Others said that domestic workers in homes become part of the family, with some living in the same house for decades on end.

In the video Al Qattan also said that after reading headlines referring to her as a Muslim woman wearing a veil, she believes the media backlash is an attack on Islam and Kuwait.

Many Kuwaitis interviewed by The National suspected that she used the defence as a way to gather support from other Arabs and Muslims worldwide, to get them to see the matter as religious or ethnic.

"If that's what she's hiding behind she should know that wearing the hijab should be about showing respect and modesty," Ms Al Duaiji said. "How do her comments show that? I don't understand."

Al Qattan tried to justify her comments this week by saying her intentions behind keeping her help’s passport, which is against the law in Kuwait, was to “ensure their safety”. “This is not how we were raised. If some do support it, then I am sure their parents didn’t. This is a new phenomenon and to those who do support it, where has the humanity gone? I don’t know,” Ms Al Duaij said.

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