Kuwaitis
A rather lengthy, but thorough, explanation of our new destination
Source: internet, google "Life in Kuwait"
PRONUNCIATION: koo-WAIT-eez
LOCATION: Kuwait
POPULATION: 1.6 million (40 percent of whom are Kuwaiti citizens)
LANGUAGE: Arabic (official); English
RELIGION: Islam (Sunni Muslim, 70 percent; Shi'ah Muslim, 30 percent)
1 • INTRODUCTION
People have lived in present-day Kuwait for thousands of years. Modern Kuwait was founded in 1722 by the Utub tribe. The name Kuwait is a form of the Arabic word for "fortress built near water."
A small but wealthy state, Kuwait has suffered continual conflicts with its larger neighbors, Iraq and Iran. On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein led an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, occupying the country until February 26, 1991. Other countries, including the United States, responded militarily to the invasion, sparking the Persian Gulf War. The war ended with Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait.
2 • LOCATION
Kuwait is located in the desert on the northwestern coast of the Arabian (or Persian) Gulf. It is bordered to the north and west by Iraq, to the south and southwest by Saudi Arabia, and to the east by the gulf. Directly across the gulf is Iran. It is just slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey.
The climate in Kuwait is hot and humid, with summer temperatures reaching as high as 120°F (49°C) or more. Frequent sandstorms occur from May to July, and August and September are extremely humid. Winters are cooler, with temperatures ranging from 50° to 60°F (10° to 16°C).
Kuwait's total population is about 1.6 million people, of whom only 656,000 are Kuwaiti citizens. The rest are foreign workers, mostly in the oil industry. Foreign workers are not allowed citizenship, even if they work in Kuwait all their adult lives.
3 • LANGUAGE
Arabic is the official language of Kuwait. Kuwaiti students are taught English as a second language.
4 • FOLKLORE
Kuwaiti folk beliefs and rituals are strongly linked to Islam. Kuwaitis turn to Islam for daily guidance, as well as for explanations for many aspects of their current lives and past history.
5 • RELIGION
When the Islamic revolution swept through the Middle East in the seventh century AD, virtually all Kuwaitis converted to Islam. Today, about 70 percent of Kuwaiti citizens are Sunni Muslim. Thirty percent are Shi'ah Muslim.
6 • MAJOR HOLIDAYS
The main holidays in Kuwait are Muslim religious holidays. Eid al-Fitr is a three-day festival at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha is a three-day feast of sacrifice at the end of the month of pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). During this feast families who can afford it slaughter a lamb and share the meat with poorer Muslims.
7 • RITES OF PASSAGE
Births are the occasion for celebration, particularly if the child is a boy. Kuwaiti boys are circumcised on the seventh day after their birth. This is usually accompanied by a banquet. Sheep are slaughtered, and relatives and friends are invited. After giving birth, a mother is expected to stay in bed for forty days to recuperate and regain her strength.
Weddings are perhaps the most elaborately celebrated occasions, with great feasts and dancing. In the past, girls could be married at the age of fourteen. Today, the typical age for marriage is twenty to twenty-five. Kuwaiti society is built on the importance of the family. Marriages are often arranged between families with long-established ties.
Respect toward the dead is very important. Burial takes place on the same day as the death. The body is washed and wrapped in a white shroud. It is then taken to a nearby mosque, where special prayers (Salat al-Janaza) are recited. After the burial, relatives, friends, and acquaintances gather at the home of the grieving family to pay their respects. They also read aloud parts of the Koran (the sacred text of Islam). Mourning lasts for three days
8 • RELATIONSHIPS
Men and women do not mix socially, except in family groups. Shi'ah and Sunni Muslims also have little to do with each other.
When talking, Arabs touch each other much more often, and stand much closer together, than Westerners do. People of the same sex will often hold hands while talking or walking.
In earlier days, members of the opposite sex, even married couples, never touched in public; this is changing today. Arabs talk a great deal. They talk loudly, repeat themselves often, and interrupt each other constantly. Conversations are highly emotional and full of gestures.
9 • LIVING CONDITIONS
Kuwaitis are among the richest people in the world. About one-fourth of all Kuwaitis own a car, usually an expensive one. Housing for ethnic Kuwaitis is partially or completely paid for by the government. Many families have maids.
Health care and education—through the university level—are free to all Kuwaiti citizens. Foreign workers are entitled to some of the benefits but are restricted from receiving to others. The government sponsors social welfare programs for disabled persons, the elderly, students' families, widows, unmarried women over eighteen, orphans, the poor, and prisoners' families. Telephone services are free. Television broadcasting began in 1961, with satellite communications established in 1969.
10 • FAMILY LIFE
The family unit is more important to Kuwaitis than is the individual, the larger community, or the government. Families tend to be large. The government encourages large families in its effort to increase the percentage of ethnic Kuwaitis (they make up less than half the people in the country). The government pays more than $7,000 to couples who marry.
11 • CLOTHING
In Kuwait's urban centers, Western-style clothing is becoming popular, particularly with young people. However, many Kuwaitis still wear traditional Arab clothing. This includes the dishdasha (anklelength robe) with a ghutra (head scarf). It is usually white, worn over a skull cap, and held in place with an aqal (wool rope) for men. Women are veiled according to Islamic law. Both men and women love perfume and wear it most of the time.
12 • FOOD
Kuwaiti cuisine offers a variety of dishes that reflect its Bedu (also called Bedouin) tradition (the Bedu are the traditional Arab nomadic desert herders), as well as its long history of contacts with other cultures such as those of India, Iraq, and Iran. In addition to the simple Bedu meals of dates and yogurt, Kuwaitis favor meat, fish, and rice. Spices are an essential part of the Kuwaiti diet. Among the most commonly used spices are coriander, cardamom, saffron, and turmeric.
Coffee and tea are the most popular beverages and are often mixed with spices. Coffee is mixed with cardamom, and tea with saffron or mint. Food and drink are always taken with the right hand.
As a wealthy country, Kuwait is able to import foods from all over the world. Their desert climate supports almost no agriculture, making importation absolutely necessary. As Muslims, Kuwaitis cannot eat pork or drink alcohol.
13 • EDUCATION
** NOTE WE ARE NOT TEACHING IN A KUWAIT SCHOOL
Education is required for all Kuwaiti children six to fourteen years of age. Schools teach in Arabic. English is taught as a second language to all students ten years of age and older. Boys and girls attend separate schools. Girls receive training in homemaking and child care, as well as vocational training for jobs considered "acceptable" for women. These include secretary, receptionist, teacher, and so forth. Women are not encouraged to take engineering or mechanical courses, but they may become medical doctors. About one-third of all Kuwaiti doctors are women. Every child is trained to become computer-literate in primary and early secondary school.
Education is free through the university level. The government also pays for students to study abroad. All expenses, including books, tuition, transportation, uniforms, and meals, are paid by the government. The government also pays families of students an allowance to help cover any other education-related expenses.
14 • RECREATION
Kuwaitis, as well as tourists to Kuwait, spend a great deal of time relaxing on the beaches along the gulf coast. Water sports (except for swimming, because of the jellyfish) are a popular form of recreation.
One of the biggest attractions in Kuwait is Entertainment City, modeled after Disneyland in the United States. It houses both recreational and educational facilities and exhibits. There are several movie theaters in Kuwait cities, which show Arab, Indian, Pakistani, and English-language films.
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