By Amira El Masaiti
Rabat – Kuwait has announced that citizens from five Muslim-majority countries will no longer be admitted.
Citizens of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are now restricted from acquiring visitor, tourism or trade visas for Kuwait.
Passport holders from the five countries will not be allowed to enter Kuwait so long as the ban is in effect.
Kuwaiti authorities have reported to local media that the ban has been established because of the “instability” in the five countries. It added that it will be cancelled once security improves.
The “instability” Kuwait is referring to is the presence of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iran is deemed unsafe because of the increasing tension between the country and the Gulf area. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has accused Tehran of attempting to upset stability in the Gulf region.
Kuwait previously instituted a ban on all visas for Syrians in 2011, which made it the only country in the world to officially prohibit Syrians from seeking refuge in its land, until U.S. President Trump named Syria on its list of seven banned countries.
While Trump’s Muslim ban is drawing heavy criticism within and outside of America, Kuwait’s similar action just one day later went unnoticed by the world.
In a global survey compiled by InterNations in 2015, Kuwait was named the world’s worst country for expatriates.
