ChaChapter 1: Nationality and Statelessness
to a person born in the country whose parents are la
jinsiya laho.
In practice, there are also other terms in use across the
region, which have emerged in relation to specific
groups. A prime example is the term Bidoon – an
abbreviated form of bidoon jinsiya, which translates
to “without nationality”. This word is widely used to
describe a particular group of stateless people in
the Gulf who, for various reasons, were never able
to access nationality in their ancestral homeland.
Another distinct set of terminology for statelessness
has emerged in the specific contexts of Lebanon
and Syria. There, many stateless people are referred
to as maktoum al kayd (in Lebanon) or simply the
maktoumeen (in Syria). Maktoum is another way to
express “without” in Arabic, while al kayd can best be
understood as referring to “registration”, i.e. “without
registration” or “unregistered”. While there is no direct
reference in this phrase to nationality, this label is used
in reference to people who are stateless in these
countries. Indeed, all of the aforementioned groups
are equally stateless, they have simply been bestowed
different labels in Arabic. These domestic terms have
also subsequently permeated the discussion of these
stateless groups in other languages: i.e. the Bidoon
of Kuwait are widely known and described as such
within the international arena.
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