Hadas is the short term for Al-Harakat Al-Dosturiyat Al-Islamiyah, or Islamic Constitutional Movement. It is a Kuwaiti Sunni Islamist Organization. It was established in 1991 after the liberation of Kuwait from the Iraqi invaders.

The people who started the Movement are Kuwaiti Islamists who follow the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Movement has put up male candidates in all the elections for Kuwait’s National Assembly since 1992. Personally , I think of Hadas as a political movement, rather than a religious one. Although they have many female followers, they never supported a female candidate . That is a mistake, I believe. But, I think they will be forced to have a dialogue soon.

Today, I don’t wish to judge how well they did in Kuwaiti society, but to examine how they managed to stay still all this time with public support.

Hadas represent the conservatives and moderately religious Kuwaitis. It shows the normal development by the middle class in a Muslim society, along with their needs. Hadas was able to restructure the internal system to allow any of its young and even unknown middle class members to become involved in elections, which allowed a younger generation of activists to come to the front stage.

They make calls for fighting corruption and the needs of the everyday man within the basic concern to keep society conservative and they avoid looking like businessmen and traders, while holding onto the image of conservative and religious people. They are also well organized when it comes to how to arranging their group and reshaping their strategies in times of crises. They know how to reach the top and stays there. The Arab Spring has given them more power and they have benefited from all its strong effects.

This is something the liberals of Kuwait could not achieve. The liberals are another political group, yet they have lost most of their power and representatives in the national assembly in recent years . The leak came when some of their key thinkers passed away, not leaving behind true followers or believers in their ideas, or a real desire to follow in their foot prints. Also, most of them came from rich families, and while they were interested in playing a social role in society, they were involved in running family businesses and trade to win bidding and hold positions to support their family business. Something that is seen as unethical and not appreciated by young activists.

Something which has led most of them into clashes with the public and makes them seen as businessmen, rather than national representatives, can carry everyday troubles. I think the liberals in Kuwait cannot adjust to the fact that society has changed. In Kuwait, liberalism is not popular for many reasons . I think there is a misconception as to what is a liberal.

I’m sorry to say that most of those who call themselves liberals see only part of the picture, because for them a man with a beard and a woman with a hejab, (head scarf) is old and backwards. They disregard that liberalism takes the best of other nations and civilizations, and it is not about clothes, but what’s inside brains and thinking.

Nowadays, the liberal influence on the Kuwaiti street is limited because they have committed mistakes which have been seen as unforgettable and also due to the lack of support they have among Kuwaiti society.

So far, Hadas in Kuwait is being seen as the most wanted, popular and as being closer to the people. I believe change is always made by middle class people, because they have the desire to upgrade their lives to a better standard. They have the motive. I doubt the liberals see that, especially now.

So, the final word is for the Arab Spring that we have even if it is the middle of July.


Muna@kuwaittimes.net