Azad-Hye, United Arab Emirates
May 14 2005
Armenian Community in Kuwait: Brief History
AZAD-HYE (14 May 2005): After the formation of the United Arab
Republic in Egypt and Syria (1958), many Armenians emigrated to the
United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina and elsewhere. Some of
them arrived in Kuwait, then a desert Emirate, with limited modern
comforts.
In 1959 young priest Gorun Shrikian visited Kuwait on two different
occasions, during which he established a congregation, the core of
the present day Armenian Community.
In 1961 priest Barouyr Sarkissian settled down in Kuwait City and
served the community for more than thirty years.
The Community was originally formed by bachelors who were employed in
light industries, auto repair shops, electronics, services etc.
Eventually they got married and brought to Kuwait their brides from
their countries of origin (Syria, Lebanon, Iran, etc.). As their
children reached schooling age, the need for learning the Armenian
language, history and religion led to the establishment of a school
in the late 1960’s. The new premises of the school were inaugurated
in 1972.
Since then the number of the Armenians in Kuwait expanded and reached
a peak of 12000 in the mid 1980’s. The number of students enrolled in
the Armenian School scored a record 700 pupils. High School section
(Azkayin Jemaran) was introduced, enabling graduates to get enrolled
in University level graduate courses worldwide. Today the school
covers the whole range from kindergarten to the 12th grade. It has
some 35 full-time teachers, half of them Armenians.
The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces of the ousted regime of Saddam
Hussein caused great damage to the State of Kuwait and the Armenian
Community. Fortunately the invasion took place in August (1990),
during which many Armenian families were already outside the country
and did not directly suffer the consequences of the invasion. Only
500 Armenians remained in Kuwait during the six months of the Iraqi
invasion, many fled the country through the Saudi border.
After the restoration of national authority in Kuwait, many Armenians
returned to their positions in Kuwait, yet a considerable number
continued living in new places. The returned ones were compensated by
the Kuwaiti government (through special arrangement with the United
Nations) with monthly salaries that covered the complete period of
invasion. The number of Armenians after the invasion steadily rose to
3000 in 1994 (present day estimation is 4500, number of students
350).
The eternal problem of the School is to find a lasting and capable
headmaster. The most problematic year was 2000-2001 when the
Headmistress (Knarik Kasbarian) was dismissed in the middle of the
School Year and the School governing body experienced severe conflict
with the National Council (heavily backed by ARF party members).
After a series of unsuccessful choices Minas Hanskehyan was appointed
as Headmaster.
The first Armenian publication of Kuwait appeared in the Armenian
School under the name “Swallow” (Dzidzernag / 1978). The current
student publication is called “Oasis” (second term 2004, 16 pages).
The Armenian scout movement (Homenetmen) is active since the 1970’s.
Church choir “Naregatsi” is conducted by Kevork Hadjian.
The Representative of the Catholicosate of Cilicia for the entire
Gulf Region’s Armenians has its seat in Kuwait City (Salmiya Area, PO
Box 8157, Tel: 00965-5614392, Fax: 00965-5638312). First prelacy
level elections took place in 1994. The dominant political fraction
is ARF, which controls all seats in local bodies, through appointing
loyal members and sympathizers. The official publication of the
Prelacy is called “Aztarar” (since 1993 / dubbed as “bulletin of
Armenian Affairs”, in PDF format since September 2004). It is
basically a compilation of general Armenian news (mostly from ARF
affiliated sources). Compiler is Kevork Hadjian. The present day
Catholicosal Representative is Archbishop Dr. Gorun Babian (long time
Head of Church in Isfahan, Iran, originally from Lebanon). The priest
is Der Ardag Kehyeyan (son of Der Adom, reputed priest in Aleppo for
many generations).
Armenians have a great reputation in Kuwait. The local media
occasionally writes about the Armenians and their activities. On the
occasion of the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide the
Armenians organized a blood donation. About one hundred persons
donated blood to people in need. Media referred extensively to the
blood donation, the Armenian Genocide, the painting exhibition
organized by the Armenian School, etc. Archbishop Babian was
interviewed. Giragos Kouyoumdjian wrote several articles in Kuwait
English and Arabic newspapers, stressing the meaning of the Genocide
and expressing thanks to the Arabs who welcomed the Armenians during
difficult times (World War I). The Turkish Embassy in Kuwait
responded with the usual denial of the Genocide, providing
explanation of the reasons behind the Armenian “deportations”.
Some individual Kuwaiti writers urged the Turkish government to
acknowledge the Genocide. They sympathized with the Armenians,
especially that Kuwait and Armenia are both small nations in a sea of
surrounding bigger entities.