Yemen war played out in Kuwait parliament

Blog: Kuwait MP Hamad Saif al-Harshani uses "igal" headband to strike out at fellow MP and critic of the Saudi-led assault on Yemen.

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1 min read

Alex Wright

21 May, 2015

Kuwait's parliament has witnessed a number of clashes between law makers

A Gulf parliament witnessed a fracas between two rival MPs during a question and answers session with the Kuwait's foreign minister about the country's role in the Saudi-led assault on Yemen.

Hamad Saif al-Harshani attempted to hit Abd al-Hamid Dashti, another MP, with his igal - a traditional head band -on Tuesday.

The blow did not connect and the fight was quickly broken up by fellow parliamentarians.

Harshani was furious about Dashti'spposition to Operation Decisive Storm and Kuwait's role in the military operation.

Dashti has been a critic of the Saudi-led bombing of Houthi militias in Yemen, including during a recent interview with pro-Hizballah TV station al-Manar.

Saudi Arabia has demanded that Kuwait posecute the Shia MP for his "repeated insults" against Riyadh.

Many Kuwaits have said that the recent fracas was another example of sectarianism in the parliament.

In 2011 a brawl erupted after a Shia MP denounced Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo as al-Qaeda militants.

Twitter user Dari said:

Twitter Post

Translation: How much longer is this going to go on for? We have had enough of brawls, they should just make a law banning igals inside parliament. What a mess!

Ali al-Mansour said:

Twitter Post

Translation: The Kuwaiti parliment has become a joke. This is what democracy looks like in the desert.