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Today is the 30th anniverssary of Iraq’s Saddam invasion of #Kuwait.
Mubarak’s #Egypt that was very friendly to Saddam Hussein, took a moral stance and stood against the invasion.
But that is not the end of the story—> thread
Mubarak’s #Egypt that was very friendly to Saddam Hussein, took a moral stance and stood against the invasion.
But that is not the end of the story—> thread
First, it is important to understand why many in Egypt, not just Mubarak regime, were fond of Saddam. Because Iraq at his tenure, welcomed Egyptians and treated them as fellow citizens with equal rights 1/
During Saddam tenure, any Egyptian citizen could enter #Iraq without a passport; just an ID card, and allowed to work and earn good income. Many Egyptians from rural areas went to Iraq in hunted of thousands 2/
Also, unlike other Gulf states at that time, Saddam's Iraq fought Islamism, and did not try to change the Egyptian identity or force Salafism/ Whabbis/ Brotherhood ideologies on Egyptians. Egyptians used to call their fellow expats in Iraq "unbranded Gulfies" 3/
That all changed after the invasion of #Kuwait. Kuwaitis escaped after the Iraqi invasion seemed refuge mainly in 3 countries: Saudi arabia, UK, and Egypt.
I remember how Cairo was full of Kuwaitis blocking the already congested traffic with their posh cars. 4/
I remember how Cairo was full of Kuwaitis blocking the already congested traffic with their posh cars. 4/
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait has had tremendous impact on the, once tolerant open, #Kuwaiti society. Many Kuwaitis embraced Islamism after, calming that political Islam is the solution to Kuwait and antidote to arabism 5/
Decades have passed, but the polarisation in Kuwait has intensified and dragged Egypt into Kuwait domestic struggle. This increased after 2013, when many Egyptian Islamists resided in Kuwait following the ousting of Brotherhood's Morsi in #Egypt 6/
Currently, Kuwait suffers from an alarming rise of xenophobia as well as Islamism. Islamists in Kuwait ( both native and Egyptians) exploit this xenophobia to turn Kuwaitis against Egyptians, who are now portrayed as the reasons of all ills in the Kuwaiti society 7/
Several posts and videos emerged of Kuwaitis cursing Egyptians, portraying them as lazy, thieves; even spreading #coronavirus. Precisely why the latest decision of banning flights from Egypt, is seen as a political; not health decision! 8/
Cynical recycling of history is common in the Middle East. It is amazing how 30 years after Iraq's invasion of #Kuwait, Xenophobes in Kuwait cynically downplay #Egypt's rule in the liberation of Kuwait, and curse Egyptian expats in Kuwait 9/
I fear for #Kuwait . Regardless of history and the old bonds between Egypt and Kuwait, polarisation and xenophobia are destructive. Both are the last qualities Kuwait need right now. Time for Kuwaitis to reject political Islam and resist the rising chauvinism in their society.10/
