Virgin Marina Mall shutdown?
Q80Boy sent me an email telling me that last night at 9:30PM, Virgin in Marina Mall was shutdown because they were caught selling inappropriate movies. Can anyone confirm this? It’s confirmed!
update: I just got back from Marina Mall and Virgin is closed. There are red stickers all around the place and two A4 photocopies of the closing order which you can view [Here] and [Here]
Apr 27, 2007
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186 Comments, add your own...
1. Freeq8 | April 27th, 2007 at 11:24 am
he got that info. from the paper. its mentioned on the last page.
2. izgerty | April 27th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Yes, saw it too..
3. 214b | April 27th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Yeah, I saw it. It was later than 9:30. Saw the cops scouring the store. They put read tape seals ALL over the outside of the shop saying it was being closes by order of the Ministry of Information and would not be reopened until further notice. The order posted in the window showed that they were selling inappropriate materials. There were tons of cops and store management running around inside the shop. HUGE crowd watched outside.
4. Holla | April 27th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
oh hahahahahahahahah. about fucking time.
5. izgerty | April 27th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
true, about fucking time.
6. istiminkiliz | April 27th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
so anyone knows what kind of “inapropriate” material they were selling?
7. Nat | April 27th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Hmmm doesn’t anyone else think that this is majorly fucked up?!! Give it 2 years and we’ll be back to the stone age here!
8. mohammed | April 27th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
i just wonder how in 1 hand they say they wana reach dubais position while n the other theyre doin completly the opposite
9. istiminkiliz | April 27th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
listen guys…kuwait will never be dubai…i mean never…and yeah i think this is majorly fucked up.
10. Ms Loala | April 27th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
They sell inapropriate material, so what? they could have confiscated these materials and dropped the issue. As nat said, now we’re back to the stone age! =\
11. Ms Loala | April 27th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Oh i’ve just realized this, from where would i buy books?!
Idiots!
12. Holla | April 27th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
It is clear as fucking day that Kuwait is going BACKWARDS.
every step it takes forwards, it slides ten steps back, it’s been like this for a long time now so i don’t know why anyone is suprised. i guess bc most ppl are just too busy waiting for a new mall to open.
It’s is going the direction of KSA not UAE.
13. Dee | April 27th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
I had no idea bout this happening and am actually quite shocked. Im sure some close minded freak complained. This is so f**kd up.i cant beleive it!
Kuwait is seriously going down hill lately. what is up with that? Its driving me insane lately. Where ever you go, something messed up has to happen or someone has to say something totally messedup.
Kuwait really needs to wake up. I wish these people would be thrown into the real world and left to suffer. let them then complain and watch noone give a sh*t!
14. Mahoona | April 27th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Ms loala, they never had good books anyways, mothanna is still the best place to get books.
15. Marzouq | April 27th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
This is really sad! I was hoping that things will progress forward in Kuwait!! Don’t these guys have anything better to do! Like fix the programing on KTV1 and KTV2, revamp it, something! Even change the damn symbol!!!
16. Biohazard | April 27th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
By inappropriate do they mean pornography or unlicensed merchandise? ‘Cause there’s a big difference between the two.
17. mishref | April 27th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
WTF? You guys bitch about corruption all the time and when some of your fav. stores disobeys the lawand get what it deserves by selling fucked up rap/gothic/porn etc.. Kuwait is the one who is going backward!.
So sick of you people.
P.S: For the kuwaitis in here. You are kuwait!.
18. MetallicaMad | April 27th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
wat da!!! i was jus at virgin last nite sumtime around 8 30.. loool.. this is stupid
19. Q80 BOY | April 27th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
its so sad because they stopped selling pirated movies and now they closed virgin mega store. where do they want us to watch a movie??? cinescape you will say, but 3 quarters of the movie is censored. kuwait is gonna suffer wheen oil finishes because thats what we live on OIL. i think the goverment are relly mad.
thnx mark for posting my email
20. Nat | April 27th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Mishref corruption has nothing to do with fucking censorship. Lighten up.
21. Mark | April 27th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
mishref thank god you are a minority!
22. Jangizkhan | April 27th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
about time
23. Jangizkhan | April 27th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I was told by someone who works with alajmi that the closing order wasnt due to anything pertaining pornographic material it was rather due to violation of the rules and regulations of the MOI….I never liked virgin to begin with and its time for those who thought that they were immune to know that they must adhere to the laws in Kuwait….up urs branson
24. mohammed | April 27th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
they didnt consider that them closin such a place as virgin would give a bad impression to worldwide store bout opening a shop in kuwait bet theyll think twice before given there name to a local dealer!!!
25. Kuuuuwait | April 27th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
“we’ll be back to the stone age here!”
“It is clear as fucking day that Kuwait is going BACKWARDS.”
OMG This has Nothing to do with stone age, whats up with you guys?? im laughing my ass off here. You go backwards when you dont have education or technology.. not when you dont get to drink beer, go clubs or watch porn, jeez guys this is kuwait, like it or not.
26. greentoad | April 27th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Dum shits. Typical idiot in Parliament most probably wants to make a name for himself and reinstall his bullshit, dated Saudi beliefs.
Anyone who is happy with this bullshit decision needs to be flogged. I’m sick of Kuwait being a backward shit hole.
Anyone got a number for the Ministry? I need to do some serious bitching.
27. Cali87 | April 27th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Timing seems suspicious, right before the weekend. This gives the owners very little chance to take any immediate counter action (lawyers can’t go to court, owners can’t visit the ministry etc) for at least 2 days over the weekend. Also, the weekend is when the place gets a lot of customers. The least amount of damage to the business would be to do this at the beginning of the week. I don’t have a good feeling about it.
28. laziale | April 27th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Virgin is overpriced store to be honest . But this is only the start !!
Some members of the parliament is going after the showtime/orbit etc !! they want the MOI to check out EVERY program before the ppl watch it ! its called THAWABET SHAR3IA…they stared with universities…and they are after the MOI
29. Mark | April 27th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
if we want to talk conspiracy theories i have a good one. what important thing does marina mall have that avenues doesn’t? Virgin. Maybe Avenues is behind this. If Virgin is closed down that would make the stores in avenues and marina similar so people might prefer to go to avenues since its newer and has more parking etc.. just a theory
30. mishref | April 27th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Just a reminder for Mark and Nat, Christian Lebanese are the minority in Kuwait not me. Our Values may not agree with your.
Anyhow,
Corruption is what you are asking for. You are asking for people to oversee how virgin ignored the rules and not to close the shop. Just because you like it.
I don’t know why are you so upset while 99% of you torrent the stuff already.
I agree with “Kuuuuwait” totally.
31. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
As F**Ked up this is, we all know there is not such thing a s alaw in Q8. For example: read the papers, one day your able to do something, the next oops thats a no no! International stores are unable to work due the daily changes of the LAW…
WARNING TO: Mark and other bloggers, just be careful how much people write that relate to politics, you do know they can screw up your access or even shut you down. (thats how backwards this country is going!)
