Jamaan Al-Harbash
Jamaan Al-Harbash is a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the second district. Born in 1970, Al-Harbash obtained a PhD in Islamic ideology and worked as a professor at Kuwait University before being elected to the National Assembly in 2006. While political parties are technically illegal in Kuwait, Al-Harbash affiliates with the Islamist Hadas party.[1]
Against Falcon Smuggling
On April 17, 2007, Al-Harbash and other MPs submitted documents to parliament claiming that several falcon shipments for "influential people" had been imported recently without proper testing. Kuwat banned bird imports as an avian influenza precaution, but the ban was eased since July 2006. Al-Harbash sees the smuggling as an example of corruption that puts the country at risk for bird flu: "Lifting the ban on falcons was a catastrophe. Why were they exempted from the ban despite warnings by doctors?" Al-Harbash says he will ask the parliament's health committee to study the situation and report back.
Kuwait reported 20 birds, including 18 falcons, were tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu on February 25 and so far the bird flu cases have reached to 132. In November 2005, Kuwait detected the first case of a bird infected with the H5N1 strain—a flamingo at a seaside villa.[2]
Pro-Hijab Walkout
On June 1, 2008, Al-Harbash, Waleed AlـTabtabaie, Mohammed Hayef AlـMutairi, and six other MPs walked out of the swearing in ceremony of Modhi al-Homoud and Nouria al-Subeih, two new female Cabinet ministers who were not wearing headscarves.[3][4]
Protested Against Israeli Attacks
On December 28, 2008, Kuwaiti lawmakers Mikhled Al-Azmi, Musallam Al-Barrak, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, Jaaman Al-Harbash, Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, Mohammad Hayef Al-Mutairi, Ahmad Al-Saadoun, Nasser Al-Sane, and Waleed Al-Tabtabaie protested in front of the National Assembly building against the attacks by Israel on Gaza. Protesters burned Israeli flags, waved banners reading, "No to hunger, no to submission" and chanted "Allahu Akbar". Israel launched air strikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on December 26 after a six-month ceasefire ended on December 18.[5]