DUBAI (UAE) - Authorities in Kuwait have deported a Jordanian citizen of Kuwaiti origin for participating in an unauthorized protest. This is the latest instance in a series of cases that has sparked outrage about the treatment of foreign workers in the Gulf Arab countries.The man was arrested by police in Jordan at a demonstration against new government restrictions on unvaccinated persons. The man, who was being interviewed live on TV, expressed his frustration at Kuwait's decision to ban unvaccinated people from public places such as restaurants and shopping malls. The clip was viewed thousands of times on social media.This comes days after controversy over an Egyptian man's ranting on social media about Egypt's poor weather. Later, local news outlets reported on his deportation.After days of detention, the Jordanian citizen was deported Sunday after he participated in an illegal protest. Tawheed Al-Kandari, a media officer at Kuwait's Interior Ministry confirmed this to The Associated Press.The case has attracted intense media attention in Kuwait over the last few days. It also exposed fault lines about the situation of migrant workers within the country. Scores of citizens criticized the Jordanian man for his ingratitude towards Kuwaiti generosity after the televised complaint was broadcast online. Lawmakers quickly rushed to his aid, lamenting the government's mistreatment of foreigners as well as an attack on freedom of expression in a country that has a long history of some of the most dynamic politics in the region.Like the Persian Gulf's desert sheikhdoms, Kuwait has a large number of low-paid foreign workers from the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia that power its economy and serve its small population of 1,000,000 citizens. Rights groups claim that the system of lopsided labor, which links migrants' residency status to their jobs makes expatriates vulnerable to abuse, deportation, and arrest. Kuwait's Ministry of Interior revealed Monday that the government had deported more than 7,800 foreigners for various violations in the first half of 2021.Continue the storyThe coronavirus pandemic in Kuwait has made the hostility towards migrants even more intense. Expats have complained about stark inequalities in vaccine distribution and travel restrictions. While vaccinated citizens can come and go, valid residence permits are required to enter the country. The government has pledged to lift the ban on vaccinated residents in the next month.Last week, the father of a Jordanian man released a statement to Kuwaiti media, asking for the release of his sons from detention.Abdullah regards Kuwait as a part of his heart. He wrote about his son who, he claimed, was born in Kuwait and raised in a proud, decorated military household. His uncle also participated in the resistance to the 1990 invasion of Iraq. When reporters asked him about vaccines, he claimed that his son did not intend to insult the country.Despite my heartbreak, I believe that God wills what he writes.
