Manama: Kuwaitis said they have been left in “utter shock” after a father was arrested for his son’s murder, saying they never thought such a thing could take place in their country.
The security authorities on Sunday said they had arrested the father who said he had killed his son over family differences.
The father reportedly said his son had often threatened to kill him.
Last week, the son came to his father’s house, carrying a gun and uttering threats to kill him, local media reported.
The father reportedly convinced his son to accompany him and drove him in his car to a deserted place where he took out his gun and shot him twice, in the head and the chest.
The father then dropped off the body and sped away. He then burnt the car in another desert area in an attempt to conceal the crime. He also got rid of the murder weapon.
The police launched an investigation after finding the young man’s body and eventually arrested the father who confessed to the crime.
Kuwaitis took to social media to express their shock.
“It is so depressing and I cannot believe such a thing could happen in Kuwait,” Bu Humood, a blogger, said. “We were a country at the apogee of good morals and wonderful family relations, and here we have a son who threatens his father and a father who kills his son. What has happened? We hope that faith in God and in good morals will be consolidated,” he said.
Writing under the moniker of Soon Soon, a blogger said the situation was unbearably shocking.
“May God bless the soul of my dead father,” he said. “I could never ever look him in the eye. I never even called him by his name. We were taught and raised to behave in a highly respectful way and here we have a son who dares to threaten his father and to carry a gun into his family’s home. This is truly frightening.”
Jabbar said that Kuwaitis have to promote a culture where guns should not be kept by individuals.
“The father had a gun and the son had a gun,” he said. “Soon, the cook, the driver and the helper will each have a gun. This is very dangerous and there should be a strict zero-tolerance towards keeping or carrying guns,” he said.
For Al Enezi, banned substances could the reason for such incidents.
“This is a plight hitting segments of the society,” he said. “How could a son possibly threaten his father and how could a father murder his son? Who is the victim and who is the culprit? What is happening? I am afraid drugs are changing mentalities and morals among young people.”
However, Kefan blamed it on the collapse of “genuine parenting.”
“This is the result you get when you leave your children in the custody of domestic helpers who do not share your values and morals,” he said. “When your maids and drivers are in charge of your sons and daughters, do not expect the new generations to hold your values and the significance of utter respect for the parents,” he said.
For Bu Hamad, the major reason for the “collapse in morals” is naturalisation.
“Random naturalisation that is not based on true merit is the cause of it all,” he said. “All of the criminals, addicts and terrorists are not original Kuwaitis, but rather naturalised Kuwaitis,” he claimed.
