During an interview with channel “Al-Raiiy” sheikh Fahad talked about the attack that he was subject to in Paris describing it as a conspiracy targeting him in the midday, considering this attack a coincidence grieving inside him, saying that he was under strong surveillance from the moment of the attack until his transmission to the hospital.
The Sheikh valued the initiative of the political leadership that sent lieutenants from Kuwait to the hospital and stayed with him till he came back to his country safe.
He reiterated that he was attacked the minute he went out from his residence, 4 hours after the press conference he held in Paris, to announce the project of a comprehensive Media organization aiming to activate the dialogue among civilizations, reject extremism and terrorism and to show a true image of the Islam. This project is based on 3 phases: the first one is to find infrastructures to launch the project and that was finished last month, the second one is to find an international legal entity capable of running the project without being related to any other country, but international figures constitute the Board of directors away from politics, the third phase specializes in the content of these stations.
The Sheikh sees that it is easy to solve the chaos of the Media with quick and definite solutions without referring to prosecution, judiciary and explaining that we are a state of institutions every time we face a problem. He clarified that Kuwait is actually a State of institutions without forgetting that Kuwait is the state of His Highness, the father, the symbol of the country.
Because the citizen doesn’t trust his government not for the people but for the performance, he said: “the government declares that it promises in front of the newspapers and the reality that the outcomes are nil.” He considered the failure of the development plan hammering the last tack in the coffin of the government.
He reiterated that the ruling family still has goodness, its reaction with the attack he suffered shows that the family has elements of strength, and then people will see another government capable of working as long as the family is coherent. As a son, I hope they would reunite the family because its stability is the stability of Kuwait.
The Sheikh sees that his political ambition is not wrong and to take over a political position is in the hand of His Highness. If he was active in the government and he noticed a weak performance, he would have quit and apologized respectfully…
These are the details of the interview:
What was your purpose of visiting France and what was the project you carried with you there?
During my visit to France, I announced a huge international project at the beginning of last month, for the dialogue of civilizations and religions, for rejecting violence and extremism on the Islamic level and other religions. This project is characterized by the exploration because it is an initiative from companies of private sector and individuals; the government has no role in it.
What are the constituents of this project and how can it contribute in rejecting extremism and violence, and bringing the religions closer?
The continuity of the current situation increases intellectual, social and religious extremism, that way we are witnessing every sort of extremism even on the level of sects. We wait, we hear and we complain and it’s all in vain, we also cannot wait for every government to take actions in this regard.
What are your personal outburst and goals from this project?
I would like to show that this project is not launched today but two years ago, it doesn’t stand for setting up only TV stations in every country, but it is based on three phases: the first one is to find infrastructures to launch the project and that was finished and the project was ready to be launched from last month. The second one is to find an international legal entity capable of running the project without being related to any other country, but international figures constitute the Board of directors away from politics, the third phase specializes in the content of these stations. According to the plan set for this project, there will be stations with multiple languages by virtue of the country that broadcasts it. This is how we get to the point where every country contributes in these stations through uniting the efforts to fight extremism, by the principal of dialogue and not the force that increases extremism.
Do you mean that using the force by the countries fighting terrorism could increase the extremism?
After studying this project very well and through what is occurring in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia and other countries, and the use of force to fight extremism by increasing injustice and victims.
You mentioned that the infrastructures of this project are ready, which means the project is now real?
Indeed, the project is real after accomplishing the first phase and after my colleagues, the founders, and I paid large sums of money on it, we still have phase two finding an administrative and legal entity capable of running the project, followed by the production phase which is the most important one. The content stems from inside the local environment from which the station is launched, taking in consideration that these stations with many channels could benefit the Islam by introducing its reality that is a religion of peace, dialogue and dealing lovingly with friends and enemies. In addition, taking in consideration the Divine religions that refuse the killing and hurting the people, therefore starting what we agreed on.
During your stay in France to present this project you were subject to an attempt of assassination, do you think this project is a motive for this attack?
