Letters from Kuwait
Friday, January 25, 2008
By Weston Sager
I recently traveled to Kuwait for an eleven-week internship at the American University of Kuwait. Dartmouth has a partnership of sorts with this school, know as AUK; the College supports this fledgling in an effort to “enhance the development of both institutions.” As part of this agreement, Dartmouth and AUK exchange sets of interns to work for each other. Typically, those who decide to go from Dartmouth have at least a passing interest in Arabic. As an Arabic major myself, I applied for the internship in the hopes that I would improve my Arabic and get some valuable overseas experience.
However, the internship proved to be both less and more than what I had expected. I spoke less Arabic than I had hoped, simply because English is the most widely spoken language, and AUK encourages all faculty and staff to speak in English. It was more the other aspects of the trip, the interaction with students, the surroundings, and the cultural idiosyncrasies that, looking back, were the most fascinating and fulfilling parts of my experience in the heart of the Middle East.
Because so few Americans spend any time in Kuwait City, I thought it would be of interest to discuss a few of the more interesting aspects of Kuwait and the Gulf. As in my Morocco article last year (TDR 10/13/06), this article is not intended to be viewed as the “Truth” of the culture. These were my impressions based upon empiricism. However, I believe that explaining the major points of the culture is helpful for Americans, who, understandably, do not jump at the opportunity to go to a country such as Kuwait. I hope that this article will, at the very least, dispel some preconceived notions about Kuwait and the Middle East.
Safety
The most common thing I heard from Americans before setting off to Kuwait was a fear that I would be bombed by a terrorist in the streets. Upon arrival, I discovered that this concern was completely unfounded. The streets of Kuwait City were the safest of any city I have ever been to, and that includes both New York and Boston.
I was told the reason for the exceptionally safe streets had to do with the nature of Kuwaiti demographics. The poor, who would be most likely to commit a crime, refrain from doing so. The vast majority of the poor in Kuwait are expatriates. These people had to go through a lengthy process to get into Kuwait, and even suspicion of committing a crime against a Westerner or a Kuwaiti would be grounds for immediate expulsion. The “poor” are in Kuwait voluntarily, and while they are living in poverty, their meager salaries are significantly better than they could hope to make in their native lands. Because many expatriates are there to support their families back home, being jailed or dismissed from Kuwait would put not only themselves, but the whole family, in jeopardy. As such, crime is almost nonexistent, with the exception of some petty theft.
The only fear that Kuwaitis had was that of neighboring Iraq, whose invasion in 1990 caught the nation completely by surprise. Many still suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome from that invasion and have grown paranoid in expectation of another overnight-style invasion. Many Kuwaitis keep all of their valuables close at hand in case they were asked to vacate their homes at a moment’s notice. Purportedly, Iraq would occasionally lob a missile or other explosive projective into Kuwait City to keep the Kuwaitis on their toes, but, with Saddam’s regime removed from power, the Kuwaitis enjoy the greatest feeling of security I have ever experienced in America or otherwise.
I thought before going to Kuwait that if I got in trouble I could depend on the American military stationed in Kuwait to lend me assistance. However I did not see a single soldier during my stay in Kuwait. The American military bases are located to the north of Kuwait City, and there is no incentive for the American servicemen to visit Kuwait City because of the lack of bars and resorts. I also do not believe I ever encountered a Western tourist while in Kuwait for the same reason. Seemingly everyone visiting Kuwait from outside the country is there for business and business only.
Nationalism
Besides the oppressive heat and unavoidable opulence, nationalism was the aspect of Kuwait that took me most by surprise. As an American, I was raised to either ignore or disregard the nationalities of other people. This is not the case in Kuwait. Similar to America, Kuwait has a diverse population, owing to the aforementioned glut of expatriates in the country, but, unlike in America, much attention is given to nationality. In meeting someone for the first time, it is customary to introduce your name and your nationality in a single breath. If I were to introduce myself to someone, I would say, “Hello, my name is Weston. I’m American.” Egyptians and Palestinians, two groups often looked down upon by other Arabs, were paradoxically most vocal about their nationalities.
Stereotypes, too, were common, and each Arab nationality came with an all-encompassing stereotype. Kuwaitis are considered lazy; Iranians eat lots of onions; Moroccans are sex-crazed; and Egyptians will do anything for money. These nationalistic tendencies helped me understand why there are so many sharp divisions among of the people of the Middle East. However, despite the separatism between peoples, I saw many instances of intermarriage between Kuwaitis and members of other nations, Arab or otherwise.
While Americans tend to group the Arab World into one massive Arabia, the differences between the Eastern and Western parts (i.e. between Morocco and Kuwait) were considerable. Most stunning was hearing that the colloquial Moroccan dialect is so different from Kuwaiti speech that Moroccan movies are subtitled. To my surprise, the ravenous anti-Semitism I witnessed in Morocco was not nearly as pronounced in Kuwait. Instead, much of their hatred is reserved for Saudi Arabia, whose conservative Islamic influence was maligned by most of the Kuwaitis I encountered.
Islam
Islam in Kuwait was marked more by an absence than a presence. Alcohol and pork products are illegal. There was a noticeable lack of bars or clubs and there was no bacon or lard being sold at the grocery store.