PS. Im half kuwait and no longer proud to be say it!!!
32. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Excuse my spelling, im crap at ranting and typing… although on another note - where am I gonna buy decent design and art books???
33. mishref | April 27th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Mish Mash: Jareer bookshop in Hawalli is a quite descent alternative.
34. busynow | April 27th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
mishref u r stupid and you dont know what u r talking about
35. Stafa | April 27th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
cant wait to leave this place =D
36. evolution | April 27th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
This is screwd up, where am I going to buy stuff from now?
37. mishref | April 27th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
busynow: So constructive argument. I am amazed how an ass wipe as yourself could came with it!.
38. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Mishref: Thanks i will have a look….
Busynow: I have to agree with Mishref, not take sides but, calling some stupid istn really constructive to the debate of whats happening….
39. TanGo | April 27th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
The order for closure reads [selling forbidden and unlicensed art posters]. There is nothing about inappropriate movies or porn!
I guess they’ll be open for business in a couple of days.
Ms. Loala please don’t fret; there are other good bookshops in Kuwait and there is always amazon!
40. mishref | April 27th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Tango: It is “Mo9anfat” = Items not “mol9gat” = posters :)
41. busynow | April 27th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
I said that because we are saying virgin was closed not because they are selling porn but they selling movies and books but the stupid at moi closed it because they are afraid of some mp .
I have the right to buy book and movies and no one have the right to control what i watch
they should use rating system but they treat everybody as a kid.
At the same time you can buy pirated dvd at any video store in salmiya and hawwaly without a problem but if a store try to sell original media they close his store
42. Mark | April 27th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
mishref I wasn’t talking about nationality I was referring to your way of thinking, in the 25 plus years I have lived here I have yet to encounter a Kuwaiti with your mentality thankfully. the majority want reform!
43. busynow | April 27th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Mish Mash
anyone support censorship is stupid we are in 2007
and he said
Our Values may not agree with your.
he talk about values , kuwaitis values are different between kuwaitis families so he want to make his values the only accepted values in Kuwait.
Kuwait values were different in 70s and 80s
the value he is talking about came outside of Kuwait
44. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
anyway, i do have to say, i dont agree with not being able to provide people with the freedom of choice. If we all stop rubbing each others ethics, religions, politics etc etc into each others faces then we would all be OK.
For example: Dont want to see a fashion magazine with half naked women in it, then dont look in it or make it available to people under the age of 16 etc etc.
Dont want to eat pork, then no one is forcing you!
Dont want to be around alchol or drink, then dont go to a bar!
etc etc….
With all our powers combined - he is CAPTAIN PLANET!!!!!!!
45. Biohazard | April 27th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
So should I jump on the bandwagon and start dissing Kuwait? God you guys are fucking sheep. One guy disses Kuwait and you’re all like “Jeah, mofo, kuwait is the suxx!”.
Anyway, a person above stated that it wasn’t closed due to pornography but because of violation of rules. They will open the store again, it is just closed ’til they change whatever’s violating the rules.
Suddenly Kuwait’s backward for actually enforcing the rules for once? And calling a country backward for closing one silly popular shop is kind of ignorant, don’t you think?
Stop pretending Virgin is the only source for books and movies, you have plenty of shops for that but you don’t want to admit it because you enjoy bashing countries for stupid reasons.
46. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Biohazard,
I have to agree with the statement of Kuwait going backwards!!!!!
Im half kuwaiti (mother) and last year i was able to obtain my own residency but now the rules have changed and i no longer can renew my residency!!!!! what the F**k is that then?
Just because my mother is kuwaiti - what makes me any less kuwaiti than someone who is a half breed but their father is kuwaiti?????
THAT IS BE NO MEANS GOIGN BACKWARDS IS IT?!!!!
47. boody | April 27th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
mish mash: dude, calm down. you’re going waaay off topic.
48. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
true true… thanks boody! Apologies all!!
49. vampire | April 27th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
that much replies to such ordinary incident!! it’s normal,, everyday shops are closed for the same reason (-_-) “
50. Biohazard | April 27th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
BUT KUWAIT’S GOING BACKWARD VAMPIRE!!
GGGHAAA ANARCHY!
WE JUSSA STUBED DUBAI WANNABE
51. zaid | April 27th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
as much as we want to change into a cozmopolitan world, you cant miss the fact that we are in a muslim run country by muslim law. If its pornography that was the cause then id have to dissagree and say that the actions of the superior powers here are invalid. Before we start to accuse anyone, we need to find out the problem. If their violations deal with “kissing” scenes in movies then id have to say that proposturous(sp) but if its something more serious then im still puzzled. As much as we want to move forward, our society prevents us from doing so. What i am mad about though are the actions they are taking to ban certain genre’s of music. That is moving backwards. If the people continue to do this then the phrase right after the iraqi invasion, “free kuwait” would not come into affect. Freedom of speech would cease to exist.
Back to my point, i find it horrible to go to such measures as closing down a store in the middle of its rush hours, posting up signs and proclaiming to the public on violations of rules. That in turn gives virgin megastore a false imagine and hence, ruins their profits. What would have been more decisive actions was to send a small team at closing hours to inspect the store and whatever they find, they ban virgin from importing. problem solved. virgin doesnt get hurt, the people dont get hurt. This is a predator prey relation and not a mutual one.
52. Day by Day in Q8 | April 27th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Inappropriate stuff…my foot!
Maybe someone didn’t like the idea of the store being called Virgin anymore. I suspect they still think you lose your virginity the minute you step inside of Virgin. On inappropriate material, I quite agree to that … after all they used to run DVD titles of ‘Kill Bill’, now what can be more inappropriate than that?
Richard Branson doesn’t need a presence in Kuwait it is Kuwait that needs him and his store to be here for it’s own good.
53. zaid | April 27th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
are valid* “making out* “have to say thats propos..” “false image” “decisive action”
54. Nonawz | April 27th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
vampire, .. YEAH!!!!1 .. its gonna re-open..
mish mash, dude chill out .. its sucks .. but wat are you going to do? ..
biohazard, -.-
55. Sam | April 27th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
And poof goes Virgin. Do y’all in Kuwait have Al-Jarir?
56. Mish Mash | April 27th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Nonawz: Im totally chilled! What do yhou mean what am i going to do? with the residency? I still have 4 months left, im sure somethign will change again…. :P
57. Zorbon | April 27th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Wow :) I never imagined this threa will expand so much :)
I think they imported some DVD’s/CD’s without the titles passing through MOI…
Our department bought Company Branded Gifts from the mother company in the states, and they have been stuck for a while because they want a certificate of origin :)
I guess they are afraid they might be manufactured in Israel or something :)
58. Biohazard | April 27th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Is anyone remotely amused over the fact that people are associating Virgin megastore with the evolution of Kuwait?