Just to correct you information, I wasn’t attacked when I left the conference but when I left my place 4 hours after the press conference I held in Paris. The attack happened at 4 pm which means in the midday and in a main street, what I am intending to explain is that the press conference held to present the project was a surprise to many sides in France, because we worked on the first phase quietly and I announced it in France. The second phase aims to reject extremism and support the dialogue among Western and Islamic civilizations, and reiterating the importance of this dialogue because the government must take the responsibility of the education. The Media is our responsibility as an initiative side based on diligence and self-investment in our faith that the Media has a big role reducing the tension. What we see on TV is a sign of a lack of confidence and there’s an excitement about it, I think that the wisdom, the culture and the long perspective are way better than the excitement that starts and ends in a short period.
Don’t you think that the audience defines the Media content and is looking for excitement?
We discussed the content of the channels in this project, and we think that it starts from inside the same country that has these channels through sensations and questionnaires that show what people want. We should leave the content for the competent authorities in this field, this content that goes along with the project and has a main role at the same time, introducing people to their religion and the origins of the relationship based on peace and respecting other’s opinion.
What are the circumstances of the attack?
At 4 pm, I wanted to go out of the hotel with some friends, while I waited for them, I headed with a friend to the nearest parking from the hotel, the moment I crossed the street I was attacked from behind and I couldn’t see who assaulted me. I was hit on the back of my head and thank God he wasn’t tall enough to touch my head in a sensitive place and when I was hit I was lucky to catch the actor when I fell down and I was dizzy. he was holding a gun so he hit me again on my hand and managed to escape, then the friend that accompanied me saw me after the people in the street started screaming.
Do you mean that there are witnesses on this accident?
I was reported that 7 French people presented their attestation at the police station.
How did the French authorities deal with the accident?
I was surprised that they reacted quickly; they say that France is bureaucratic like Arab countries, but it reacts quickly in such accidents. I knew later that I was immediately transported to the hospital to make sure I wasn’t injured, and the French authorities gave an order to transport me to the military hospital because the security is more intense. I stayed 24 to 48 hours in the intensive care, and then I stayed in a room in the hospital to make sure I was safe. The Kuwaiti embassy also moved, the Ambassador Ali Al-Saiid came to the hospital after the French authorities contacted him while he was on a vacation, and despite that he came quickly. The moment I woke up I found them all next to me.
When you came back to Kuwait there was a massive crowd waiting for you so you said “now I know why Kuwait is envied for its people” why did you say that?
Since the day of the attack, and when I woke up many calls came for me and I felt that the Kuwaitis are united in the difficulties. Their stand and disapprobation for this awful attack made feel relieved and I consider it half of the cure.
Going back to your project, aren’t you afraid that some European countries would refuse it considering it as a matter of publishing the Islamic intellectual?
I expect that, so I made sure to confront that personally in the conference I held in Paris. They wanted to express their opinion, so when I went to France I met the official authorities and I announced that this project is not purely Islamic but to introduce the Islam in a good way for their benefit not their harm. The Islam is a religion of peace and all the divine religions reject violence, extremism and murder, the Islam is calling for cooperation and cohesion and to be good to the neighbors. Many Western countries have many Islamic communities that have a problem to blind in the civilian communities, and when the Muslim is acting right through his religion, no country whatsoever could have an excuse to treat him but with the principle of justice and equality.
Do you mean that the person who acts according to his religion could help these countries?
The Islam is not a religion of extremism and whoever wants to search for any point to create extremism, shall search for contradictions. Here we are not looking for this, we mean by that the true religion based on harmless things, therefore this principle is established besides applying the democratic and freedom rules, this principle that is based on peaceful dialogue among all parties.
Considered as a business man, what do you think is the financial benefit from the TV stations adopted by this project?
This project is a complete Media system that has two purposes, first, economical because once the rate of viewers increases, the economical income increases too. The plan is not to broadcast only the channels but to relate it to the TV cable, phone services and internet in order to be a complete system that give a clear principle to the way of democratic religious and educational cooperation and gather it in order to launch it in many programs.
Secondly achieving peace and dialogue to reduce the stress of extremism because it is spread inside houses from screaming to talking out loud and insistence on one opinion, this is what it’s occurring inside the houses and the families whether Arab or occidental. Extremism became a dominant characteristic inside every home nowadays.
They say that through this project you are seeking a financial profit… what do have to say about this?
