"everyone must follow the rules..."

after witnessing raids on bootleg dvd guys while walking down main roads in salmiya and being asked to censor the student handbooks so that israel was not mentioned, i knew things were different in kuwait. censorship is everywhere, from the maps in our classrooms with the persian gulf blacked out to the movies that jump scenes because there was hand holding or pork was portrayed as "delicious."


however, even here in kuwait with its strict views on acceptable (or legal) social behavior, banning of books, and conservative dress code there was one glowing, neon, over-priced bastion of 'free speech.' the virgin megastore. ahhh yes. full of over priced lonely planet guides for an odd assortment of travel destinations, pop music cds, and (perhaps the most shocking...) dvds --which are technically illegal in kuwait because they cannot be censored. we all relish the leisurely post dinner stroll through virgin, amusing ourselves with the fact the our students are paying more in KD for their PS3's then they cost in US$.


everyone thought it could never happen, although we joked about it all the time. virgin seemed too big, too powerful, too brazen to be stopped by the ministry. but thursday night the ministry proved even the mighty can fall and that everyone must follow the rules. now if only someone would tell that to my students...


Headline News
Virgin Megastore shut down by Information Ministry
Published Date: April 28, 2007 By Nawara Fattahova, Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Virgin Megastore at Marina Mall was shut down late Thursday by inspectors from the Ministry of Information. Fistfights also broke out between teenagers gathered around the store to witness its closure. Officials charged that "it is not only the small stores that do not respect the ministry's rules and regulations, but even big, renowned stores are resorting to breaking and openly flouting the laws". The inspectors pasted red stickers of the ministry stating that it cannot be reopened unless approved by the Ministry of Information on all entrances and exits of the store.


Along with the stickers, a copy of the resolution detailing the reasons for closing down the store was also pasted on one of the showroom's windows. People surrounded the place from 9:30 pm till about 11:00 pm, until after the inspectors left. Curious onlookers were heard asking the inspectors the reasons for the closure of the store and for how long would it be closed. Unsavoury rumours were also beginning to circulate over why the store was shuttered.
Hussein, one of the inspectors, explained that the reason for the closure was due to the store breaching the regulations of the Ministry of Information and not cooperating with them. "They keep selling banned items like magazines and CDs here," he said. He added that they were given several warnings and reminders in the past, but they went unheeded. "We are here to enforce the law, as it must be applied on all," he told the Kuwait Times.


The period of the closure is still not known yet. "We are not sure till when the store would be closed. They will definitely have to pay fines and all illegal items they were selling will be confiscated. They have to communicate with us, even though they are an internationally renowned store. Everybody must respect the rules," Hussein asserted.
On why did they chose Thursday night for the closure, although it is a government holiday, and whether they did it on purpose to attract the attention of the large number of people who were present, the inspector smiled broadly but was noncommittal.

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=ODY1NDI4MDM4


and for some fun pictures....

http://www.248am.com/mark/kuwait/virgin-marina-mall-shutdown/