Kuwaiti Tribesmen Burn Tent of Election Candidate over ‘Offensive Comments’

Hundreds of angry Kuwaiti tribesmen burned down the tent of a controversial candidate standing in general elections this week after he made comments deemed offensive to their clan, witnesses said Tuesday.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred late Monday, following a campaign rally by the candidate, Mohammed al-Juwaihel, who is competing in Thursday's legislative poll.

Local media reported that during his rally speech, Juwaihel criticized another candidate from the Mutairi tribe, a 100,000-strong clan that counts as the second largest in Kuwait, and the tribe itself.

That infuriated tribesmen, who rushed to Juwaihel's tent near Kuwait City and set it ablaze while riot police watched without interfering.

Juwaihel has been targeting Bedouin tribes, who make up over 55 percent of Kuwait's population, in his election campaign.

He charges that many of them are not "true Kuwaitis" because they carry dual citizenship, banned in Kuwait. He has urged authorities to use DNA testing to determine who should be declared Kuwaiti.

Juwaihel, who ran in previous elections without success, made similar allegations more than two years ago in a television program that also led to tribal protests.

Opposition candidates have lashed the government for not taking legal action against Juwaihel and his controversial comments.

A liberal civil association, Umbrella for Kuwait Action, strongly criticized Juwaihel in a statement, accusing him of creating divisions in Kuwait.