KUWAIT'S GOVERNMENT SUCCUMBS OVER THE CANCELLATION OF WOMEN'S YOGA PROGRAMME

  • 10/02/2022

Kuwait City: Following the cancellation of the women's yoga event in Kuwait, there has been a social uproar. Continuous limits on the availability of simple leisure space are viewed as an intrusion into people's personal lives. People have recently reacted angrily to the government's complicity, citing analogies to neighbouring countries' activities, which are held while similar events are cancelled in Kuwait in the sake of preserving cultures, traditions, and values. 


This contrasts with Saudi Arabia's recent celebration of the first edition of the 'Yoga Festival,' while the organisers of Kuwait's 'Yoga Journey' announced the event's delay without citing reasons. According to reputable sources, the government requested this after MP Hamdan Al-Azmi submitted a request, calling these behaviours "extraneous" and "hazardous" to traditional culture. In light of this, women's activists have called for a sit-in on Monday to draw attention to their situation and right to participate in such events, while the National Democratic Alliance has slammed "government weakness and accused it of bowing in to legislative pressures."

According to the coalition, the Prime Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, bears responsibility for the blackmailing by representatives of political Islam in order to protect his position. The Kuwaiti progressive movement called for confronting the reality that is being imposed on the Kuwaiti state, society, and individuals by establishing a specific pattern of behaviour with strict standards, restricting people's private choices, exaggerating women's marginalisation, prohibiting celebrations and artistic, social, sports, or entertainment events, and banning television channels by issuing fatwas as a basis for government decisions.

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