Thousands of people in Kuwait on Saturday took part in a mass funeral procession for 27 people killed in an attack against a Shiite mosque in the capital a day earlier.
An upstart local affiliate of the Islamic State group, calling itself the Najd Province, claimed responsibility for the attack that was carried out by a suicide bomber during midday prayers on Friday inside one of Kuwait’s oldest Shiite mosques. The extremist group views Shiites as heretics and refers to them derogatively as “rejectionists” among other slurs.
Braving the hot summer temperatures, mourners from as far as eastern Saudi Arabia and Bahrain attended the funeral and carried the Kuwaiti flag; others carried a simple black flag to signify mourning. Some in the crowd chanted: “Sunnis and Shiites are brothers!”
Photo: EPA
Every so often they chanted Allahu Akbar, which means “God is great” in Arabic.
Women ululated to praise those who had been killed during prayer and in the holy Muslim month of Ramadan — now in its second week — claiming they died as martyrs. They threw rose petals at the bodies, which were shrouded in the Kuwaiti flag.
A mother and her two young daughters passed out flower wreaths to place on the graves. To help people keep cool, a young man was seen misting people’s faces with water. Still, paramedics were on hand to assist those who fainted from the heat, as temperatures reached 42oC.
Not all those killed in the bombing were buried in Kuwait. Some were sent to be buried in Najaf, Iraq, at a Shiite holy site that is believed to be blessed. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said three Iranians were among the 27 people killed in the attack.
The suicide bombing has rattled Kuwait, known for its relative wealth and stability. The last terrorist attack in Kuwait was more than two decades ago.
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health on Saturday said that, out of more than 200 people wounded in the attack, including many young boys, about 40 remain in the hospital, while the rest have been discharged.
Within hours of the attack, Kuwait’s ruler, Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who is in his mid-80s, visited the site of the bombing. The government also declared that the country’s main Sunni mosque, the Grand Mosque, would be open to mourners to pay their respects for the next three days.
Sunni groups in Kuwait and leaders from across the Middle East strongly condemned the attack, which Persian Gulf officials say was aimed at provoking a backlash from Shiites and sparking sectarian war. More than one-third of Kuwait’s 1.2 million citizens are believed to be Shiite. The majority of Kuwaitis are Sunni Muslims, although Shiite Muslims hold seats in Kuwait’s elected parliament and Cabinet posts.
Police in Kuwait said they are interrogating a number of suspects with possible links to the suicide bombing. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said police also arrested the owner of the car that was used by the bomber.
Despite a heavy police presence at the funeral, volunteers set up their own checkpoint at the gate of the cemetery to search men. The funeral was attended by several politicians, including Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim.
“The unity of the people of our country is incredible,” he said at the funeral. “If you look around, you will see Sunnis and Shiites, Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis, all present to give their condolences to the families of the victims.”
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