The Oqsim campaign was inspired by Obama’s ‘’I Pledge’’ PSA launched in his presidential campaign. We adapted the idea by featuring 40 celebrities and public figures known for their contributions in social service, academia, and culture, in addition to media celebrities, and a retired figure of the police, to state oaths relating to humanitarian and civil principles such as respect for the law, respect for other people’s opinions, respect for all citizens, expatriates, all other nations, and religions, integrity at work, and service of human kind. Zawaya and the Oqsim campaign is driven by two central themes: there is a common ground that helps hold and pull together the mosaic of differences in our society and in every other society, and that common ground being the collection of human and civil codes and tenets stated above. The other theme is that the individual is ultimately the building block of society, and individuals can become agents of change in their own right. It was broadcast in all local channels, 10 in total, in addition to visuals in all local newspapers and a few magazines like Layalina, outdoor screens, bus ads, and outdoor ads. Most Kuwaiti blogs posted the link, receiving hundreds of comments. 2 TV channels ran programs on the campaign, Taw Al Lail’s Khaled AlAbdul Jaleel program, and KTV’s Sabah IlKhair Ya Kuwait. Radio channel Mix Marina FM 98.4 also featured an interview with Zawaya on Oqsim. 36,221 you-tube hits were achieved in 5 months, with 245 comments (July 28, 2009). Oqsim was a non-profit campaign launched, contributed to on a voluntary basis by all the parties that supported it, from the Cable Vision Company that provided us access to their studios, and Awtar, which provided the audio studio for audio editing, to all local TV channels, newspapers, IDEA for outdoor advertising, Bayan for Dentistry, Fine Arts Print Shop, Senyar for all the creative work, LightBug for the direction and production of the Oqsim video, Alam Attasameem for posting it on the buses and showing it on several outdoor plasma screens, and IHilal Technologies for running the video on their plasma screens in the Marina Mall. Even makeup was a voluntary contribution from Laila Harmony and IN Salon. Oxygen media also contributed to the campaign by printing Oqsim items for free.

The campaign’s blog is Oqsim.blogspot.com.