In many of these meetings tribes are acting clearly as though they were a political party-even thought the Kuwaiti constitution has outlawed such political organizations since the country's inception in 1962. These tribes also organize election primaries which are alos fixed-this process is also against the law.
Many tribes even join together, as political combines across the planet do, and have attempted insure again in 2008 that no women will win a seat in parliament.
ECOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT
Unlike in parts of tribal Africa and Asia, Kuwaiti tribal adjustment to ever changing and globalizing environments has almost always taken place almost entirely in an urban environment-although many tribes do hold meetings (or diwaniyas) under tents on occasion.
However, more similar to gypsies in religious tradition, Kuwaiti tribes as a whole are historically less religious or at least less openly devoutly religious-than are some other parts of the Arab world. This is reflective of their nomadic ancestry where concept of God and one's relationship to God were more personal-i.e. taking place in the desert under open skies rather than under a mosque or in a large open city square with large numbers of others all around them.
Therefore, many tribal customs and traditions are wrapped up in their individual and group religious identities.
On the other hand, the peoples of the desert were also originally more generous and until recent years this had been reflected in the character of many tribes that one visited in Kuwait. (Ask the average ex-pat in Kuwait in 2008 whether this generosity is evident, and most would say they were unaware of a tradition of great generosity reminiscent of nomad communities.)
According to Dr. Al-Haddad, it is apparently also not so clear these days as to how to be quickly able to distinguish one tribe from another. As noted above, very few tribesmen demonstrate clothing differences which had been used in days of old to be the norm in the desert areas when wandering centuries ago.
That is why, for example, when a man from Tribe "A" enters a government building and seeks preferential treatment from a fellow tribesman, he may be not able to identify the tribesmen who will bend-over-backwards to help him.
Dr. Al-Haddad shared an event he once observed in a large busy office one day a few years back: "A member from Tribe 'A' entered through the doorway and scanned the room. After a while of standing in a line, the man moved to the center of the room and shouted loudly, 'Who here working is from Tribe A?" There was silence as all people looked around at the audacity of the man. However, a few moments later, a man in a far corner waived the man over and identified himself as a member of Tribe 'A'. That clerk took the fellow tribesman's paperwork and promised to do everything-fill out every form-for the audacious tribesman."
Dr. Al-Haddad stated, "The tribesman who works in that office must help his fellow tribesmen or he will find himself ostracized in his own family group."
It is such a role which tribalism plays in Kuwait today. It is fairly destructive to any attempts to level the playing field for all and to improve how the country functions economically, politically, socially, educationally, and developmentally.
Tribalism and traditional practices has left modern Kuwait encased in a state of bureaucratic and social backwardness at a time when national unity is required, esp. as wars and rumors of war sound from short distances away.
MAKING LEADERS IN KUWAIT
Meanwhile, if a tribesmen desires to be a tribal leader, he needs to be doing the following:
(1) not violate tribal custom, i.e. help out another tribesman when asked
