[10][2] In the pre-oil era, the term "Ajam" (عجم) pertained to both Sunni and Shia families of Iranian descent in Kuwait.

[10][19] In the 20th century, the term "Ajam" became synonymous with Shia families; which can be partly attributed to the politicization of sectarian identities following the 1979 Iranian revolution.

[2][29] Up until the 1950s, most Ajam (both Sunni and Shia) resided in the Sharq historical district in the old Kuwait City,[30] thereby forming a linguistic enclave which preserved the Kuwaiti Persian language for generations.

[31] They communicated in Persian between each other,[31] and did not frequently mingle with Arabic speakers until the oil-led industrialisation of Kuwait City which scattered people to the suburbs.

[46] The show featured Kuwaiti actors speaking fluent Persian;[46] which resulted in some racist discourse against the Ajam community.

[51][52][8] Since the 1980s and 1990s, many Kuwaiti Ajam parents have reported an unwillingness to pass the Persian language on to their children, as it will hurdle their integration into the dominant culture.

[52] In several interviews conducted by PhD student Batoul Hasan, Ajam youth have shown hesitation to use or learn Persian due to stigmatisation and prejudice in Kuwait.

[52][51] In 2012, MP Muhammad Hassan al-Kandari called for a "firm legal action" against an advertisement for teaching the Persian language in Rumaithiya.

[56] The Ajam of Kuwait have retained certain cultural traditions and idiosyncrasies that differentiate them from other ethnic groups in Kuwaiti society.

Unlike the restrictive gender norms of Arabia, smoking qiddu has always been socially acceptable among Ajam women.

[73] Many Kuwaitis of Iranian descent are Sunni Muslims such as the Al-Kandari and Al-Awadhi (Note: Persian Evaz "عوض" is pronounced "Awadh" in Arabic) families of Larestani ancestry.

[24][25][21] In the pre-oil era, the term Ajam pertained to both Sunni and Shia families of Iranian descent in Kuwait.

[10][19] In the 20th century, the term Ajam became synonymous with Shia families; which can be partly attributed to the politicization of sectarian identities following the 1979 Iranian revolution.