59. EniGma | April 27th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
“Kuuuuwait” :-
Virgin has nothing to do with drinking, clubbing, and watching porn. In case you don’t know, it’s one of the very few decent bookstores in Kuwait. If that has nothing to do with education, then what would? Virgin also sells electronics and other kind of thing related to technology.
60. A E R O | April 27th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
I suggest you guys send this fact to the BBC and other news networks… im sure they will love this story and get more details. After 2 years in the country, I seriously don’t see any foreseeable positive progressiveness happening in this country if things continue the way they are. Im sad for Kuwaiti’s. So much money, such poor prospects.
61. Financy | April 27th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
i think anyone who is not kuwaiti doesnt have the right to say this is fucked up or whatever ..
we have laws and this is a muslim country .. there is no freedom of speech here .. if u want that leave the country.
62. Mark | April 27th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Financy non kuwaitis live here just like you do and we do have a right to complain and THERE IS freedom of speech. If you don’t like it you could leave if you want.
63. KtheKuwaiti | April 28th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Mishref:
You are looking at this the wrong way .. the government is enforcing ridiculous laws. Therefore the issue is with the laws and not the following of them. People don’t want corruption they want freedom.
64. Marzouq | April 28th, 2007 at 12:28 am
mishref:
I’m assuming you haven’t looked at the laws that the MOI follows. I deal with them a lot and I have to say that dissolving the MOI would be more progressive for businesses and the country then having it.
Secondly keeping to our traditions and ways is based on the family not the reading material. If the parents teach their kids right then they will come out right. You can find any material you want online and its readily available to the whole population even with the censorship that the ISPs do.
So what the MOI is doing is nothing short of rediculous and they are impeding businesses and progress in Kuwait. This makes it so that business investors do not want to invest in Kuwait, but they would rather invest outside Kuwait which is the case. It is a domino affect, so what the MOI is doing is impeding the progress of Kuwait and making businesses lose money. Simple as that.
65. sws | April 28th, 2007 at 12:35 am
There is absolutely no reason for that kind of action from the ministry. I wonder if they gave warnings before? Are the virgin owners going to sue? What happens to ‘Virgin’s’ employees? I think the government should atleast compensate Al Shaya for any fianancial losses.
66. Adam | April 28th, 2007 at 12:38 am
after 50 i just ignored the rest…cuz its all bullshit
mish mash: if your no longer proud to be a kuwaiti, then please give up ur residency, or passport whatever it is. Your not even allowed to hold 2, if anything you should deem yourself lucky, kuwait is the hardest country in the world to get a citizenship.
mishref: your point is only half correct. You see we all want whats best for kuwait, open mindness is good and closed mindness is good within reason and respect to the area that it should be attached to.
By them closing virgin they try to make a point that no ones safe, and yet they are inevitably a backwards running country, we have hypocrites running for government hiding theyre true self behind their beards and swimming half naked with girls in hawaii in the summer.
Virgin was closed because they tried to bypass customs and bring in uncertified media, like movies that has not been approved, not neccesarly pornos. This in itself is a breach of terms and violations, and they should be punished but stamping it with red stickers and flogging the owners in no way is a achievement but a pure embaressment. We are allowing ppl like 6b6ab2 and other hypocrites try to rule us in their so called heavon while they themselves are going off to their own little heavon refuge elsewhere.
islam says that a sign of the end of the world is that our leaders will be the worst of us, i.e tabatabae etc…
im sickened by the backwardness of kuwait, and i say backwardness because they dono what they want to achieve as a company theyre working all forces and labor trying to move forwards to nothing, no goals nothing. If your talking of a dictatorship rule of the country thats what were working forwards towards, trying to bankrupt kuwait airways so that it can go privt and ur son can own it…whats that? owning half of the land giving monopoly to one person, this is corruptness, like were not getting oil revenues as it is, why is their theft of all other opporunities as well.
why cant we run like a normal country, i hate dubai, kuwait is a its own gem its own 3aroosat il 5aleej, bes even then shes becoming ugly. We is it that were trying to be a kingdom so the distor changes and its passed down the family instead…has anyone thought what is kuwait really about…? what has it really become, and where will it really be at the end of the day?
I miss baba jaber, he took a personal interest in kuwait. One from his heart, he once said: i dont need a palace and luxuries i dont needs cars and fame, all i need is a small tent in my country and the power to make it better. thats interest from heart, not corruption to its extent, he drove a crappy shaffar before the fucking palestenians tried to shoot him they hypocrite bastard ppl of palestine, and also has anyone seen the inside of dasman…its old couchs peeling wallpaper, and all…
his salary was a minimum i think 80k just to feed himself his family and little expenses…funny how after he was preceeded it jumped to 80 mil a year?
think about it..
67. Zabo0o6a | April 28th, 2007 at 12:42 am
didn’t u notice at the first place that dvds section shrunked while the bo0k section expanded , cuz some customers complained about buying dvd’s were actually band in kuwait so MOI gave them a warn for that but i think that was there final that’s why they closed it.
68. KrispyDixie | April 28th, 2007 at 12:46 am
am I the only one who thinks shutting down the store like that might have been a good thing,…?
sorta gives Virgin a bad-ass, we-were-breaking-the-law type image……
it’ll be open again in a few days and since the issue here is CLEARLY not about censorship, save your bitching for another topic :P
69. Adam | April 28th, 2007 at 12:47 am
like mark said, theyres a conspiracy theory in it somewhere im willing to bet..
70. Adam | April 28th, 2007 at 12:52 am
61. Financy | April 27th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
i think anyone who is not kuwaiti doesnt have the right to say this is fucked up or whatever ..
we have laws and this is a muslim country .. there is no freedom of speech here .. if u want that leave the country.
DUUUUDE grow the fuck up… ur as fucking stupid as it gets, kuwait relys on foreigners ur get the fuck out attitude helps no one, its ppl like u that put kuwait in a dilemma as it is…
do u know that the populatin in kuwait is 3.7 mil, 950,000 of those are kuwaitis. Im kuwaiti, but ur just plain ignorant and ur debating skills are way too premature, stay away from politics, we need less of u
71. Wake Up Muslims | April 28th, 2007 at 1:00 am
To all of yaa people you really like Dubai shame on you.. Look at the poor people in UAE do you think they loving it? of course no… Their country is poisoned with alcohol and prostitution.. Is this is the Kuwait your looking forward to.. Ha tell me? Don’t you think of Allah? Haven’t you learned a lesson from the Iraqi invasion? Just wanna say Wake Up Muslims value your religion and think of Allah before every step your making and every word your saying. I’m really sorry to hear this kind of thought coming out from Muslims. Just listen to what Omar Ebn Alkahtab said
” نحن قوم أعزنا الله بالإسلام فإن ابتغينا العزة بغيره أذلنا الله”
72. greentoad | April 28th, 2007 at 1:11 am
I’m Kuwaiti….and Kuwait is shit.
Any comments?
73. Mathew | April 28th, 2007 at 1:29 am
@ Financy
it doesnt make sense to state that ‘if you’re not kuwaiti then you dont have a voice’
I’m an expatriate, born and raised in kuwait and i consider kuwait a home away from home. I too would like to see progress in kuwait(without disturbing the social and religious fabric) but sometimes these narrow minded people in the ministries take things too far. So what if im not kuwaiti, I have a job here, I contribute to the economy, I pay my rent and utilities on time. I have rights based on the fact that im a human being.
sorry for the out of topic rant, oh yeah virgin sucks, I buy my stuff from Muthanna :)
74. Adam | April 28th, 2007 at 2:10 am
yea, go play with yourself
75. lebinbah | April 28th, 2007 at 2:17 am
No matter what happens you people wont change … it is the same debate over and over again .. everytime something like this happens i read the same bitching the same views the same opinions…. If Kuwait wanted to change it would have changed already, the way i see it Kuwait is still 10 years too young for change .. not until the current generation takes power will things really start changing around the country !!
76. bo9agr | April 28th, 2007 at 2:44 am
can’t wait to see that red-sticker on the parliment.. “Closed Forever” !!!
77. EniGma | April 28th, 2007 at 4:47 am
HAHAHAHA - mark’s reply to financy
Go mark!
78. Mek | April 28th, 2007 at 5:34 am
That sucks. They had a good book collection there and I know someone who works there. Fucking retarded bullshit. I hope they don’t take off any of the books there for “violating” any rules.
“You go backwards when you dont have education or technology.. not when you dont get to drink beer, go clubs or watch porn.”
Dude you go backward when you give up on the idea that people are responsible for themselves and are free to choose what ever the hell they want to read or watch. Also, there was never any beer, clubbing (hehheh) or porno in Virgin.
79. Holla | April 28th, 2007 at 8:03 am
bo9agr i WISH that would happen. the fact that kuwait has this fake, highly corrupted ‘democracy’ when it’s clearly not and never will be ready for it, is a huge part of why it is going backwards.
all parliment does is bitch about introducing more strict shari3a laws and dropping debts. it’s a fucking joke and big disgrace.
80. kkk | April 28th, 2007 at 8:08 am
They found some DVD’s where Dora the explorer showing some legs
81. fwz | April 28th, 2007 at 8:24 am
there is a good point and bad point about it
G.P : the virgin or what ever they have to respect
the law
B.P : the items they want to blocked from kuwait they were every where & this is my point
82. مساعد | April 28th, 2007 at 9:01 am
mishref ..
Totally agree with you.
83. Lucky_Boy | April 28th, 2007 at 9:14 am
It’s going to re-open sooner or later…
This is the guy who complained
http://photos.imageevent.com/debdoob/kuwait/nabeehata7aluf/AlMislim.jpg
84. Hellraiser | April 28th, 2007 at 9:14 am
I have no clue what they caught that was so illegal in there. However the notion to shut down a shop such as Virgin does not entice investors to come to Kuwait. islam is not about beeing led and told what to do, you are all mature individuals to decide what you want to see or not and its got nothin gto do with beeing Kuwaiti or not, your replies to this blog shows a big deficit in lack of common sense. You want MOI to run your life, you gotta be kidding me, shut down the internet, and orbit and movie channel and why dont we go to extremes and check your laptop for content for everyfile when you travel in out of Kuwait. You want to apply the Shari’a you start by doing it in your omes, you dont need MOI to do so as belief comes form the inside not form the government but then maybe I am wrong…
85. vampire | April 28th, 2007 at 9:19 am
i think this post will make a new reply record over the “shark of kuwait” post
(^_^) “
86. Mark | April 28th, 2007 at 9:22 am
106 comments
http://www.248am.com/mark/interesting/the-shark-of-kuwait-rocks/
87. greentoad | April 28th, 2007 at 9:24 am
KUWAIT: The Virgin Megastore at Marina Mall was shut down late Thursday by inspectors from the Ministry of Information. Fistfights also broke out between teenagers gathered around the store to witness its closure. Officials charged that “it is not only the small stores that do not respect the ministry’s rules and regulations, but even big, renowned stores are resorting to breaking and openly flouting the laws”. The inspectors pasted red stickers of the ministry stating that it cannot be reopened unless approved by the Ministry of Information on all entrances and exits of the store.
Along with the stickers, a copy of the resolution detailing the reasons for closing down the store was also pasted on one of the showroom’s windows. People surrounded the place from 9:30 pm till about 11:00 pm, until after the inspectors left. Curious onlookers were heard asking the inspectors the reasons for the closure of the store and for how long would it be closed. Unsavoury rumours were also beginning to circulate over why the store was shuttered.
Hussein, one of the inspectors, explained that the reason for the closure was due to the store breaching the regulations of the Ministry of Information and not cooperating with them. “They keep selling banned items like magazines and CDs here,” he said. He added that they were given several warnings and reminders in the past, but they went unheeded. “We are here to enforce the law, as it must be applied on all,” he told the Kuwait Times.
The period of the closure is still not known yet. “We are not sure till when the store would be closed. They will definitely have to pay fines and all illegal items they were selling will be confiscated. They have to communicate with us, even though they are an internationally renowned store. Everybody must respect the rules,” Hussein asserted.
On why did they chose Thursday night for the closure, although it is a government holiday, and whether they did it on purpose to attract the attention of the large number of people who were present, the inspector smiled broadly but was noncommittal.
88. Hellraiser | April 28th, 2007 at 9:30 am
“the store breaching the regulations of the Ministry of Information and not cooperating with them.” Is there any written law about those regulations, I never saw anything immoral about what was sold in Virgin, come on people what you can buy in Virgin you can Buy on Amazon, or you wanna tell me that magazines such as Easy Rider is offending people, then keep your noses out of it.
89. conz | April 28th, 2007 at 9:50 am
i just visited virgin dubai, virgin abu dhabi, virgin cairo, then i came back to kuwait with a decision that i will not visit virigin kuwait because they have nothing. and now it’s closed because [selling inappropriate movies]!!!!!!
i can’t believe this .. seriously i can’t!!!
90. S | April 28th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I see that there is NO NEWS yet about this on the Virgin Mega News site at http://www.vmeganews.com/vip/vmeganews_news.asp
91. SWOS | April 28th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Long Live Dubai
92. Freshly Deflowered | April 28th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Frankly,the closure isn’t all that it is cranked up to be. Knowing Kuwait I should think they forgot about the Virgin music kiosk at KWI International, which must still remain open.
Anyway, one can always visit their fav’ Virgin Music Store in Beirut or Dubai, now that Jaz Airways has made traveling to the Lebanon and Dubai as simple funky and cheap as an open-top hop-on hop-off bus ride out of here. This hilarious episode does raise a few alarm bells in our mind - what, if tomorrow, there were to be some kind of petty violations from Aldeasa Kuwait Duty free concession, would the authorities then clamp down on and force shut Kuwait Duty Free, or better still the airport itself? That will be a first in the history of global civil aviation. Some trend-setter Kuwait likes to be.
Until then, Ciao
The Freshly Deflowered
The Freshly Deflowered
93. cajie | April 28th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I never buy anything from Virgin because their prices are comparatively very high. Now with the fines to be paid to MOI, expect to see even higher prices.
I think the sensible thing for them would be to just shut down for good.
94. spooner | April 28th, 2007 at 11:52 am
lol wtf i always miss the best parts when im away… so there is no longer a virgin in kuwait ? or is this close just for the time being?
95. Cerebral Assassin | April 28th, 2007 at 11:55 am
heheheheheh…93 comments on one post :P
must be sum kinda record MArk!!!
96. mohammed | April 28th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
adam,,just to let u know i liked the part were u wrote bout baba jaber and stuff,,but u totally messed it up when talkin bout palestinians,,r u sure that they were all palestinians?? will my freind go back to history and read the name carefully there were kuwaity shea amongst them,,i have nuthing whatsoever against shea alot of my close freinds r among them and we have no diffrence whatsoever among each other,,but it pisset me off when u harrased palestinians,,60 years ago when there was no sort of education who else taught our parents but palestinians back n school days??what architects helped to raise this country but them??compare medicine in the old days and nowdays which are better??mate dont go and insult pepoles nationalties think first or twice before doin so,,and to let u know if israeil occupied our country we cant survive the way palestinians are surviving,,after iraq invaded us back in 1990 we barely could have taken care of ourselves while them they been fighting for years now,,sorry for changin the topic here but that pisset me off..and no am not half palestinians but i do support them and dont go and blame them in killing and stuff
97. cj_ | April 28th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
who owns virgin, alshaya?
98. Angelo | April 28th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
*reading the comments*
Oh my!! Well, I think they will reopen soon. It was just a censorship problem that’s all. Honestly, I am surprised why Kuwait censor the “official” DVD movies in the first place. I mean everyone can get a cheap uncensored DVDs these days and every house has Showtime and Orbit…so why are these silly restrictions exist in the first place…aghhh, conservatives and there issues.
99. Haitham McCarthy | April 28th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
How can we be sure this isn’t some kind of a publicity stunt by Virgin in cahoots with MoMI- the Ministry of Misinformation??
Besides, any publicity is good publicity for them. Expect a sharp rise in the sales of books, DVDs, not-to mention any ” art work”, post the re-opening of Virgin in Kuwait.
100. The Hot Male on g-mail(anything gay about it) | April 28th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Thanks MoMI. So what if we don’t have our own MoMA in Kuwait?! There’s still you we have to keep us infotained.
Thank you for nothing.
101. vampire | April 28th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
come on ppl,, few more…
102. conz | April 28th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Haitham McCarthy: i don’t think this is any kind of publicity by virgin. i know that they used to had lots of problems with the ministry before. you can’t find many books, movies, music, and they stopped the [dj compitition] that virgin used to organize.
103. spooner | April 28th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
god this is lame how people bitch so much. the parliament is on big fuck up
104. Cali87 | April 28th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Amazing thread, I can see it has definetly touched some nerves. One thing that needs to be clear, everyone in Kuwait has a vested interest in the country. Expats live and work here and would like to see a better environment where business can flourish and competition is fair. Opinions are important, and should not be brushed aside just because someone is not Kuwaiti. As a matter of fact, if someone has come from a different system- an effort should be made to learn and understand what other options are out there. On the secondary subject of censorship, I disagree with bringing religion into the mix. Saying that religion said this or that is neither here nor there. The reason being is that opinions on what religion says is a all over the map and subject to personal interpretation. Do you think the Islam practiced today with all the sects and even some beliefs is the same version of Islam that came 1,500 years ago? Don’t kid yourself. If the system that is around today with it’s censorship and lack of openess was the exact same system 1,500 years ago then it would have NEVER flourished and expanded to incorporate the people and lands it maintains till the present day.
The Islamic system in the past was VERY accepting and debates were welcomed, take for example the translations done of ancient Greek text into Arabic. Did they say the ancient Greeks were Kafirs worshiping idols and should be banned and censored? No, they translated their text and belief system and from those efforts the entire world is now aware of who the Greek gods are along with the works Socrates and Aristotle as these works were eventually translated from Arabic to Latin. There are many examples of openess, there was even a protestor who wanted to bring to attention the plight of attrocities commited by the crusades in Jerusalem by eating during the day inside a mosque during the month of Ramadan. When arrested he said “you arrest me for eating during Ramadan, yet you do nothing against those who are slaughtering your brothers.” He was not jailed, deported, stoned to death or anything remotely severe but was forgiven for his actions by the ruler at the time because of the his message. Think of what would have happened to such a person if he was to do the same thing today? Where are society’s priorities? So please, a handful of people’s interpretation of what is appropriate and what is not should not be imposed on the masses. This decision is the individual alone. Does every Kuwaiti who travels and studies abroad end up as an alcoholic, drug addicted womanizer? If not, then what makes one person do it and the other not? If you want to drink and live in Kuwait, you will find a way, if you want to watch porn, you will find a way. It is a waste of time and money to make the government responsible for what you see and hear, give that power to the individual. Give people more credit than that, censorship is used to cover weaknesses and not strengths.
If the individual acts irresponsibly and hurts others, then that is where the government and laws come in. If you are not hurting anyone, then you should be allowed the freedom of reading literature, watching entertaing media or what have you. Read what those who disagree with your opinion say about you, read what those who hate you say about you, it’s ok you will be smarter and much more “worldly” because of that. You will know how to stand your ground in debates/arguments and not become emotional. Knowledge is your power, seek it out you will be amazed at what you can in turn teach others.
105. Nonawz | April 28th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
ITS GONNA RE-OPEN, AUKH!
106. Nonawz | April 28th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
106comments. WOOOOOOTTTTT
PWN’t =D
107. A Scottish Werewolf in Q8 | April 28th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Conspiracy theories abound in the air. There’s one, which is borderline preposterous, to be honest suggesting Virgin were trying to push a Jazz festival - an ajnabi cultural import read “khatra”into Kuwait very hard which scared the pants off those we do not speak of :) But again, this is only hearsay - overheard someone in Souk Mubarakiya tell that to a backpacker there.
vampire: how are we doing so far? What do the odds say, of beating “the Shark of Kuwait ” post?
108. spooner | April 28th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
what is up with u guys and essay long posts cant u just sum it up in a sentence or two ? and for sum of the post i see tht the copy/paste technique came in very handy
109. Cali87 | April 28th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
sorry spooner I apologize, my post was not meant for you. Please skip it. It was meant for others who are more interested in the content rather than the superficies of my post.
110. Asooma | April 28th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
you always complain about virgin NOW u love it and act like its the only source to buy a book or movie !
team mishref
111. ignore | April 28th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Im kuwaiti and i dont care about vrigne ..let see the books are not valued and Available in most ordinary libraries , the music in every were على أقفا من يشيل ,finally movies I cant say only one word “الله يعافى النت والرحاب ” so , i Dont thank you ppl care about open-close minded as much of this 3 point :P
112. vampire | April 28th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
CONGRATULATIONS
(^_________^) “
113. Q80 BOY | April 28th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
111 comments mark, congratulations !!!
is it a new record for the site ???
________________________________________________
114. Emirates 10 Kuwait -10 | April 28th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Virgin is only an example of how the international business community is going to look at Kuwait before transacting any business here. Heaven forbid if tomorrow, there is some problem with Microsoft in this country their ICT learning centre should not be the one to face the axe or it will indeed, cut a very sorry face for this city state.
115. Financy | April 28th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
guys ..
you come to my country .. live here then complain and say bad things about Kuwait , we’re not going to change the country coz of the foreigners living here , and whoever said foreigners are more than kuwaitis .. so what ?
you want freedom ? democracy ? we have .. laws that say these things are banned.
just don’t interfere with internal affairs
116. Mark | April 28th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Financy when you go to a restaurant and you order a hamburger but when you get your main course its a pizza. What do you do? You complain… even though its not your restaurant.
We live in Kuwait, we work here and we are part of society, when something is wrong what do we do? We complain. What you expect us to live and work here and if we see something wrong keep our traps shut? Those are the type of people you dont want in Kuwait because those are the type of people who come to kuwait, work a year or two and then leave. We complainers on the other hand complain because we care about Kuwait and count this as our home.
117. Kuuuuwait | April 28th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
with mishref.
“just don’t interfere with internal affairs”
i think anyone who is not kuwaiti doesnt have the right to say this is fucked up or whatever ..
“we have laws and this is a muslim country .. there is no freedom of speech here .. if u want that leave the country”
Thanks!! This is kuwait, and i like it the way it is.. and if dont you like it simply leave. This issue is so stupid i dont know why ya’ll are making a big deal out of it. Stop complaining
118. SWOS | April 28th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Everyone has a right to say anything that is on their mind no matter how Fuc–d up it sounds.nationality isn’t important.
119. KtheKuwaiti | April 29th, 2007 at 12:02 am
Financy .. Go read the Dustoor before you talk about freedom and democracy in Kuwait.
120. master | April 29th, 2007 at 12:33 am
virgin huh….anyway it sux…i don’t buy anything from there…thanx god what i need i can buy it from internet..
3asaaah ye7treg virgin mo mohem
121. Kuuuuwait | April 29th, 2007 at 1:03 am
I totally agree with Biohazard. Seriously this is pathetic.
122. spooner | April 29th, 2007 at 1:03 am
cali87 i didnt mean it as an insult directed towards you i just meant tht sum ppl need to chill writing 10 paragraphs wont change anything. u actually had facts in ur posts other ppl were just writing paragraphs of insults when all they actually said was “this is kuwait if u dont like it fuck off” even tho they did write an essay tht didnt change shit
123. busynow | April 29th, 2007 at 1:40 am
according to abdulatif aldeaej writer from alqabas newspaper the reason of the shutdown is just one
book (Chicago for alaa alaswany)
http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Final/NewspaperWebsite/NewspaperPublic/ArticlePage.aspx?ArticleID=269805
124. بوعزوز | April 29th, 2007 at 3:38 am
هذي الساعه المباركه
126. Financy | April 29th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Mark , I know your point .. but what im trying to say is , in the law of kuwait it is illegal to sell media material that contains nudity ,
I know you might say but its being sold in rihab in pirated copies , but for it to be sold in the most important mall in kuwait , and in original copy that is not acceptable . even if the law isnt 100% implemented that doesnt make it right .
K .. i know the destoor man .. tell me one article bil destoor that allows to sell media material that contains these things
127. Mark | April 29th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Financy I totally agree with you, I don’t think Virgin should sell stuff with nudity. But I don’t have a problem with DVDs that have kissing scenes uncensored.
128. cali87 | April 29th, 2007 at 9:33 am
The Chicago novel, referenced as the reason why Virgin was closed, contains nudity? Assuming that the AlQabas article is accurate (see post 123). Does this sound like a reasonable excuse to close an entire store? Seriously now…
129. Response before Reaction | April 29th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Now what sort of a message is this sending to foreign business incubating in Kuwait such as, Carrefour? And why are all the Saturday editions of local English dailies hush hush on this whole “Virgin episode”? Do let’s hope this Virgin episode remains truly that - ‘a Virgin episode,’ never to be visited again in the sad annals of history of book/music stores and for artistic expression in this country.
Bye the bye, I find it absolutely hilarious that Carrefour have taken as long as they have to finally open shop in Kuwait. Even Kuwaiti women were able to beat them to it - getting their right to vote sooner.
Sorry to rant off topic!
130. KtheKuwaiti | April 29th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Financy::
You said we have laws and this is a muslim country .. there is no freedom of speech here .. if u want that leave the country.
I say bs .. read the dustoor:
Article 37
Freedom of the press, printing and publishing shall be guaranteed in accordance with the conditions and manner specified by law.
131. Financy | April 29th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
K ..
Article 2
The religion of the State is Islam, and the Islamic Sharia shall be a main source of legislation.
Article 35
Freedom of belief is absolute. The State projects the freedom of Practicing religion in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or morals.
132. Lucky_Boy | April 29th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Financy
Article 2 says “A main source of legislation”
There is a HUGE difference between “A main” and “The main”.
Article 35 has nothing to do with what we are talking about, it organizes religion participation.
Learn2understand the Dustoor imo…
133. Q8Roots | April 29th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
If you want to implement full Sharia Law you get, stoning to death for married adulterers, cutting the hands for thieves, death for apostasy, etc most of which is not done in Kuwait. This is why the constitution says the Sharia Law is a source of the law implemented but it is not the law. Anytime you bring religion into the mix there will be multiple opinions. Sunnis say Sharia is based on Ijma and Qiyas while the Shiites reject Qiyas but accept Mantiq and the practices of the 12 imams. As for the culture in Kuwait, it is not stagnant. Did you know that many Kuwaiti women wore miniskirts in the 60s and 70s? Look at the old plays or old photographs. There were women teams for volleyball and other sports in Kuwaiti clubs such as Kathma and Qadsia, before they were banned from doing so by the growing conservative circles. The “abaya” was even trampled on by a lady who made the papers back in the 70s declaring that its time is at an end. In the 80s the culture changed to a more conservative one. So you can’t use the argument of Kuwait was always this way as a basis to justify things.
