STATELESS countries. They are all stateless because they are Bidoon- a community of Bedouins that makes up 10 per cent of Kuwait’ s population, yet have been refused a nationality and basic rights by the state.
Alenezi remembers with joy the day he got his British identity card:“ The man said,‘ you now have the same rights than anyone else’. And I thought- in this country I have the same rights as the Prime Minister and back home falcons and dogs have more rights than me”.
He always thought it was unfair and this is why, aged 22, he decided to leave.“ I didn’ t want my kids one day to feel like I had.” He bought a fake passport and made his way through Iraq, Jordan and Holland before reaching the United Kingdom in 2000.
When he arrived, unlike Bagwam, he was accompanied by his wife and children and was able to choose his own lawyer, who prevented them from being deported back to Holland.
“ Holland was the worst time of my life. Every morning, for two years and eight months, I would wait for the post to come.‘ Maybe today it comes with the residency papers,’ I thought. But it never did and the waiting is killing. If I was not a religious person I would have killed myself,” he says.
Now Alenezi is an advocate for the cause of the Bidoons and has played a major role in lobbying for a new stateless law in the UK. Approved on 3 April 2013, this new law has given stateless people a new path to citizenship..
Alenezi says:“ I sent everyone involved in the law letters to say thank you. They are giving people their lives back because it is very painful to see how while other people worry about going to the moon you are still looking for an ID.”
It is one of the least popular human rights, but Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that“ everyone has the right to nationality” and this right precedes many others.
Now thousands of stateless in the United Kingdom have hope for their future and the law has set an example.“ If all countries followed, the problem would be solved worldwide,” says Nash.
Even having a passport, is not the same as having a home. Alenezi muses:“ I am very thankful to the United Kingdom but I will always be Kuwaiti; even if they would put me in prison if I went back. I dream of going back to the desert. I’ d be very happy with my goats.” elisa iannacone
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