Kuwaiti Officials Offended By Anniversary Celebrations
WASHINGTON, March 1 (IslamOnline) - Islamist politicians in Kuwait were offended by the presence of female dancers at events marking the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991.
An Islamist MP who was invited to attend the event told Gulf News, "I withdrew, I had to leave when girls showed up on stage dancing."
He was among few guests who refrained from attending the festivities.
Kuwait's new Minister of Justice, Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmad Baqer, said that he also failed to show up at the state function because it involved a Kuwaiti operetta that included female entertainers.
Other guests, who either walked out, or failed to attend events, expressed similar views.
A female dance troupe from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also entertained guests. A senior UAE Culture Ministry official, defending the dance troupe, said, "This is our traditional dance and it has been like this for centuries."
The events marking the allied victory over Iraq were attended by several prominent leaders from around the world including, ex-U.S. President George Bush, current U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and former British prime ministers John Major and Margaret Thatcher.
This is the first year after the expulsion of Iraqi troops from Kuwait that the country is staging grand celebrations. The government had until now not felt it right to celebrate while around 600 of its citizens are still being held in Iraqi prisons. Iraq denies the accusations.
