missing after the Iraqi invasion.
Multiculturalism
The origin of the non-Kuwaiti population has changed considerably in the last two dec-
ades. Before the Iraqi invasion, 90% of the expat population was from Arab countries,
with large volumes of Egyptian labourers, Iranian professionals and over a million
Palestinian refugees who arrived after the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Since the
invasion, Arab nationalities make up less than 15% of the expat population, with large
numbers of Palestinians, in particular, being forced to return to their country of origin - a
bitter phrase in the circumstances. As Yasser Arafat was widely regarded as a supporter of
the invasion, all Palestinians were tarred with the same brush; some were even court mar-
tialled on charges of collaboration.
Today Kuwait resembles other parts of the Gulf in its mix of mainly Indian and Filipino
immigrants. Alas, a two-tier society appears to have developed wherein some immigrant
workers (Filipino maids, in particular) are subject to virtual slave labour. Talk to many
Pakistani or Indian traders, taxi drivers, pump attendants or restaurant workers, however,
and they evince a warmth towards the country that is somewhat surprising to the Western
bystander: just as the friendly reflections regarding the Iraqi man in the street comes as a
surprise when speaking to elder Kuwaitis. In comparison with other countries in the re-
gion, Kuwait has a relatively small Western expat population, working almost exclusively
in higher-paid professions.
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Religion
Most Kuwaitis are Sunni Muslims, though there is a substantial Shiite minority. During
the 1980s there was considerable tension, mostly inspired by Iran, between the two com-
munities, a worry that has returned with sectarian violence over the border in Iraq.
Before the Iraqi invasion, Kuwait was still governed by a strict code of conduct, steered
by a devout following of Islam. The invasion shook belief in all kinds of areas, including
religious observance. Materialism is beginning to exert as strong an influence on the
