MANILA: Migrant groups have demanded a public apology from a Kuwaiti makeup blogger who has come under fire for what has been widely perceived as a racist post about Filipino maids in her country.
In a joint statement, Migrante International and SANDIGAN vehemently condemned the “degrading remarks” by Kuwaiti social media influencer Sondos Al-Qattan, who complained about new laws giving Filipino household workers at least one day off a week and allowing them to keep their passports.
“We strongly demand that she offer (a) public apology and genuinely express remorse for her disgusting statements,” the migrant groups said.
Al-Qattan reportedly said in a video she posted on July 14: “The new laws that have been passed are pathetic. Honestly, I disagree. For (a maid) to take a day off every week, that’s four days a month. Those are the days that she’ll be out. And we don’t know what she’ll be doing on those days, with her passport on her.”
She added: “How can you have a servant at home who gets to keep their passport with them? If they ran away and went back to their country, who’ll refund me? I don’t want a Filipino maid anymore.”
The video was taken down after drawing heavy criticism. The migrant groups said by projecting herself as a “slave-owner,” Al-Qattan was exhibiting “intoxication in her overinflated ego and false sense of superiority.”
They added that she should have known by now that workers have rights and deserve just and humane treatment from their employers.
Al-Qattan “continues to cling to a backward outlook which literally belongs to the dark ages,” they said.
It would be “valuable to her if she can visit the Philippines to witness for herself the appalling poverty that grips many Filipino families and find out what hardships OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) had to go through in government agencies before they can finally be deployed abroad,” the migrant groups added.
A group of lawyers providing free legal services to OFWs said Al-Qattan’s attitude “smacks of insensitivity and lack of knowledge of human rights and migrant workers’ rights.”
Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe, president of the International Pro Bono Association, told Arab News: “It is our duty to call out such behavior. Unchecked, it will open migrant workers to more exploitation.”
Attorney Farah Decano, a member of the lawyers’ group, said Al-Qattan exposed her “ignorance” on human rights.
“Her reckless remark manifests her twisted values and her lack of respect for other citizens of the world,” Decano added.
“She has just caused an indelible blemish on her reputation. Unfortunately, no makeup can conceal that now.”
Meanwhile, popular Emirati social commentator Khalid Al-Ameri has earned the praise and respect of many Filipinos for coming to the defense of OFWs.
In a video he uploaded on social media, Al-Ameri responded to Al-Qattan by asking: “How would you feel if you worked for someone who didn’t only not give you the day off, but disagreed with the very ideology that you deserve a day off?”
He said: “If I’m not mistaken, almost every job in the world, barring a few security jobs and military jobs, have a day off, a day of rest, a day to go out, a day to enjoy life.”
He added: “We aren’t robots. At the end of the day, we’re all humans and expect to have time to rest and time for ourselves.”
Al-Ameri described as “far more ridiculous” Al-Qattan’s opposition to OFWs being allowed to keep their passports.
“After listening to your rant, if I worked for you I’d run so far away the CIA wouldn’t be able to find me,” he said.
“I’d dig a hole so deep you wouldn’t be able to smell my scent, you wouldn’t hear me breathe. I’d disappear. I’d cease to exist. I’d never show my face in this world again out of fear that you might find me and that you might ask me to work for you again,” he added.
“There’s a reason they keep running away from you, and maybe you’re that reason,” he added.
“I believe we’re all human beings on this planet who all want the same things in life: To be happy, to grow old with people that we love, to take care of our families and to just be at peace. And I think anyone who gets in the way of that is a serious problem to this world, and to the way we want to live our lives.”
Al-Ameri thanked “every single domestic worker in this part of the world for helping us and for being part of our families.”
Retired Philippine Army Gen. Joselito Kakilala thanked Al-Ameri for his “compassion,” saying: “The Filipino people love you (for) standing for their rights.”
Migrant groups demand public apology from Kuwaiti blogger
Migrant groups demand public apology from Kuwaiti blogger
- Al-Qattan complained about new laws giving Filipino household workers at least one day off a week
- Al-Qattan “continues to cling to a backward outlook which literally belongs to the dark ages,” they said
Erdogan says Israel will ‘set sights’ on Turkiye if Hamas defeated
- Turkish leader on Monday said more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals
Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory following Hamas’s attack on October 7, has often expressed support for the Palestinian group as defenders of their homeland.
Hamas is classed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, among others.
“Do not think that Israel will stop in Gaza,” Erdogan told his party lawmakers in the parliament in the capital Ankara.
“Unless it’s stopped... this rogue and terrorist state will set its sights on Anatolia sooner or later,” he said, referring to the large Turkish peninsula also called Asia Minor that comprises more than half of Turkiye’s territory.
“We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia,” added Erdogan.
The Turkish leader on Monday said more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized some 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 the military says are dead.
Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed more than 35,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
EU urges Israel to end Rafah military operation ‘immediately’
- EU statement: ‘Further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering’
BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday urged Israel to end its military operation in Gaza’s Rafah “immediately,” warning that failure to do so would undermine ties with the bloc.
“Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel,” said the statement issued in the EU’s name by its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
“The European Union urges Israel to end its military operation in Rafah immediately,” the statement said, warning it was “further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering.”
The bloc — the main aid donor for the Palestinian territories and Israel’s biggest trading partner — said more than a million people in and around Rafah had been ordered by Israel to flee the area to other zones the UN says cannot be considered safe.
“While the EU recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself, Israel must do so in line with International Humanitarian Law and provide safety to civilians,” it said.
The law requires Israel to allow in humanitarian aid, the statement stressed.
The EU also condemned a Hamas attack on the Kerem Shalom border crossing which blocked humanitarian relief supplies.
“We call on all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas,” it said.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza were launched in retaliation for Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israeli which killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 250 hostages taken, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s military has conducted a relentless bombardment from the air and a ground offensive inside Gaza that has killed more than 35,000, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel’s main allies, the United States and the EU, as well as the United Nations, have all warned Israel against a major operation in Rafah given that it would add to the civilian toll.
Kuwait’s emir calls on new government to pursue reforms
RIYADH: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday met with the new prime minister and his government.
According to the Kuwait News Agency, Sheikh Mishal said: “We are in a new phase of reforms and serious actions must be taken.”
He added that ministers should “accelerate the implementation of long-awaited strategic development projects, address needed files and work on the infrastructure projects, develop healthcare and the educational system, and take into account transparency and to preserve public funds.”
Sheikh Mishal appointed Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as prime minister in April, and dissolved parliament last Friday in a televised speech.
He urged ministers to ensure that Kuwait has a strong and sustainable economy by investing in human capital and promoting innovation and scientific research.
UN launches probe into first international staff killed by unidentified strike in Rafah
- Retired Indian army officer Waibhav Anil Kale was on route to the European Hospital in Rafah along with a colleague, who was also injured in the attack
NEW DELHI: The United Nations has launched an investigation into an unidentified strike on a UN car in Rafah on Monday that killed its first international staff in Gaza since Oct. 7, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General said.
The staff member, a retired Indian Army officer named Waibhav Anil Kale, was working with the UN Department of Safety and Security and was on route to the European Hospital in Rafah along with a colleague, who was also injured in the attack.
Israel has been moving deeper into Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than a million people had sought shelter, and its forces pounded the enclave’s north on Tuesday in some of the fiercest attacks in months.
Israel’s international allies and aid groups have repeatedly warned against a ground incursion into Rafah, where many Palestinians fled, and Israel says four Hamas battalions are holed up. Israel says it must root out the remaining fighters.
In a statement on Monday after Kale’s death, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated an “urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for the release of all hostages,” saying the conflict in Gaza was continuing to take a heavy toll “not only on civilians, but also on humanitarian workers.”
Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza since Oct. 7 has killed more than 35,000 people and driven most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people from their homes.
His deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Tuesday the UN has established a fact-finding panel to determine the responsibility for the attack.
“It’s very early in the investigation, and details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defense Force,” he said.
There are 71 international UN staff members in Gaza currently, he said.
In its only comment on the matter yet, India’s mission to the UN confirmed Kale’s identity on Tuesday, saying it was “deeply saddened” by his loss.
Israel, which launched its Gaza operation after an attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas-led gunmen who killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, according to its tallies, has ordered civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah.
The main United Nations aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA estimates some 450,000 people have fled the city since May 6. More than a million civilians had sought refuge there.
Libya war crimes probe to advance next year: ICC prosecutor
- The Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in February 2011 following a violent crackdown on unprecedented protests against the regime of Muammar Qaddafi
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The International Criminal Court prosecutor probing war crimes committed in Libya since 2011 announced Monday his plans to complete the investigation phase by the end of 2025.
Presenting his regular report before the United Nations Security Council, Karim Khan said that “strong progress” had been made in the last 18 months, thanks in particular to better cooperation from Libyan authorities.
“Our work is moving forward with increased speed and with a focus on trying to deliver on the legitimate expectations of the council and of the people of Libya,” Khan said.
He added that in the last six months, his team had completed 18 missions in three areas of Libya, collecting more than 800 pieces of evidence including video and audio material.
Khan said he saw announcing a timeline to complete the investigation phase as a “landmark moment” in the case.
“Of course, it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to require cooperation, candor, a ‘can do’ attitude from my office but also from the authorities in Libya,” he added.
“The aim would be to give effect to arrest warrants and to have initial proceedings start before the court in relation to at least one warrant by the end of next year,” Khan said.
The Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in February 2011 following a violent crackdown on unprecedented protests against the regime of Muammar Qaddafi.
So far, the investigation opened by the court in March 2011 has produced three cases related to crimes against humanity and war crimes, though some proceedings were abandoned after the death of suspects.
An arrest warrant remains in place for Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the assassinated Libyan dictator who was killed by rebel forces in October 2011.
Libya has since been plagued by fighting, with power divided between a UN-recognized Tripoli government and a rival administration in the country’s east.
