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Message for U.S Citizens 20-2011 – Ashura Holiday

U.S. Embassy Kuwait City, Kuwait
December 1, 2011

Message for U.S Citizens 20-2011 � Ashura Holiday

Please circulate the following message without additions or omissions
immediately to all U.S. citizens within your area of responsibility.

Monday, December 5, 2011 is Ashura and marks the end of the ten days of ritual
mourning observed in the Shi�a tradition. In Kuwait, the mourning rituals may
result in large gatherings and cause traffic congestion on Sunday night,
December 4 and Monday, December 5 in the following neighborhoods:

o Bneid Al-Qar
o Mansouriya
o Al-Daeya
o Al-Dasma
o Rumaithiya
o Maidan Hawali

Please stay current with media coverage of local events, be aware of your
surroundings, and continue to practice personal security awareness.
U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad should enroll in the Smart Traveler
Enrollment Program (STEP) at the following website: https://travelregistration.state.gov.

U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll directly at the U.S. Embassy or
Consulate at their destination. By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for
the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.

Updated information on travel and security may be obtained from the Department
of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or,
for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at
1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). For further
information, please consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at
http://travel.state.gov where the Worldwide Caution and Country Specific
Information can be found. In addition, the Embassy encourages U.S. citizens to
review “A Safe Trip Abroad,” which includes valuable security information for
those traveling or living in foreign countries. You can also follow the Bureau
of Consular Affairs on Twitter and on Facebook.

The U.S. Embassy is located at Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa Street, Block 6, Plot 14,
Bayan, Kuwait. If you are a U.S. citizen in need of emergency assistance in
Kuwait, you may reach the U.S. Embassy by calling +965-2259-1001 and requesting
the duty officer.

U.S. citizens in Kuwait who would like to receive future Emergency and
Informational Messages from the Embassy directly by e-mail may sign up for this
service by sending an e-mail to the following address: join-wardenmessagekuwait@mh.databack.com

This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, http://kuwait.usembassy.gov
Please note that the Consular Section is closed for U.S. and most local
holidays. The current holiday schedule for 2011 is posted on
http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/holidays.html.

December 1, 2011 - Posted by | Kuwait

2 Comments »

  1. The notification I received said “Emergency Notification”. I thought it sounded derogatory towards Shiite members of society.

    Did the embassy wake up to cultural sensitivity and send out a second message without the “Emergency”.

    Again, what constitutes an “emergency” on the part of the US embassy in Kuwait? (In this case – a gathering of people honoring their religious traditions.)

    Desert Girl's avatar Comment by Desert Girl | December 2, 2011 | Reply

  2. Mine didn’t say emergency! I posted it exactly as I received it!

    Interesting questions, DG 🙂

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | December 2, 2011 | Reply


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