Kuwait TV channels begin airing Quranic prayers as emir ill

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Television channels in Kuwait have cut into their daily programming to broadcast Quranic verses amid concerns about the country’s 91-year-old ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

The Kuwaiti stock market also fell 2.2% Tuesday amid concerns over his health.

The Kuwaiti government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, it earlier urged the public not to traffic in rumours without disputing social media concerns over Sheikh Sabah’s health.

Sheikh Sabah, who had been in poor health for years, suddenly fell ill in July, leading to a quick hospitalization and surgery in Kuwait City amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Authorities did not say what ailed him.

A U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital then transported Sheikh Sabah from Kuwait to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the flagship campus of the Mayo Clinic — an extraordinary gesture by the American government for a foreign head of state.

The Associated Press