In continuation of the series of imposing guardianship under the pretext of “guarding morals” and preserving societal values, the Parliamentary Negative Phenomena Committee continued directing its arrows at freedoms and restricting activities and events, targeting this time marathons, which are considered a sporting, health and charitable activity.
Finally, the pressure exerted by the committee members resulted in restrictions that surrounded the holding of marathon activities, and even threatened to stop organizing them, through statements and contacts with officials, parliamentary questions, and others, and this coincided with the movement of other extremist currents to prevent mixing in sports marathons and object to the presence of accompanying bands, reports a local Arabic daily.
This attack on marathons came after these extremists targeted yoga, padel competitions, artistic and cultural concerts, and others.
Observers and activists described the restriction of freedoms in Kuwait as a “going backwards” and a consecration of stalemate, at a time when the Gulf states are making great strides on the path of openness and entertainment, even organizing international sporting events, while Kuwait is drowning in the darkness of “negative phenomena”.
Activists criticized what is happening from some deputies who appointed themselves as guardians of virtue and guardians of morality, instead of paying attention to real problems and core issues.
The activists pointed out that the marathons receive great attention from the countries of the world, and it is a sporting, health and social activity that is popular with adults and women, pointing out that some marathons participate in thousands of people of both genders and of different ages, so what is wrong with organizing them?
While some of the marathon organizers revealed that they were told to ban the bands accompanying these events, and this is a strange demand, the music encourages walking and running, and it does not contain any deviation from public values, morals and morals.
After the Negative Phenomena Committee sent an implicit warning through a parliamentary question submitted by one of its members to the Minister of Interior, in which he expressed his refusal to increase the phenomenon of a number of bodies and institutions organizing sporting events, such as marathons, that include things that do not take into account the customs and values of Kuwaiti society, and that are a reason for mixing that is forbidden. Legally among the participants, men and women, some sporting event organizers had to submit to the instructions they received from the Ministry of Interior instead of canceling the marathon.
Representative Alia Al-Khaled called on the Ministry of Interior not to succumb to extremist currents.
Al-Khaled said, “If the news is true, I am surprised and denounce the Ministry of Interior’s request to cancel the National Bank of Kuwait marathon under the pretext of mixing and the presence of music.”
She added, “Sports events and gatherings have health and societal goals and work to consolidate relations between members of society, in addition to recreational goals that reduce the psychological pressures experienced by citizens and residents.”
She added, “The practice of guardianship under the pretext of religion is a bad exploitation of it, and there is no compelling argument for it. Ethics is an approach that all Kuwaitis are raised on, and this is their approach and behavior.”
She stressed, “The Ministry of the Interior must implement the law in the affirmative and not exercise authoritarianism for fear of interrogation or threat. If today we want reform and development, then this approach does not serve the hoped-for vision announced by His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown Prince in his speech.”