Kuwaiti lawmaker says country has 'no joy,' should allow dancing and alcohol

A Kuwaiti lawmaker is causing waves in parliament after suggesting that the country should lift its bans on dancing and drinking alcohol.

Nabil Fadhl said that he wants to repeal a 2004 law that prohibits dancing at concerts and festivals on the grounds that unrelated men and women shouldn't interact, the Los Angeles Times reports. When Islamist lawmakers asked Fadhl sarcastically if he supported the legalization of alcohol as well, Fadhl allegedly replied, "Why not?" and stated that drinking was once allowed in the country. "Let us put an end to this masquerade that turned Kuwait unto a country with no joy," Fadhl said, according to Gulf News.

His remarks were condemned by the Islamist Social Reform Society and colleagues like Saud Huraiji, who said that "Fadhl is distorting the history and the image of Kuwait and its people who have elected him."

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