Gulf | Kuwait

Angry Kuwaitis disrupt Sri Lankan celebrations

A massive Sri Lankan celebration was interrupted after angry Kuwaitis claimed it violated Islamic rules

By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief
Published: 12:24 April 24, 2010

Image Credit: Courtesy of Al Anba
The ambassador, seeking to end the deadlock peacefully, urged his compatriots to cancel the celebrations while the police said that the Sri Lankans had all the necessary permits and did not break the law.

Kuwait: A massive Sri Lankan celebration was interrupted after angry Kuwaitis claimed it violated Islamic rules.

More than 5,000 Sri Lankans, including K.S.C. Dissanayake, Sri Lankan ambassador to Kuwait, had to leave the Jahra stadium after Kuwaiti Islamists invaded the field and pressed organisers to suspend the celebration and threatened to escalate the tense situation.

Negotiations between the event organisers, the police and the angry Kuwaitis failed to reach a compromise.

The protesters said that the presence of men and women at the stadium and the playing of music on a Friday afternoon made the celebration “unacceptable” for not respecting Islamic values.

The ambassador, seeking to end the deadlock peacefully, urged his compatriots to cancel the celebrations two hours before schedule and to vacate the premises.

The police said that the Sri Lankans had all the necessary permits and did not break the law.

Sri Lanka is organising on Monday a “Sri Lanka Culture Week” in Kuwait to help promote the country as a tourist and cultural destination. The event is hosted by Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and co-sponsored by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Sri Lankan Airlines.

A28-member cultural troupe will perform 'Sri Lak Rangana', a fusion of historical and contemporary dance forms.

The week will also feature a handicraft exhibition of products, bronze items, masks, gems, jewellery and other ornaments while a food festival will introduce Sri Lankan cuisine to Kuwait residents.

Comments (27)

Added 16:13 April 25, 2010

Dear srilankans you have to obey the law of land where you stay.

Akbar, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 15:47 April 25, 2010

I am a Sri lankan Muslim, appreciate the comment of Saman of New York for his general perspective. The ambassador and the organizers could have organize the event on Saturday (weekend) to avoid complication. Still, if they have the necessary permit to hold the event from the concerned government, then it is the responsibility of the local government authority to enforce security. The protesters could have warn the authority not to happen the same incident again, rather than interrupt the event. Finally, every religion and cultures should be valued and respectable

Fazil, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 15:38 April 25, 2010

Dear Mr. Jason, New York, United States You are absolutely right. You have to live in Sri Lanka to see how tolerant Sri Lankans are. Sri Lanka is a majority Sinhalese country. But there are many other ethnic communities living very peacefully in Sri Lanka. We drink and dine with Tamils and muslims. Every body has all the freedom they need to go about their religious activities without any hassle at all. There might be a very few incidents like what had happened in Kuwait, mind you VERY RARELY. But such VERY RARE incidents cannot be generalized as something happening every where in the country.

Anonymous, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Added 12:33 April 25, 2010

The administration should have taken appropriate measures before hand to ensure that any event allowed does not cross the lines of respected Islamic laws and the sentiments of its citizens. Add to that the timing of playing music on a Friday afternoon. The administration is to be blamed. The Srilankan's will definitely be upset since they had appropriate permits. I believe such incidents only create divide between people based on religion, cast and creed. It was not a good thing to happen.

Latif, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 11:16 April 25, 2010

I visited Sri Lanka 3 months ago and was staying in a hotel on the western coast. There was a mosque nearby and it was playing sermons at 5 am in the morning everyday using very loud speakers. According to my knowledge the majority of the people are Sinhalese. Despite all the claims by western media of the bad human right violations I didn't notice even a single reaction of dissent by people of other beliefs. I think a lesson should be learnt on how people operate peacefully.

Jason, New York, United States

Added 10:29 April 25, 2010

One can not blame blindly Kuwaitis for their action. Many expatriates assoications misusing the freedom for their celebrations in gulf countries.

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 09:09 April 25, 2010

The Kuwaiti government shud look into this issue and give a proper answer for wht had gone wrong. After all this event was properly cordinated and done with permission from local authorities.

Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Added 08:46 April 25, 2010

what a shame. they have the necessary permit and still was not respected. i guess they should do it in the middle of the desert so they will nto disrupt anything.

Anonymous, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Added 08:35 April 25, 2010

All i can say is ...guys...learn from the UAE . Learn from Abudhabi & Dubai about peaceful co existence. Thank you UAE.

Anonymous, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Added 07:36 April 25, 2010

I guess what triggered the so called "Islamists" is the fact that music were played on a Friday afternoon, a time of the weekly Juma'a prayer for Muslims. Any expatriate living in a Muslim country should know that. If you want to play music in such a time then do it behind closed doors.

Wissam, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates