Kuwait’s change in Holiday and the Public Reaction

Ok here’s what I read in Kuwait news today..

Kuwait shifts to Fri-Sat weekend
Published Date: May 28, 2007

KUWAIT: Kuwait said yesterday it will change its weekend to Friday and Saturday in line with most fellow Gulf Arab states to have an extra working day with its major trading partners. Government employees, which make up a large part of Kuwait’s workforce, will work from Sunday to Thursday starting from September 1 this year, the Cabinet said in a statement. Public sector offices and most private businesses had been shut on Thursday. Kuwaiti banks already work from Sunday until Thursday, reflecting strong ties with Europe and the United States.

The change would solve many problems with different working days in Kuwait and other countries, Cabinet Affairs Minister Faisal Al-Hajji told state news agency KUNA. The private sector is not bound to follow the government. Major OPEC producer Kuwait depends on oil exports, particularly to Asia and the United States.

Except for conservative kingdom Saudi Arabia and Oman, all other Gulf states have switched working weeks to Sunday-Thursday as their leaders are using oil revenues to diversify their economies and attract investors. Kuwait is keen to emulate the success of Gulf neighbours Dubai and Bahrain, which have become regional financial centres and popular tourist destinations.

Several Islamist MPs had issued statements opposing the government’s plans to shift the weekend from to Friday-Saturday. The MPs said their opposition is based on the fact that such a move will mean imitating the West and could undermine some religious obligations. - Agencies

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And the public reaction…..

Public reaction to Friday-Saturday weekend switch
Published Date: May 28, 2007
By Ahmad Al-Khaled, Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Cabinet yesterday issued an administrative decision to officially change the state’s weekends from Thursday and Friday to Friday and Saturday. “I think the change will help in the development of Kuwait in international businesses, as by changing the second day off to Saturday we will only lose one business day with our international counterparts.” said Jassem Ali, a banking sector employee who went on to add, “we in the banking sector have already been on such a schedule for years — it only makes sense to initiate the change in the rest of the state as well.”

The Gulf States of Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have already switched to a Friday-Saturday weekend while Saudi Arabia has stated it is currently studying the issue. While there had been a parliamentarian Islamist outcry in previous discussions of such a change, the parliament’s hands are tied in what is a Cabinet administrative decision. Should MPs seek to change the decision they may enact a law of their own - declaring weekends to be on Thursdays and Fridays but with 16 voting Cabinet members favoring the new weekend and perhaps 16 or 17 Islamist MPs against the change, Islamist MPs do not have the numbers to support any counterattack on the new weekend.

Local Islamic NGO the Thawabet Al-Ummah Convention came out vocally against the move saying the change would align Muslims with the Saturday Jewish holy day of worship. “I am no fanatic, but I prefer to keep our weekends the way they have always been and not change our lives to mesh with the West,” said Ibrahim Muhamed. “Why do we as a state have to change ourselves for the sake of the West,” said Khaled Jassem. But many in the financial world believe the move will allow Kuwait to procure more businesses with the international world. “With this change we will be on the same page as the western world with whom we do business and of course we would never give away our Friday for business. It is only Thursday we are trading for Saturday - those two days mean nothing to us Muslims…it is only Friday that we should cherish - and we do,” said Hussein Muhamed.

“It seems silly to fuss over Thursday versus Saturday when we should be thinking in terms of Kuwait’s future,” said Ghadha Ahmad. The change, which will be initiated on September 1, 2007, coincides with the first day of school in many areas. “As a mother who works in a bank, I will be so happy to see my children on weekends. With this school year their weekends were Thursday and Friday and mine on Saturday so we had only one day together as a family,” said Layla Faisal.

“I think the start date for the change is perfect in that nobody’s summer holidays will be affected and the school year will only have just begun so we can all get used to the new day offs together,” said Daoud Yusef. “As an oil sector employee, I only spend time with my wife and children on Fridays because they have Thursday and Friday weekends - I am 100 percent in favor of the change to bring my family together,” said Waleed Muhamed. Omar Abdulrahman took a different view of the forthcoming change saying, “I used to dread Fridays because I was due back at work on Saturdays but now Friday will hold the place it should, as a day for praying…I can learn to hate Saturdays.”

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