Ramadan was one of the few times I experienced an Islamic influence. According to the Quran, every Muslim most not eat or drink throughout the day during the month of Ramadan (with the exceptions of pregnant women, the elderly, small children, or anyone else unfit to fast). Rather than let the people choose to follow this as they please, the state issued a decree that any person, Muslim or not, caught eating or drinking during the day would suffer a 100 KD fine (about $350 dollars American) and a month’s worth of jail-time. There were stories about eleven-year-olds in violation of the decree being picked up by secret police, but these accounts may have been fabricated. Still, many people, myself included, were forced to eat in darkened rooms during this month. Every restaurant was closed during the day. Those who chose to follow the daily fasting may have avoided jail time, but they faced challenges of their own. Fasters were far less productive than normal, particularly since this year Ramadan began in early September when temperatures routinely rose to above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Waasta
Nearly every Kuwaiti citizen is extraordinarily wealthy. Unlike in America, where there is a great variation of wealth between classes, there is little economic disparity between Kuwaiti citizens. The hierarchy of power in Kuwaiti is largely based on a concept called waasta.
Waasta is a concept originating in Kuwait’s pre-modern society. Unlike in the West, where reputation and honor are often insignificant, these ideas are an important part of everyday life in Kuwait.
A trip to the Kuwaiti department of motor vehicles shows just how valuable waasta can be. Simply put, people with low waasta cannot get a driver’s license. My boss, a westerner, tried four times to get a driver’s license when he first arrived in Kuwait. The first three times he went without waasta; he was denied his license for petty reasons on each occasion. The fourth time he had waasta, arriving with a document proving that he knew someone important within the DMV. His experience was completely different: he got his license without even needing to take the driving portion of the exam.
For someone who is considered to be an important figure in society, the process is even easier. A well-regarded Kuwaiti can bypass the trip to the DMV altogether. He will request a servant to go and pick up the license on his behalf. Privileged Kuwaiti youth do not need to prove their driving competence to get their license, which undoubtedly contributes to Kuwait’s high rate of vehicular death.
Waasta’s value goes far beyond the Department of Motor Vehicles. Schools throughout the country are heavily influenced by waasta. It is not uncommon for privileged students to have mysteriously improving transcripts, conveniently materializing credit hours, and other advantages. At the American University of Kuwait, the Dean of Students has to be wary when expelling problematic but privileged students. Those who have tried have been threatened with personal harm and kept from fleeing the country. Whatever needs to be done can be done with enough waasta.
Waasta is accrued partially through wealth, but mostly through family ties. A rich person will likely have waasta, but even a relatively poor person of an important family will undoubtedly have a lot of waasta.
The members of the royal as-Sabah family are unquestionably at the top of the waasta hierarchy. They can flagrantly bypass the laws of the country. Next in line would be the old Kuwaiti families. These people have to follow the laws, but can easily bend them to suit their needs. A distant third are westerners, whose presence in the country as contractors and businessmen is respected but not privileged. Fourth are Arab expatriates. Their Arab lineage, at the very least, evokes some sense of camaraderie with the Kuwaitis, and they typically receive better treatment than non-Arabs. Expatriates from Eastern countries, such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, perform the most menial of tasks, and make up the lowest tier of people in Kuwait. These expatriates will likely never progress up the social ladder. They typically live in small apartments or shacks in similar conditions to American immigrant families at the turn of the 20th century.
Opulence
In many ways, Kuwait is more American than America. There is a Starbucks, McDonalds, and T.G.I. Fridays on seemingly every corner. In Kuwait, most of these places deliver, even typically take-out only places such as Burger King, KFC, and Hardees. Most of them deliver 24 hours a day.
Kuwaitis drive the most luxurious cars in existence. Aston Martins and Ferraris, seen almost exclusively in high-budget racing movies, are routinely driven by wealthy Kuwaitis.
Kuwaiti malls are, perhaps, the best single example of the opulence that exists in the Gulf region. Despite Kuwait’s small size, there are a good number of sprawling malls. Most stores are your typical mall fare, such as arcades, donut shops, and clothing stores, but there also exist a great deal of the high-end not seen in most American malls, such as Gucci and Rolex retailers. The multi-storied Marina Mall and Souq Sharq are now dwarfed by the Avenues, a mall complex on the outskirts of Kuwait City, that, when completed, will rank amongst the world’s largest shopping malls.
Much like those in an upscale New Jersey suburb, Kuwaiti malls are the place to be seen. Young men and women dress up in their most fashionable clothes and saunter through the mall’s corridors. Designer jeans and high end shirts are typical for men, while women wear similarly expensive jeans with a diamond-studded hijaab. Dating is all but illegal in Kuwait, but the youth still have some ability to see members of the opposite sex in these shopping complexes.
Lastly
It is difficult to define things as being purely “Western” and “Eastern,” but you cannot explain Kuwait without using those flawed terms. It is a country placed in the Middle East, and indeed, it is in the middle of two major geographic, economic, and political movements. Every major street in Kuwait City has a Western business towering above the roadway. Yet on the street level we see people wearing the Eastern Islamic hijaab, abaya, or dishdasha.
And such is the Middle East as it stands today. The West influences from the top down; by exporting its institutions and businesses it shapes the minds and perceptions of the Middle East. The East takes a more direct approach and appeals to the person through religion, family ties, and geographic proximity. The Middle East is a literal and figurative battlefield of cultures, and Kuwait is a prime example of these competing Western and Eastern influences. It seems that for every push towards a democratic reform there is another law passed towards more stringent Islamic code in an ongoing tug-of-war of ideals.
If things progress as they are today, the world will continue to see this bizarre meshing of cultures in Kuwait. Currently, Kuwait is mostly borrowing from other cultures, and from what I experienced, possesses little culture of its own. If history progresses on its current path, we shall see Kuwait separate itself from mere association with other nations into a country identifying solely with itself. When that will happen, however, is anyone’s guess. n
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