Al-Kandari

The Al Kandari is a large clan in Kuwait, while not the same as more coherent clans or families in the region who come from a single main branch, they are made up of loosely connected families; as each Kandari family may have different grandfathers, but as all have to come to Kuwait at similar times, the clan took the name after some of the first members who came to Kuwait who were working as "Kanadra" or water carriers in Kuwait. Therefore, the Al Kandari are simply a sizable Kuwaiti clan with various sub-families; closely related to each other. They are mainly composed of Sunni Muslim Larestani ancestry.[1][2]


History

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They are descendants from several family heads (grandfathers).[1]

Immigration to Kuwait

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The Al-Kandari Clan was first established in Kuwait, and any Al-Kandari will usually attribute their origin to Kuwait from around the 20th century.[1]

Notable members of the clan now include

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  • Mohammed Al-Kandari, a member of Kuwait National Assembly; Mohammed Al Kandari was first elected in 2008.
  • Abdullah Kamel Al Kandari was repatriated to Kuwait on September 9, 2006.[3] He faced charges in Kuwatit after he was repatriated, and was acquitted.[4]
  • Dr. Ali Alkandari is a history professor at Kuwait University specialing in Islamist movements, social transformations, and the contemporary history of the gulf.[5]
  • Bader Abdullah Al-Kandari was Vice Chairman of Wafra International Company and a Non-Executive Director at the Bank of London and the Middle East.[6]
  • Anas Al Kandari, a militant who died fighting United States Marines on Failaka Island; Anas Al Kandari was killed in October 2002, on Failaka Island, an island off Kuwait's coast.[7][8][9] US Marines there on a training exercise were fired upon by Anas Al Kandari and Jassem al-Hajiri. Lance Corporal Antonio J. Sledd was killed and another Marine was injured in the incident. Jassem al-Hajiri was also killed.
  • Abdullah Kamel Al Kandari and Fayiz Al Kandari, two Kuwaitis who have traveled to Afghanistan to provide humanitarian aid as is a common political and religious act in Kuwait which was encouraged by Kuwait government media as part of Kuwaits image program. The ended up being sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in part, because their names, or "known aliases" were found on a "list of 324 names".

Al-Kandari in other countries

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Some al-Kandari members have migrated into other GCC countries,[1] such as Bahrain and the UAE but not much is documented on such cases and its significance.

The political significance for Al-Kandari clan

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The political significance for the clans comes from the number of members of the clan in Kuwait; while no official estimate is available, the parliamentary elections in Kuwait has analyst consider one or two seats in the parliament for a member of the clan, some estimates go as high as 50,000 members exist in Kuwait, but official or reliable sources do not usually publish their numbers.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Mehran (2 March 2023). "كتاب تاريخ جنوب فارس لارستان وبستك" (in Arabic).
  2. ^ khodo mania (27 April 2023). "كتاب تاريخ جنوب فارس لارستان وبستك". YouTube (in Arabic).
  3. ^ OARDEC (2008-10-09). "Consolidated chronological listing of GTMO detainees released, transferred or deceased" (PDF). Department of Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-27. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  4. ^ "Kuwait clears two former Guantánamo captives". Miami Herald. May 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-29. [dead link]
  5. ^ "Dr. Ali Alkandari". Gulf International Forum. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  6. ^ "Bader AlKandari". www.boursakuwait.com.kw. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  7. ^ Dave Moniz (2002-10-08). "Kuwaiti gunmen kill 1 Marine in training". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  8. ^ Stewart Bell (2005). The Martyr's Oath: The Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-83683-5. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  9. ^ Eric Schmidt (2002-10-09). "U.S. Marine Is Killed in Kuwait As Gunmen Strike Training Site". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  10. ^ MENAFN. "Kuwait Re-Affirms Keenness on Releasing Last Kuwaiti Detainee from Guantanamo". menafn.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  11. ^ الحلقة الأولى من حلقات المعتقل السابق في غوانتنامو فايز الكندري في الصندوق الأسود. Retrieved 2024-05-10 – via www.youtube.com.
  12. ^ الكفراوي, محمود. "البلاء الشديد والميلاد الجديد.. كتاب يروي تفاصيل 14 عاما من حياة معتقل كويتي في غوانتانامو". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-05-10.