Nationality and Cases of Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa Kuwaiti nationality.134 Moreover, an applicant for naturalisation in Kuwait must also render a service or hold a qualification which is needed in the country, further restricting the circle of individuals who may be eligible.135 Comparable conditions can be found elsewhere. Yemen requires that an applicant for naturalisation be either Arab or Muslim,136 showing how the country’s conception of its own identity has put its stamp on nationality policy. It should be noted that such criteria which preclude people of other ethnicities or religions from being able to naturalise sit at odds with international law, in particular article 5(diii) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the jus cogens norm which prohibits racial discrimination. Syria, on the other hand, shares Kuwait’s requirement that a person can only naturalise if they hold experience or qualifications that benefit the country137 – a more utilitarian view of naturalisation policy. In Libya, among the many naturalisation conditions set are an age-limit (the applicant must be under 50 years old) and the catch-all of “any other conditions deemed relevant to the public interest”,138 which gives the authorities free reign in restricting access 134 135 136 137 138 - Article 4(3) and 4(5), Kuwait Nationality Law, 1959. Ibid, article 4(4). Article (5), Yemen Nationality Law No. 7, 1990. Article 4(e), Syria Nationality Law No. 276, 1969. Article 9(6) and 9(7), Law Number 24 on the Libyan Nationality, 2010. 102