134. Adam | April 29th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
#96 Mohammed
I understand your concern, yet how well do you know your history? Are you old enough to have lived through the 1990 invasion, were you in kuwait? I was… i saw what the iraqis did, i lived through it, and then had to go through iraq to leave.
Plz have a longer memmory that 5 years… Palestine has always been that annoying wart, the itch that wont go away. Tell me, do you know that kuwait had a big part in setting up a government in plaestine, the fact that the president used to work in our ministry (i think of planning) , now tell me do you know that during the 1990 invasion almost all palestinans trurned against kuwait and joined in toruting innocent kuwaitis? Or a couple of years ago when they had a huge burn fest of the kuwaiti flag? How can you forget this, if you knew about it in the first place, i dont care if you think they set up or education system, cuz quite frankly….they didnt…
and how Dare you say point fingers on another denomination the shiite and say that theyre the cause and the issue, stop being ignorant and one sided, learn both sides to an argument before you debate. You know nothing of history, and nothing of politics and geograpgy it seems, i dont want to attack you, but your point is non-valid, ignorant, one-sided, pretentious, propostorous and stupid..
come back when u have something in proof, something that will contradict what i say, or will defend the bastard palestenians..
135. Adam | April 29th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Guys can u plz point me in the right direction….where can i find the distoor ? im not in kuwait and i want the english version plzzzz
136. cali87 | April 29th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Here you go Adam:
http://www.kuwait-info.com/sidepages/cont.asp
137. guessed | April 29th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
@Mohammed #133: Tell us how you really feel mate don’t hold back!
“i dont want to attack you, but your point is non-valid, ignorant, one-sided, pretentious, propostorous and stupid..”
I’d love to see what you’d say if you WERE attacking him.
Lively debate…I love it but I’m staying out of this one!
138. guessed | April 29th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Sorry that last was at Adam not Mohammed. Silly me.
140. Monther | April 29th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
mmmmm i only noticed last night that VMS was closed! but i guess they deserve it. its not about what kind of materials they were selling but rules are rules! we have to follow our country rules or just shut up our mouths and never ask about justice or complaining about the curroption!! sorry for who doesn’t like what happened but every 1 should obey for our country’s rules!
ciao
141. Adam | April 29th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
his point is non valid…not him;
his point was pretentious, not him;
his point was ignorant, not him;
and so on…
im not trying to attack or ‘diss’ the guy, im trying to back up my own point and my own comment by belittling his using facts for mine, when he can do the same for me, only then can we call it an argument…
i have nothing against the guy, except he doesnt seem to know much about what hes debating about…but that doesnt mean the person conducts his life in the same manner which aggrevates me etc…its the point he tried to make in vain
142. Zack | April 29th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Adam: I think you need to cool it down, mate. If you can’t have a meaningful (and peaceful) dialogue, then I can tell you most of the readers here aren’t interested in hearing what you’ve got to say
143. LittleMermaid | April 29th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
So I suppose now this is throwing a spanner in the works for Virgin Atlantic’s future operational plans of connecting Kuwait with North America via its London hub??
Do you think they will ban/censor the Arabic daily that carried this piece on Virgin, blaming them for spreading the word about the offensive book in the first place ? Thanks to all the brouhaha generated, we all now know the name of the book and that it even existed. Brilliant advertising strategy, I must say.
144. guessed | April 29th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Adam, I didn’t mind what you said anyway …you argued passionately without swearing or inane threats of violence. I just thought the “I don’t want to attack you but…” was funny. But i understand your point in your following post. I think perhaps Zack is being too harsh on this occasion …
145. virgin may relocate to KSA | April 29th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Everybody and their brother is now going to want to get a copy of Chicago from overseas, if it weren’t for all the hype surrounding the store closure! What just happened here truly, is a tragi-comic incident one that will continue to haunt people’s memories for a long time whilst thoroughly shaking business confidence in this country.
I just feel sad for all of their efficient staff working at Virgin. What’s to become of them now?
148. DoWn2ErTh | April 30th, 2007 at 8:41 am
I really can’t see what the big deal is.. and why ppl are attacking the ministry for shutting down Virgin, and how this will affect other BIG name companies to open up in Kuwait. The action taken by the ministry is justified by law. By attacking a bigger and more well rooted store like Virgin will wake the smaller and more violating stores open their eyes up and let em know that nobody is safe. They are trying to ban books/movies/magazines that don’t abide by the ministry’s laws in as many stores as possible. Even Rihab and similar places have been under various attacks by the ministry. But the fact is that you cannot abolish this phenomena. and for god’s sake almost everyone who knows how to click a mouse has some sort of pirated or sexual or even BANNED media in his/her computer.
And for those upset about the Virgin closure.. the store was given multiple warnings which apprently they thought was bullshit, until they got red taped. If you ask me, serves them right. How can alot of ppl here attack the ministry’s decision by saying this is an action of closed minded ppl and ignorance. This was a stupid move by Virgin who thought they could go against the word of the government, no matter how wrong or right the word is. bottom line, Laatboog, laatkhaaf.
149. cali87 | April 30th, 2007 at 10:25 am
I hear you DoWn2ErTh, the problem is the transparency behind the closure. If we are to go with the reason being 1 novel called Chicago as many have pointed out and the AlQabas paper has indicated, then as a citizen or businessman you have the right to know what in that book upset the MOI. Unlike Rihab, Virgin does not violate intellectual property so we go by “banned” content. Assuming this is about the play Chicago, I am not even sure what in it that book violates any rules of decency? This seems very subjective. If the law says no nudity, is a miniskirt considered nude? If so maybe they should ban some of the old Kuwaiti black and white plays were female actresses also wore mini-skirts as well or even old Egyptian films. The definition of nudity (if again that is even the reason) is very subjective! For some people a woman’s wrist showing is a form of nudity, with that type of interpretation I would say as a businessman it would not make any sense to me to open any media stores in Kuwait. Maybe you know the specifics of the law better than I do, or where I can go to get the language of the law. If you can supply that it would help clarify the confusion.
As things stand now, people are confused, shocked, uncertain and maybe even frightened by what the ministry did.
150. DoWn2ErTh | April 30th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Yes Cali you are right, we do have a right to know what was in that book that got the MOI’s attention. Virgin did not violate intellectual property but they did violate numerous warnings. They showed no concern which can be portrayed as disrespect at the same time.
And also the book doesn’t have to violate any rules of decency to be on the ministry’s shitlist. It could be a number of things, maybe it was the writer himself who is on their shitlist. well whatever the reason is we don’t have to agree with it.. but we should abide by it.
