'You're hired to serve us': Kuwaiti influencer launches vile attack on Egyptians

In a shocking clip that emerged online, Reem al-Shammari said Kuwait is reserved only for Kuwaitis and not for Egyptians, who are just workers "hired to serve" the natives.

Al-Shammari went on to claim Egyptians are "not equal partners" to Kuwaitis like herself, describing them as forming "the worst and dirtiest community in Kuwait".

"You are mere hired people that are brought over with contracts to serve us, then leave. Why don't you understand this?" Al-Shammari said in the clip.

"I do not blame them, I blame my government and authorities who make them [Egyptians] believe they are equal partners in my homeland," she added.

"Shut up, shut up," she concluded in the clip.

The influencer, who boasts thousands of followers on Snapchat, received instant condemnation online, with many slamming her "ignorant" and "supremacist" views.

Kuwait, like other Gulf Arab states, rely on a vast population of foreign workers for jobs ranging from domestic help, construction work, to white-collar jobs.

Some 35 million labourers work in the six GCC states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as Jordan and Lebanon, according to UN figures.

Foreigners far outnumber locals in the Gulf states, accounting for over 80 percent of the population in some countries.

In April, during the initial outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a famous Kuwaiti actress sparked a furore by calling for expatriates to be expelled from the oil-rich nation so that locals can be sure to have hospital beds if they fall ill with Covid-19.

Hayat al-Fahad, 71, who is known for playing a range of roles in Arabic dramas, told a local television station that foreigners in the country should be kicked out during the health crisis.

Read also: 'Use prisoners' as medical lab rats, Saudi actress suggests amid coronavirus epidemic

"We are fed up. If we get sick, there are no hospitals (for us)," she said during a telephone interview on Tuesday. 

"Why, if their countries do not want them, should we deal with them? Aren't people supposed to leave during crises?

"We should send them out... put them in the desert. I am not against humanity, but we have reached a stage where we're fed up."

Many people online criticised the actress' comments, with one Twitter user saying it was "so unacceptable". 

"How many Kuwaitis are outside Kuwait at the moment? Should everyone also apply her logic when it comes to them?" another person posted.

Social media users also pointed out the irony of Fahad's own background, saying she is originally Iraqi.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected