INDEPENDENCE DAY - NATIONAL DAY Have you every been abroad during 4th of July? Well like anybody away from home, seeking out your expatriates seems to be a must-- and especially for Kuwaitis. Even knowing that the Idaho Kuwait population doesn't even rate in the top ten of of hosting Kuwaitis students, it's a lucrative venture for ISU to welcome the party. And a party it was, a hoot and a howler on Friday February 27th at the SU Pond Ballroom. Hospitality abounded! For a state with only 1.2 million Kuwaitis, it's a boom time to be Kuwaiti. A happy time. A time to be proud and free, freer that many realize. Comparing free Kuwait Press to Pocatello, Kuwait seems more free than Pocatello has become, especially regarding access to public information and transparency. Actually in the light of recent events of censoring and cover-up, some Pocatello officials would prefer that we become a Police State. Luckily we still have some Oath-Keepers around. And just to let you know, not all believers in the Koran are like how our government media would like to portray to you at times, especially during funding time to keeping the largest internal Gestapo since Hitler well funded with it's 245,000 domestic spies. It's not 1984 is it? Here is some information regarding Kuwait: Kuwait's media is annually classified as "partly free" in the Freedom of Press survey by Freedom House. Kuwait's media is the freest in the Gulf region, with journalists regularly criticizing the government and government officials. Newspapers in Kuwait have the most freedom from government control in the Gulf region and Arab world. Since 2005, Kuwait has frequently earned the highest ranking of all Arab countries in the annual Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. In 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014, Kuwait surpassed Israel as the country with the greatest press freedom in the Middle East. Kuwait is also frequently ranked as the Arab country with the greatest press freedom in Freedom House's annual Freedom of Press survey. Kuwait has been described as the "media capital" of the Gulf region, Kuwait produces more newspapers and magazines per capita than its neighbors. The three most prominent English dailies in Kuwait are Kuwait Times, Arab Times and Al-Watan Daily. There are limits to Kuwait's press freedom, criticism of the government, government officials and royal family members is permitted but people have been jailed for "defaming" the Emir. Kuwait's constitution criminalizes the defamation of the Emir. Law Kuwait follows the "civil law system" modeled after the French legal system. Kuwait's legal system is largely secular. Sharia law governs only family law for Muslim residents, non-Muslims in Kuwait have a secular family law. For the application of family law, there are three separate court sections: Sunni, Shia and non-Muslim. According to the United Nations, Kuwait's legal system is a mix of British common law, French civil law, Egyptian civil law and Islamic law. Winter cold getting to you? Take a trip to Kuwait, and bask in the sun and watch the Galaxy shining above.

• published: 01 Mar 2015
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