I don’t agree with alot of things the MOI bans or deems unfit for the public, but it is the law, and a law they try to enforce on everybody. If they saw that the book was unfit, and took action to enforce their law, and against a bigger company, well good for them. But that doesn’t mean i agree they should ban the book or a shitload of other things, what concerns me most is that action was taken, and it was not swayed by any high ranking official or someone with enough power to go against the ministry’s decision. Alot of the MOI’s laws i don’t agree with, i get really pissed off when i go to the movies, yes they shouldn’t control what i can and cannot do/watch/read/write/eat/drink, they are very welcome to point me in the “right” direction if i wanted to be pointed in that way. but my point here is why are ppl so upset when action has been taken on a decision they made, and when they don’t go by their law ppl are shouting corruption, hell i’d rather ppl be upset than call me corrupt. It’s like there’s no pleasing anybody.. if they didn’t enforce their own law, ppl wud be whining about their lack of justice, and when they do enforce their laws (no matter how absurd some of them can be) it turns into a matter of DE-Westernization, religious malfunction and being closed-minded, and closed/open minded being this country’s most delt with words these past few yrs. you can’t run a country based on how open or closed your mind is.. it is alot more complex than that. So the country’s engine has a few screws loose. But little by little inshallah this cloud of uncertainty that has been hovering over the country will blow away. Damn i could go all day, and even drag Dubai into this, since that’s what everbody is looking at as a *perfect* city.. just think BUBBLE willi yifham yifham
lemme quote you real quick Cali
“As things stand now, people are confused, shocked, uncertain and maybe even frightened by what the ministry did.”
Well i don’t think they should be, we all know about these government crackdowns on alot of establishments in kuwait, not only the media sector, but also in the matters of properties belonging to the country and also the food industry. some of us may have witnessed them, or maybe even been damaged by them. we know they are there and we can’t help but think that it is for our own good, but like i said no one should have the right to dictate to us what is good and what is bad.
151. DoWn2ErTh | April 30th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Damn that turned out a lot bigger than i thought.. heh oh well.. :)
152. Anonymous | April 30th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Is the book called “Chicago Stories”? Who’s the author..
Cheers
153. cali87 | April 30th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
That is just it, as you also said we don’t know why they did not like the book. To me and others here, the law being enforced is a mystery and so is the closing.
If I may also quote you: “like i said no one should have the right to dictate to us what is good and what is bad.” – I could not agree more :)
As for the other examples you mentioned i.e. crackdowns on building on government property, it is not very clear cut. First they say all property on government land is going to be removed and then just yesterday I get a message saying that diwaniyas on government land are fine. Diwaniyas are among the worst transgressors because they cause traffic congestion in residential areas and also an eye sore since at least in one case they are mobile homes. The laws applications appear inconsistent and subject to interpretation of whomever are in charge at the time. I am not saying they should do not do anything and sit on their hands, what I would like to see is transparency:
1) Clear guidelines that everyone understands.
2) A means for a business to appeal any item deemed banned as Ministries can make mistakes in judgment, plus with compensation to the business should the business lose income due to errors (does NOT apply to violations).
3) Reduce any subjective areas before passing any laws. Businesses need to have a list of clear guidelines as to what constitute banned books/authors/movies etc BEFORE they import items from outside in order to reduce any potential losses when items are removed or left unsold/destroyed.
154. Beidoun by Nature ( don't mind me nothing I say will matter) | April 30th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Hey! I want to be on the Kuwait censors’. At least that way I’ll get to read books/ magazines ( all of them) listen to music CDs & videos and comb all DVDs up for sale before any of the rest of you can, and quite possibly be the only one to do so too. What can I say! I have a selfish streak in me, blame it on that :)
155. Nasser Al Ansari | April 30th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
GUYS Get The full PICTURE KUWAIT NEVER WAS NOR WILL BE .
156. mohammed | April 30th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
adam..thanx for answering back mate i dont wana go on and on bout this topic cuze we r off topic now anyhows..yes i do admit that many palestinian did many nasty things during gulf war but not all of them minority did..and u should know all pepole r mistaken mahad ma3sum 3al el khata2 tell me something werent we mistaken when we supported iraq war against iran?? and to let u know i have nuthing whatsoever against shea if ure bein 1 i do respect them,,but to let u know if all palestinans r bastards like u said then alot of them wont be given and r still given high positions in kuwait..to let u know many high ranked pepole in kuwait r from palestinian background!i can list them if u want..my point is never generalise..!! cuze if ull do so then i can say all kuwaity girls r bitches cuze i see some here havin relation with non kuwaities such as english and takin pills to stop them getin pregnant can i say that?? do u agree cuze of a girl or 2 did that then ill go and generalise??
157. mohammed | April 30th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
and adam read my previos post carefully before sayin i pointed at shea cuze i dont generalise like u did,,and i didnt point at shea and blamed them!! so dont start given me lessons and yea i lived threw the war and so what palestinians did that year but i saw some others who helped kuwaities so again dont generalise
158. mohammed | April 30th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
1 point to add i didnt say bastards shea i have all the respect 2 them not like u the guy who claims to know how to debate,,i can c that clearly by u,using the words bastards..thats what i call a low level way of talk
159. Cali87 | April 30th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
155, please complete your sentence the suspense is killing me.
160. Me2ism | April 30th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
# 154 : I want in too.Together you and me will both share the rich spoils of censorship. Nus-nus, okay?
161. michael | April 30th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Actually, Virgin was selling a lot of grey market items. Neither the PS3, XBox 360, nor the Wii have official ME versions, right? Maybe those corporations (Sony or MS, most likely) got pissed off about them selling all those things.
162. J@LEEL | April 30th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Yes, it’s closed… They are selling prohibited CDs and Books
163. coffee & shisha | April 30th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
At 18.44 Kwt local time the score board over the Virgin fracas shows:
the Con cons 10 Liberals 0
164. NicoleB | April 30th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Interesting indeed.
Haven’t read ll the replies yet, but will come back for sure.
Can anyone tell me why they don’t take down the porn channels on TV?
165. michael | April 30th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
because it’s not porn, it’s borno.
166. Helima von Gustaafson | April 30th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Whether you like it or not a rule is a rule and the local law has to be respected at all costs. You may be a Microsoft, a Haliburton or a Virgin but you are not above the local rules and regulations no matter how idiosyncratic these may appear to most of us.
I am both shocked and amused in equal measure to find hard core Virginistas making the passionate arguments they are, which to my mind, are an incitement to breaking the rules.
167. Adam | May 1st, 2007 at 4:27 am
mohammed thanks for ur feedback, i didnt imply that you called shiite anything, i just stated what theyre not.
2, if you like please feel free to msg me your email on the forum and ill show u a documentary of the war and how the MAJORITY of palestinians turned against kuwait. How do you justify the ruling power of palestine allowing people to burn the kuwaiti flag after all that we did for them. You do have a valid point of over-generalizing, and yes i do admit i am wrong in that sense. however look at it from my eyes for 2 secs, how can you not be angry when you know that palestinians roam ur country hold high positions, form gangs, take from our economy and dont contribute to it, when they are just there after all the atrocious crimes, can u blame yourself for calling them bastards after torchered your realtives, or when they tried to assasinate your beloved am