KUWAIT CITY: Shias in the Gulf state of Kuwait have warned on Wednesday that their “deliberate” exclusion from political posts in the emirate could damage national unity.

In a statement, the head of the Shia Scholars' Congregation in Kuwait Ayatullah Muhammad Baqer Al-Mohri said the latest appointments have “marginalized a large section of citizens”.

“This has prevented their participation in the cabinet despite their high qualification and their loyalty to the country and political leadership,” Ayatullah Mohri said.

The Shia reaction came after the government on Sunday appointed six members of the municipal council, none of them Shia. Only one Shia figured among the 10 members elected Thursday to the 16-seat council.

Shias make up one third of Kuwait's native population of 956,000. Their ancestors hailed from Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

“We noticed a deliberate exclusion of a large sect in Kuwait, contrary to established norms. The group feels it is unjustly treated by this exclusion from the cabinet and municipality,” the Ayatullah added. “What happened is not in the interest of the government and the country, and could lead, God forbid, to a crack in the national unity and a fragmentation of society.”

Criticizing the appointments this week, most of the five Shias in the 50-member parliament called on the government to make good on its decision to include all sectors of society in the council.