It is normal for a project to aim something economical; every project has economical profit that is based on the quantity of viewers to the project’s channels. Thank God that all the studies showed that there will be millions of viewers on the international channel like a TV cable or internet because the Media system will relate them all. The other profit is purely humanitarian, it is like me to initiate and I did initiate this project two years ago as execution and not as installments and ideas, so that it contributes in reducing extremism and elevating the rate of peace and good relationships among all parties.
Did it bother you that some Medias minimized the importance of the attack by describing it as a rubbery? Why do you think it was described that way?
I was so sad to hear that this conspiracy is just a robbery; there is no coincidence in the midday targeting Fahad Salem Al-Ali wearing jeans while other people wearing suits, nor using a weapon, a mask and gloves in front of dozens of witnesses. This operation was a conspiracy and a confirmation on its execution from the moment it occurred till I was transported to the hospital and the ambassadors arrival and putting me under surveillance until I went out.
At the moment of the attack, the political command sent lieutenants from Kuwait who stayed with me until I came back.
Do you think the reason of this accusation is the massive crowd who welcomed you?
I don’t want to have bad intentions but let’s take it in a good faith, when Kuwait received the news in the beginning, people thought it was robbery because many Kuwaitis was being robbed in Europe especially in France, but no one was asked to the Élysée Palace and was given an official apology. Some Medias considered it as robbery then they changed the image when the elements of this deceitful crime were revealed. It was not a robbery because my cell phones and my wallets were still with me, the thief doesn’t leave such things and the French authorities were aware of that when they knew I was targeted. The plane of the Emir sent by His Highness, God is with him, which took me to Kuwait, took off on its date despite the strike occurring at the airport of Paris.
When do you expect that your project comes into effect?
As mentioned before the first phase is completed, the second one is the companies’ offers proper to locations, residences, administrative and financial organization. I expect to have this project on air starting the second half of 2011.
Why heading abroad to use Media to reject extremism and discrimination when the society suffers from issues showing this extremism and sectarianism inside the society?
This project is universal and the infrastructures for the broadcast will be in Kuwait, that its name will be mentioned without forgetting that there are channels speaking Arabic most of it come from Kuwait. We also cannot forget a big rule served by this channel in the Arab and Islamic states, however a while ago many things started to happen in Kuwait, it is mentioned before in some articles that Kuwaiti Medias are controlled not for profit but to prepare for the next battles.
What do you mean by battles?
Every day we witness Media battles between many parties where we see the “fight or flight” that end like it didn’t start from the beginning.
Who is trying to benefit from the Media in this situation?
In Kuwait, it is easy to solve these matters if there’s a good faith because the Media is controlled by people who do not exceed the number of thumbs, but outside Kuwait we are talking about thousands run by the Media. To make them support this initiative we will make a double effort from the effort we made inside Kuwait, any Media issue inside Kuwait is easy to be solved.
Where is your role in solving the issues occurring in the ground?
As a Kuwaiti citizen, I have two ways to interfere in this matter, the first one, is being the President of the Arab Private Broadcasting Union we called the Parliament and the ministry of Media and asked them to participate, and gathering our experiences to unite Media freedom and its restrains. Unfortunately we didn’t find any result.
As a son of a family, considering that the freedom of the Media is guaranteed by the Constitution that represents a contract between the governor and the condemned, I demand to have a full liberty in the dialogue regarding the events happening in Kuwait. We don’t mean by freedom chaos. It is easy to solve chaos quickly without having to refer to prosecution, judiciary and explain ourselves that we are a State of institutions every time we face a problem. It is true that we are a State of institutions but we shall not forget that Kuwait is the state of His Highness, the father, the symbol of the country, we see him as a father before a governor.
Is there a law that should be respected by individuals and Media institutions, they should abide by it and it should be a line dividing them?
That’s right, but there are many cases sent to the prosecution and when you refer to judiciary you have to wait from 3 to 5 years. I think that people who have rights must obtain their rights which are better than applying the law, not on settlements base but because Kuwait cannot take anymore fissure in the social structure.
Why talking about the uproar and the social structure in every event, is the society this fragile when someone talks about a certain case?
As a citizen, I think that what’s happening in Kuwait is a decrease of the trust level in the governmental performance, the citizen started to distrust his government not as people but as performance. The Government promises in front of the Media and the reality that the profits are nil especially what is circulating between trustful sources without mentioning names. It’s like we are living in a revolutionary state gnawed by the uproar, and we thank God that we are a State stabilized politically and socially.
So where is the problem?
The problem is with creating problems that benefit a lot of people, we notice that many problems are created today and finished like its completely wiped and cannot be found unless in the ancient Medias. We live on a boiling tin, if the extremism increases, the citizen will not feel the value of his country in front of others. We should do some recalculations in Kuwait and make sure that the solution is not by creating problems but preventing it through the initiation, determination, strength by uniting the efforts, connection an reinforcing the columns of the homes.
Do you think that the problems facing Kuwait are fabricated? Who stands behind this?
Maybe it’s a fact that is being exaggerated, maybe the opposite, and maybe the problem is being created to distract people from other issues. We started to live in an environment where we sleep with a problem and wake up with another one, noting that whoever causes the problem is damaged like others. Initiating these problems will eliminate the citizen’s trust in his government and in order to obtain his rights he will get hurt according to the law of the jungle.
How do you value the performance of the Media in the current time? Do you think the sidelines of the liberties in Kuwait are safeguarded?
Who says that in Kuwait there is no freedom is so wrong, freedoms exist but the difference is on its sidelines. Everyone can criticize work; the Kuwaiti Media is an example of the area’s level. Unfortunately, when it wanted to gather it started losing its early freedom and it is opened to everyone, the media outlet is supposed to serve Kuwait not to be against anyone. Everyone has the right to write, present and criticize with liberty.
Even if this opinion is to criticize your performance ?
Yes, through “Al Raiiy” I announce my preparation to accept any critic for me and I’m ready to publish it too in the newspaper or the channel that I own, because I consider that the critic is a method to assimilate the right from the wrong and I thank everyone who tried to rescue me. If someone criticizes me in a bad way I can be able to evaluate him and be careful from him in the long term.
What do you have to say about the governmental development plan? Is it executable?
This is a very hard question, I’m not sure if it is accomplished or not. I consider myself among people who got lost between statements, fields, reality and not settling the plan’s financing.
Didn’t you feel any achievement made from this plan?
I wonder how they execute the plan despite the disapproval on the source of financing. In the next Media outlet, there’s a Media team to pursue the development plan to inform people about the details and the truth about this plan as it is, not as it is issued from statements.
Do you mean that you are going to survey the plan and clarify it for citizens?
It’s not a survey but praising for those who helped with the plan and showing those who didn’t. As an owner of the Media outlet, I am interested to deliver the right information to the public.
As a citizen, do you wish the success of this plan?
Is there anyone who doesn’t wish the success of such development plan to his country, if anyone doesn’t wish so, I guarantee he doesn’t love his country.
Will you contribute to support the development plan by the Media?
If the plan is correctly executed I will be the first to support it, if it’s not, we will be the first to inform people.
There is a big concern regarding the failure of this plan that will make Kuwait fall back to a phase already surpassed. What do you think about that?
In 2003, I suggested the development plan in one of the Divans to unify people and government council. However, we notice that this plan is separating people today. If the plan succeeds it will unite them, if it fails it will be the last tack on the government’s coffin.
When the plan was discussed in the Parliament, they didn’t know who’s responsible for its success or its failure. Who do you think is responsible?
Why are we looking for people and not collective work? If the plan is vested in one person who runs it, it will be a huge mistake because people change and putting Kuwait in the hands of one person is wrong. Team work always help. In case of failure the team should fold to leave the accomplishment to those who can.
The case of high prices is a very important matter, why is there tardiness to impose strong censorship on pricing the Consumer Products?
I think that this matter is like a balance, it raises people’s complain with a lack of confidence for the government and vise versa. The stability process is in the hand of the government not by a statement of a minister but according to the institutes’ work. An employee at the municipality could run the country before, once applying the law equally. However, today this employee is being attacked and assaulted and there is no penal code to protect him. Whoever improves his work is to be thanked, and whoever acts badly must get away immediately before things get to the public.
What do you mean by those who occupy the public function?
I am talking about everyone even the little employee, if he could do his work, the Minister could say that his accomplishments are real not according to press statements.
We can’t forget that there’s a fair justice in Kuwait where the citizen can take his right…
I consider the demand of the government to refer to justice a weakness. There’s a law for social services that punishes the employee before referring to justice in case of taking proper measures. I call “Al-Raiiy” to show the cases of administrative abuse in the last couple of years, in order to know that the governmental employee is not working like he should. The person, who’s applying the law, is defeated. Who deviates from the right path is more likely to be accepted, this situation is not accepted at all.
When applying the law, do things reach crisis, such as the problem of sports? How do you evaluate this case and the legislation of laws in the Parliament without being executed by the government?
Sports is a small part of Kuwait, its problem resides in the absence of a governmental clear decision. The question remains if we want to apply the law on everyone or not.
Is there a choice to not apply the law?
When the law is applied on everyone, it’s a relief. However if it is executed on a person without another, the level of culture will decrease in the government. The solution is to apply the law on everyone in transparency and neutrality in an equal way.
How do you see representing the law of reducing the interests on loans, and the governmental solution regarding the fund of those unable to pay?
If the sheets of the Parliament allow representing this law again, there is no problem regarding that. If the government decides by majority, to refuse it there is no problem about that neither.
Do you think that there’s a majority?
I guess so, the government in majority decides this case, and therefore I consider it a curse on it, because our government loses everyday a supporting voice due to its bad decisions.
Don’t you think the government praises from the deputies who helped confronting the former interrogations?
The interrogations are not to judge people’s trust in the government. Kuwait doesn’t have parties or anything agreed on, that is why voting changes quickly, and especially that political sector is not ruled by fixed rules. The government should wake up and shake off the dust. It should walk into the path that people decide not holding on the parliamentary majority. Because after a while, the government goes back to its rules that it cares about, more than the governmental decision. These rules are the reason of their existence in the Parliament.
What do you mean by shaking off the dust; don’t you think that the government is working according to Kuwaitis will?
If you want to know that truth you can do a questionnaire. I’ve already been asked and answered that I am one of the sons of Kuwait. If people are not satisfied from the government’s performance, should I disagree? Our problem today is that we distinguish between the character and the performance, but we are talking about the government’s performance and solving problems of stateless people, education and health.
Are you unsatisfied from the government because you became outside its circle?
I was the Chief of Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources, and I thank God that in my position I fulfilled my ambition. I leave the street and the official authorities to evaluate this institute. I declare that if the government had a weak performance while I was still active in it, I would have left and apologized with respect.
Through your political work, your gathering with people and your Media institutes, don’t you have an ambition to occupy a political position?
It’s all in the hands of His Highness, the Emir, there is no one living without ambition, if you don’t have one, you will never be tired, never initiate or make an effort. Ambition is like a vain, once lost, you lose you purpose in life.
Do you think that through your political and public work you created enemies?
I don’t think I have enemies, if someone thinks he’s my enemy it’s up to him. I don’t see others as enemies and thank God. Who wants to serve his country I consider him a brother and I support him.
Why some people consider you their opponent?
Some people are asked about this but I don’t consider anyone as an opponent
What do you think is the best way to solve crisis in order to satisfy the Kuwaiti?
The papers should be organized. The first step is to have good faith, reorganizing the home, the family and the political work. We stepped into a stage of social dissociation that characterized Kuwait 350 years ago. That leads to more dissociation and a separation in the social texture, once broken it is impossible to recover it. This is our last chance, I still remember what the first deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said that the knife reached greatness. We need to rebuild the columns of Kuwait and we need more cooperation between families. The subject is based on transparency without any mediation which means tendentious or hypocrites to separate people and rebuilding the texture is related to the cohesion of families as before.
What do you advise the Kuwaiti citizen? Do you promise to solve the problem?
The betrayer accident that occurred to me in France showed me many things, among those that the care of His Highness is an example that the family still has goodness. The reaction of His Highness, his eminence the Prime Minister, the first deputy the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign affairs towards the attack showed me that the family still has elements capable of allowing a reunion to become strong once again. That way, people will see another government capable of working as long as the family is united. As a son, I wish they could reunite the family because its stability represents the stability of the State of Ku.
