The Loyal Sons of Kuwait: Al-Nafisi and Al-Barrak

During my visit to the Netherlands at the official invitation of the Dutch Association for the Development of Protected Agriculture—an invitation extended to specialists from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries—I lost two of my dearest friends. Kuwait lost two of its own: former Minister Abdulwahab Youssef Al-Nafisi and my colleague Tariq Mohammed Al-Barrak. I worked with both of them during the 1970s and witnessed their loyalty, integrity, and dedication to excellence. Initially, I was nominated along with Tariq Al-Barrak by the Minister of Commerce, Abdulwahab Al-Nafisi, to serve on the board of directors of the Kuwaiti company. Among the events we experienced in 1975 was a severe shortage of fresh eggs and bread. A meeting was held with the minister, attended by Tariq Al-Barrak, to find quick solutions. I informed the minister that purchasing eggs from abroad and transporting them by air or land was very costly, and there was a global shortage of egg supplies. However, we are currently (the Kuwait United Poultry Company) are establishing an integrated project for the production of eggs and poultry meat, and we will give top priority to egg production as soon as possible. This was achieved by constructing the first four egg-laying houses and acquiring laying hens (16–18) we purchased laying hens raised in a European country, and the chickens were shipped by plane. We were working 24 hours a day to complete the facilities so they would be ready to receive the chickens. Even as the chickens arrived, workers were still installing the cages, and feed was being prepared using a small grinder to ensure a supply, as the feed mill was still under construction. Praise be to God, production began within four months with the support of the Minister and board member Tariq Al-Barrak, who played a major role in driving this project to achieve the desired result. As for the bread shortage, that was Tarek Al-Barrak’s responsibility; he secured the best price from Pakistan, and we were negotiating with the Kuwaiti Shipping Company to deliver the shipment as soon as possible. My dear colleague Tarek Al-Barrak was keen to ensure the best quality, so he traveled to the packing centers to verify the quality and weight, making several trips month. In addition to Tarek Al-Barrak’s integrity and dedication to his work, he protected the Kuwaiti Supply Company’s stockpiles from theft by the occupiers and sacrificed his life for this sacred duty. At a ceremony honoring Tariq Al-Barrak at the Kazma Club—of which he was one of the founding members—two young men came forward to praise Tariq Al-Barrak, who made extraordinary efforts to save them from being sent to Iraq for execution due to false allegations by the military authorities, and who met with Iraqi officials to secure their release. May God have mercy on both of them, and to Him we shall return. O God, grant us a good ending and make their final abode Paradise. We offer our sincere condolences to their noble families and to Kuwait as a whole, and we ask God to place our departed among the ranks of the martyrs and the righteous.