People in Kuwait have torn apart all the posters for the new album “Hafiat Al Kadamin” (Barefoot) by Iraqi singer Kathem El Saher from every street corner demanding immediate prosecution of those responsible for advertising his work. It was revealed that chaos had broken out in Kuwait over the existence of pictures of Kathem and that people felt it an insult to them, especially since that Kathem was considered to be part of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s regime.
According to the Saudi based daily, Al Watan, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information has released a new order forbidding any Iraqi singer from entering Kuwait and holding any performances. It was added that no permit will be granted to any Iraqi singer to perform in Kuwait in addition to disallowing any advertisements for their albums. A parliament member has demanded that all stores must remove every single album for Kathem, and abide by the new law that forbids the spreading of Iraqi music as a form of respect to the feelings of Kuwaiti people.
Kathem was also considered to be a traitor for working with the Jewish British singer Sarah Brightman and disrespecting the feelings of people around the Arab world. Kathem had sung a duet with Sarah under the name of “War is Over”, which they released after the Iraqi-US war ended. The two have also held many joint performances around the Arab world at different festivals.
Recently, pictures of El Saher and large advertisement banners for his upcoming album had flooded the streets of Kuwait giving rise for a political and psychological crisis to erupt among Kuwaiti citizens. It was revealed that Kuwaiti people associated Kathem with the former Iraqi President and felt that he belonged to his political regime a matter that makes them skeptical of him.
Upon hearing of the news of how people in Kuwait reacted towards the banners of the singer, Rotana, which is the production company that Kathem belongs to, rushed to every corner on every street and removed all the pictures of the singer and replaced them with those of other singers like Assi Hilani and Ehab Tawfi.
The matter of Kathem’s pictures all around Kuwait had also angered a number of political figures with many taking the issue to parliament demanding that those responsible for posting the pictures be prosecuted for causing such a social unrest in the country. Officials wanted to know how could the Kuwaiti Minister of Information allow the works of Kathem to be spread in Kuwait disregarding people’s feelings.
Some parliament members demanded 16 million US dollars in compensation to all the Kuwaiti people who were affected negatively by the existence of such advertisements and works for Kathem, saying the matter should not be taken lightly. –Albawaba.com
