Suzan El Tahhan
Bidoons: A Statelessness Plight in Kuwait
مجلة الدراسات القانونية واالقتصادية
English Abstract
Bidoon is an Arabic word that translates to "Without". The term stemmed from
"Bidoon Jinsiya" or "Without Citizenship". According to a Human Rights Watch
report that dates back to 1995, Kuwait has a system of institutionalized
discrimination against Bidoon that has intensified with the Iraqi invasion in 1990.
Bidoons passed through a series of discriminatory uprising stages that deprived them
of their fundamental right to work, travel, get married or receive any education.
Consequently, most Bidoon suffer from poverty, illiteracy, and being targeted by the
Kuwaiti government either for deportation or arbitrary arrest. [1]
Even though Bidoons enjoy protection either under the 1954 Convention on
Statelessness or under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugee, such
protection represents a temporary means to overcome the difficult living conditions
Bidoon must face every day. Until Kuwait gets to comply with its international
obligations and grant Bidoon the Kuwaiti nationality, we will not reach a final
radical solution.
In this paper, I study the conflict between international law and the widespread
discriminatory culture against Bidoons in Kuwait. Hereof, I focus on three main
aspects of this plight: first, the background of the extensive bigotry course of action
against Bidoon in Kuwait; second, the legal status of Bidoon whether nationally or
internationally; and third, I would test the best durable solutions as well as the
possibility of resolving the Bidoon paradox inside Kuwait. Throughout my study, I
discuss the concept of "cultural appropriation" and present it as one of the most
effective approaches to end this discriminatory legacy.
The research is an analytical study with a qualitative approach. My main target using
such methodologies is to present an applied paper proposing a socio-legal detailed
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