Last Respects May 14, 2008
Posted by jewaira in Death, Kuwait, Life.trackback
The passing of the Father Amir Sheikh Saad was a sad and an unexpected turn in the weekend before the elections on Saturday. I’m sure we were all expecting a very tense last couple of days with intense rallying and campaigning and of course the passing of the Father Amir changed all that.
First, I would like to mention a couple of things since this blog is read by some non-Kuwaitis. Sheikh Saad was the crown prince under the rule of the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah who passed away on January 15th, 2006. Because of his health condition, Sheikh Saad could not continue to be the Amir or ruler of Kuwait and was given the title of Father Amir. Sheikh Saad was replaced by Sheikh Sabah.
This event was painful for many Kuwaitis for whom Sheikh Saad was an icon and a respected ruling figure. However, it was the harsh reality of ill health that removed him from his position and something Kuwaitis had expected.
Sheikh Jaber and Sheikh Saad were in power since 1979 and for many people, their passing signifies the end of an era. When someone dies, we are sad about their passing because we will miss them. When public figures die, we are sad because their death takes away a part of our lives and our memories.
Since the news of Sheikh Saad’s passing, all Kuwaiti TV stations and radio stations have been broadcasting Quranic recordings. Government stations will continue to broadcast verses from the Quran for three days. There will be news intervals and this morning the whole burial procession was broadcast on all local stations.
The Father Amir was buried in the usual simple grave with an unadorned cement slab headstone and another of the same towards the feet. After he was buried, pails of stainless steel filled with water were passed around and those around the grave sprinkled water over the freshly covered grave. Those who came to pay their respects at the grave prayed while inside the simple reception hall not far away, members of the Al-Sabah family stood in line to receive those who came to offer their condolences.
There is an official three day mourning period which means everything will be closed for three days. This includes government and private businesses so there are no malls or restaurants open. I guess this has given some people a welcome respite from work and school.
Now the interesting thing is how the parliamentary candidates have handled this. I must have received dozens of sms messages on my mobile phone from candidates expressing their sympathy on the death of the late Sheikh Saad and announcing the cancellation of all further rallies. This was a smart move by those candidates (however annoying to us).
I also noticed the newspapers were emptier this morning of campaign ads but interestingly enough, there were a few ads announcing gatherings/ rallies for tonight - as though nothing had happened. I believe this makes those candidates stand out like sore thumbs and it was not in good taste to continue with their campaigns when most other candidates had declared they were in mourning.
The parliamentary elections will continue as planned on Saturday May 17th. - the big day. Hopefully there will be many stories to tell.
I was a small child when Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem died (he looked like my Kuwaiti grandad so I called him Baba 3owd as well), and I can still feel the imprint of how intense the mourning and grief was for him. He was beloved. I was in the US when the just as beloved Baba Jabir passed away two years ago, and returned to a different country from what I had left two weeks prior. I can still remember seeing him in person for the first time when I was one of the singing and dancing children in one of those national day operettas in 1979.
My whole life almost - Baba Jabir and Baba Saad have been there, icons of who we were as Kuwaities. This year has been one of many different hard and strange losses for me, and with Sheikh Saad’s death - yet another icon of my childhood is gone and I am reminded yet again that I walk in a very different time and era for our country. One in which all the recognizable vestiges of my childhood are disappearing.
Allah ighamid roo7a il-jenna. May God rest his soul and bring him eternal peace.
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Thank you MsBaker for sharing your memories and sentiments.
One thing that I have kept thinking about since yesterday is that you either feel these emotions or you don’t. On all occasions of the passing of our rulers in Kuwait, I have felt a genuine heartfelt sadness and it is not something that one can force upon us. We grew up with these iconic figures and have come to associate them with our lives on this bountiful land.
Jewaira
alah yer7amhum..
At the funeral there were a lot of people but we managed to pay our respects. It was just a very sad feeling, we have really lost someone dear to us and our country. Kuwait used to be a better place with them, it just feels things are changing for the worse because they aren’t here and that is the truth. They love Kuwait more then anything so they would make sure that things are good or moving forward, they would sacrifice themselves for their country. One of Sheikh Saad’s known quotes was “We Die and Kuwait Lives On”, he really loved Kuwait and its people.
I don’t feel like our children will have emblems like them to grow up to. Even when my young cousin talks about it, he is 5 years old and says that he doesn’t like Sheikh Sabah like he likes Seikh Jaber and Sheikh Saad. Even a child that young can feel the difference.
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Marzouq
Thank you for sharing your feelings.
It is understandable that two such icons who have been in the lives of all Kuwaitis for around 30 years will be missed and it will take time for new relationships to be built around new leaders.
We have also been through a very eventful 3 decades and one of the most painful periods being the Iraqi invasion and thereafter. We need to learn from past mistakes and misconceptions and not be put in the same situation again.
Change is always difficult but I am optimistic about good things to happen in the future inshallah if Kuwaitis continue to keep Kuwait as they always have — in their hearts.
J
I’m still in denial as usual. Takes me months to get over what really happened. Took me almost a year to comprehend baba jabir passed away.
I’m not sure as to why I do this but I laugh and pretend as if nothing has happened and then with time it hits me in the face when I no longer can keep it buried in denial.
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Sure it takes time even though Sheikh Saad has not been much in the public light in recent years - he still has a big place in our hearts.
Jewaira
I am so sorry for all of your loss. Just remember that different doesn’t always have to be bad it can just be different. As I get older and watch all of the things from my childhood disappear one by one it is sad to me but I try always to remind myself that it doesn’t have to be bad, it is all in how I choose to accept it.
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Sure Christina; change is good but the end of an era is also a bit moving and needs a period of adjustment
Jewaira