Figures blacklisted by Gulf States banned from Kuwait

Kuwait has enforced a ban put in place by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, stopping a number of religious figures from entering its territory, sources revealed yesterday.

The decision puts the Gulf state in line with a number of countries who have joined forces to boycott nearby Qatar.

“Some of them are banned from entering Kuwait, but the ban will now be extended to cover all those who are designated as terrorists by the GCC states,” the source told Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai.

“The ban by Kuwait will be to avoid political and diplomatic embarrassment with the other GCC countries,” the newspaper added.

Huffington Post said that the UN had ignored this blacklist as it has its own terror lists.

Read: Timeline of the Arab rift with Qatar

Kuwait’s Ministry of the Interior is planning to set up a special process for granting visas to religious figures, whether they are Sunni and Shia, to stop some entering the country, Al-Rai explained.

“There is clear coordination through a joint committee between the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior for dealing with religious figures coming into Kuwait,” the source said.

The interior ministry requires the names of the religious figures who would be invited to Kuwait to give lectures or engage in activities in order to check their records and orientations and decide whether they can be granted entry visas.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt announced on 9 June a blacklist included 59 people and 12 organisations and groups, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi.