Kuwaiti Yet Foreign

The Complex Reality of the Children of Kuwaiti Mothers

Abstract

This paper investigates the precarious status of children born to Kuwaiti mothers and foreign fathers, emphasizing the socio-legal challenges they face in a patrilineal society and the historical events that have shaped their marginalization. Despite being born and raised in Kuwait, these children are denied citizenship, which results in substantial legal and social disadvantages during adulthood. By examining the Gray Area campaign and its emergence as a grassroots movement, this study underscores how the struggle for the rights of these children has evolved from a women’s rights concern to a citizenship issue, intersecting with questions of women’s rights, children’s rights, and national identity within Kuwait.

This study situates this issue within Kuwait’s historical and political context, examining how the Bidun community, Palestinian diaspora, and Iraqi invasion influenced restrictive nationality laws and exclusive national identity. It also traces the shift in Kuwait’s women’s rights movement from focusing on mothers to advocating for their children. This study seeks to offer a comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping the conditions faced by these children while illuminating the unique hardships they endure, contributing to ongoing discussions on citizenship, exclusion, and social reform in Kuwait.